Submissions

We are currently only able to look at submissions during our annual submission window of October 1-31 each year, though we may have additional anthology submission opportunities, so be sure to keep an eye out here and follow us on social media!

What are We Looking for when Submissions are Open?

To get a feel for what Trent and Anne crave, check out our previously published books and read "what they're looking for" on the Meet the Team page.

And as you prepare to submit, know that we are looking for book proposals, rather than completed manuscripts.

We encourage you to read this page in detail, as there's a lot of helpful information, but we also want to encourage you by saying: your book proposal doesn't need to be perfect. It simply needs to provide a clear and thoughtful introduction to you and your book.

At Balsam Spring Publishing, we seek writers whose work speaks with honesty, imagination, and care. A well prepared proposal helps us begin that conversation. We look forward to reading proposals that reflect the depth, creativity, and lived experience of the communities we serve.

Why Book Proposals?

At Balsam Spring Publishing, we review book proposals instead of requesting full manuscripts. Every submission begins with a proposal that introduces you and your project to the editorial team and helps both author and publisher understand the purpose of the book, the audience it serves, and how it fits within the current publishing landscape.

For authors, preparing a book proposal can help refine your book idea, clarify how it fits within the larger marketplace, and articulate why you are the right person to write it. The proposal process also helps you identify why now is the right time for your book and who your audience is.

In writing your book proposal, you will create a table of contents that helps organize your writing, as well as polish one or two chapters for publication. By the end of the process, you will also have a clear marketing plan so that you feel confident about how your book can make a difference in your professional life, while also reaching the readers who most need to encounter your work.

For our editorial team, book proposals allow us to evaluate projects thoughtfully and fairly while developing a clear understanding of the structure and vision of your work.

How to Structure a Book Proposal

Overview
Proposed Contents
Chapter Summaries
Market Analysis
About the Author
Platform and Community Engagement
PR and Marketing Plan
Writing Sample

Scroll below for important details about what to include in each section of the proposal, as well as the approximate length of each section. Please submit your proposal as a single document or PDF using a standard, readable font such as Times New Roman or Garamond, 12 point, with double spacing. Use footnotes and other citations as needed throughout your document. A completed book proposal is usually between 40 and 70 pages in length.

Overview

The Overview section should be 5 to 10 double spaced pages in length and introduce the core idea of your book. It is the first section we read, but it is often the last section authors write because it incorporates information from the other proposal sections in a concise way.

The first paragraph should open with a strong hook that introduces your book and names why you are the author best suited to write it. Take a few additional paragraphs to share more about you and your book before moving into the following information:

Data and research supporting why your topic is important, relevant, and timely
Information showing how your book fits current social and marketplace needs
Data exploring public interest in your topic, such as Google search statistics, industry size, or social media trends
Discussion of comparable titles, including how your book is similar to and different from those works
Publications, influencers, programs, or channels that frequently publish content related to your topic and are likely to be interested in your work
Information about the genre, approximate word count or page length, and estimated writing timeline after signing a contract. Common writing timelines are 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months

Proposed Content

Most books include a table of contents that ranges from 1 to 5 double spaced pages in length. The Proposed Contents section of your proposal shows us what the structure of your book will look like.

This section should list the major parts and chapters in the order they will appear in the manuscript. For poetry or creative work, this sometimes includes thematic sections rather than chapters.

The goal is to help the editorial team see how the book is organized from beginning to end. When crafting your table of contents, consider how your favorite books are structured, how their sections and chapters are named, and how that structure guides readers through the work.

Chapter Summaries

The Chapter Summaries section offers a short description of each chapter or section and will typically range from 5 to 15 double spaced pages in length.

These summaries explain what each chapter will cover and how it contributes to the overall arc of the book.

For each chapter, include the chapter title and a brief description of its themes or content. You may write these summaries in paragraph form or include bullet points after a sentence describing the chapter’s main idea. Remember to highlight key stories, concepts, or ideas explored in that chapter.

Market Analysis

The Market Analysis section helps demonstrate that there is an existing audience for your work and should run 1 to 5 double spaced pages in length. As a publishing company prioritizing submissions from Racialized, Trans, Queer, Fat, Disabled, Immigrant, Indigenous, and financially marginalized writers, Balsam Spring Publishing does not necessarily expect your proposal to appeal to mainstream readers or large commercial markets. Instead, we want to see that there is a clear and thoughtful audience for your book, whether that audience is broad or rooted in a smaller community that is eager for work like yours.

This section situates your book within the current publishing landscape and explains how it will resonate with your intended readers. Your goal is to demonstrate that readers already exist who are interested in the themes, conversations, or creative work your book contributes to.

In your market analysis, identify several books that are similar in topic, audience, or style. These are commonly called comparable titles.

For each comparable title include:

Title
Author
Publisher
Publication year

Briefly explain what each book is about, describe how your book is similar, and explain how your book offers something distinct, deepens the conversation, or fills a gap in the market.

About the Author

Your About the Author section helps us understand why you are the right person to write this book. This section is generally 2 to 4 double spaced pages in length.

Tell us about yourself and your connection to the project. Your author bio should highlight professional and personal experiences that help readers trust your voice and perspective. You might include work experience, relevant education or training, personal connection to the subject matter, community leadership, organizing work, previous publications, or speaking and teaching experience.

Platform/ Community Engagement

The Platform and Community Engagement section describes how you currently connect with readers or communities and should be 1 to 2 double spaced pages in length.

You might include information about your social media presence, newsletter or mailing list, professional networks, media appearances, or organizations and communities connected to your work.

A large social media platform is not required. However, Balsam Spring Publishing values authors who are already engaged with communities of readers who are eager to encounter their work.

PR and Marketing Plan

The PR and Marketing Plan section should describe ideas for how the book could be shared with the world and will typically be 2 to 4 doubled spaced pages in length.

Publishing a book is a collaborative process, and authors play an important role in helping their books reach readers. You might include prelaunch activities, launch events or readings, partnerships with organizations or communities, media outreach ideas, speaking engagements, or social media campaigns.

Writing Sample

The Writing Sample section is the final section of your book proposal and allows the editorial team to experience your voice and style. For nonfiction, this usually includes the introduction and one or two sample chapters. For poetry or other creative work, include a selection that represents the tone and direction of the manuscript.

Your writing sample should be approximately 20 to 40 double spaced pages in length.