Traditional publishers don’t often roll out the welcome mat to unpublished or aspiring writers; information on how to submit and to whom is often hidden on publishers’ websites. Even when the information can be found, it frequently consists of the one-line statement “Unsolicited manuscripts are not accepted.”
Hachette UK has decided to be more helpful and proactive by launching an initiative called The Future Bookshelf. Imagine something like the content you’d find in Writer’s Digest or the Writer magazine—lots of craft and technique advice, along with information on how the industry works.
The mission of The Future Bookshelf becomes clear when you go the Submissions tab on the site, where you’ll find the following statement: “Who you are: A new, unagented and unpublished writer with a brilliant idea that belongs on the bookshelf of the future. You are someone who feels that the publishing industry doesn’t adequately represent people from your background or with your experiences—and you want to change that. You might be from a BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) or LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer) community, from a socio-economically marginalised background, or have a disability. It doesn’t matter if your book isn’t quite finished yet, or if you think it needs a bit of editing before it’s ready; we’re looking for someone who is committed to being a writer and who is ready to work hard to develop their idea. If this sounds like you, then we’d love to read your book.”
That’s quite a different message, of course, than what you find promoted in other parts of the traditional publishing community (e.g., only submit final, polished work, and never contact a publisher or agent with only an idea). However, this openness—as far as unsolicited work is concerned—is for a limited time only. The submissions period opens on Dec. 1, 2017 at 12:00 AM GMT and closes one week later. And yes, self-published books may be submitted.
Bottom line: This latest initiative from Big Five traditional publishing demonstrates the ongoing and legitimate concern with and focus on increasing diversity across the industry. The transparency and openness is welcome, although it would be nice if this friendly face toward working writers could be a part of all standard publishing practice.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
