Caribbean & Diaspora Storytelling
Submissions
Submissions
We are an independent house looking for Caribbean and diaspora writers. A real person reads every submission. There is never a fee.
At a glance
Open to: Caribbean and diaspora writers We read: literary fiction, crime, romance, erotica, nonfiction Send to: thehouse@maroonhousepress.com Reply within: 8–12 weeks Fee: none, everWe are an independent house. We do not have a slush pile the size of a warehouse, which means a real person reads every submission — and it means we are slower than a machine would be. If you have not heard from us in twelve weeks, write again. Things do get lost.
What we are looking for
Fiction and nonfiction by Caribbean and diaspora writers. Work rooted in a specific place, with a specific voice. We are not looking for a book that sounds like something else that sold.
For a sense of the voice we mean, read our note on language, power and accent in Caribbean fiction.
We publish across genres on purpose: literary fiction, crime and mystery, paranormal romance, erotica, and nonfiction about the body and recovery. A reading life is not one genre deep, and neither is a culture.
We are especially interested in Jamaican and wider Caribbean settings, folklore treated as literature rather than decoration, and work about inheritance, land, silence and what families agree not to say.
What to send
- A query letter of no more than one page. Tell us what the book is, who it is for, and who you are.
- A synopsis of no more than two pages, including the ending. Do not withhold the ending.
- The first three chapters, or the first fifty pages, whichever ends more naturally.
- Attach as a single Word document or PDF. Times or Garamond, twelve point, double spaced, numbered pages.
- Put SUBMISSION – [Title] – [Your name] in the subject line.
What not to send
- Manuscripts already published elsewhere, including on Wattpad, Kindle Unlimited, or your own site.
- Simultaneous submissions without telling us. Tell us and it is fine.
- Poetry, screenplays, or children’s picture books. We do not publish them and cannot place them.
- AI-generated manuscripts. We will know, and we will not publish them.
What happens next
If it is not for us, you will get a short note. It will not be a critique, and it is not a judgment of the work — only that we are not the right house for it.
If we want to read more, we will ask for the full manuscript. From there, an offer includes a contract, a real editorial process, cover design, and a publication plan. We never charge a reading fee, an editing fee, or a contribution to production. Any publisher that does is not a publisher.
Rights and terms
We acquire world English rights unless we agree otherwise in writing. Authors keep copyright. Royalties are paid quarterly against a statement you can actually read. You will get the terms in full before you are asked to sign anything.
Send it
Email thehouse@maroonhousepress.com. Read something of ours first if you can — it is the fastest way to know whether we are the right house for your book.
The Maroon House Reader
First look at every new title, straight from the publisher’s desk.
Excerpts before release, notes on what we’re acquiring, and the occasional dispatch from Jamaica. Sent when there’s something worth sending.
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