Getting Published
ADULT PUBLISHING DIVISION
The Monthly Catch
The General Publishing team at Penguin Group (Australia) is keen and excited to read new work from Australian authors, and as such we’ve developed the Monthly Catch. For the first week of every month, we throw our doors open to unsolicited manuscripts. In this time period (the 1st to the 7th of every month), please send through submissions based on the guidelines below.
We are only accepting submissions electronically – all hardcopy submissions will be recycled. And we are only accepting submissions in the first week of every month; anything that comes through outside of this time will not be considered.
We are not currently considering poetry, educational textbooks or plays/scripts. We do not accept submissions intended for children and young adult audiences.
For books for children and young adults, please see the separate submission instructions below.
When you send through your submission, you’ll receive an automatic email acknowledging receipt. All manuscripts are carefully read and assessed, but we can only respond to those who are successful. If we do not contact you within three months of submission, please assume that we have decided not to pursue your manuscript. No further correspondence will be entered into.
While we are unable to give feedback on every manuscript we receive, there are many avenues to help writers develop their manuscripts. See our advice for authors page for a collection of practical suggestions.
Attach your manuscript and a short synopsis (of no more than 300 words) as separate Word documents and send via email to monthly.catch@au.penguingroup.com.
In the subject line of your email, please state the title of your book, whether your book is fiction or non-fiction, and then genre (eg Heiress in Love: Fiction/Romance or The Address Book: Non-Fiction/Memoir).
Please include in the body of your email the following information:
- Title.
- Brief summary (two or three sentences).
- Brief author bio (two or three sentences).
- Any previous publishing history and/or any writing awards you’ve received.
- Where would your book sit in the marketplace – i.e. what books would you see as comparison titles to yours, what authors are similar to you, who is the intended audience for your book, etc.
- Has this proposal been sent to other publishers?
- Have you previously submitted this, or a similar, proposal to Penguin? If so, please give details.
ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION/ LANTERN BOOKS
Lantern Books, an imprint of Penguin Books, is a leading publisher of lifestyle books, including cookbooks, books on fashion, style, interiors, travel and gardening. We publish around thirty-five books each year.
For the time being, Lantern Books will no longer be receiving unsolicited manuscripts. We will advise on this website when we will be receiving them again. Thank you for your interest in Lantern Books.
PENGUIN YOUNG READERS DIVISION
Penguin Young Readers Division is changing the way we accept unsolicited manuscripts.
Here at Penguin Young Readers HQ, we’re as determined as ever to publish fresh new voices and original stories. So we’re introducing a new way to accept your submissions. To help focus your writing and our searching, we’ll only be accepting certain types of books at certain times. Confusing? Not at all!
February…
Swoon!
Thank you so much to all you romantically inclined people out there, who sent in manuscripts for our loving catch. We’re heads down and hearts on sleeves as we read, read, read. If you don’t hear from us within three months, then sadly, you have been unsuccessful. But don’t give up and don’t despair – write, write and write some more.
Now, what’s coming up next? Read on, dear author . . .
Plan ahead using our handy guide below, and you can have your manuscript ready and polished at the very moment we’re focusing on your particular genre or age group.
June 1st – July 31st
Middle Readers (that’s 9 – 12 year olds)
Excitement, confusion, adventure, delusion, friendships, hardships, spaceships, sailing ships – the middle readers category is one of the most diverse and beautiful fields you can plant a story in. We can’t wait to reap what you’re sowing. Harvest season is Winter – June 1st to July 31st.
September 1st to 30th
Picture Books
For the whole month of September, we’ll be going on a book hunt for picture-book texts that stick in our minds and lodge in our hearts. Hopefully we’re going to catch a big one. Will it be yours?
October 1st - 31st Free-For-All
Yes, that time again for one month only, no holes barred before Christmas!
November/December
Our doors are closed while we all take a break and prepare to be surprised and delighted by the new year’s submissions.
And watch out for YA Week! We’re going to spring it on you like a pop quiz or a freshly inked tattoo revealed at a family reunion. Keep checking the website and be prepared...
How to Submit
Some information about the submissions process:
- We accept electronic submissions only.
- If you don’t hear from us in three months from the date you submitted your work, it means we have decided not to pursue your manuscript.
- Because we receive so many manuscripts, we are not able to offer feedback on individual submissions.
- Web form - Available from June 1st.
If at first you don’t succeed…
Whilst we are unable to give feedback on every manuscript we receive, there are many avenues to help writers grow and improve.
We advise referring to as many books about the writing process as you can source. To view some titles we recommend please click here.
It's also a good idea to contact the writers' centre in your state or territory for assistance with the writing process and referral to community writing groups, agents and manuscript assessment services.
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