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Arx Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 1333
Merchantville NJ 08109, USA
Email: info@arxpub.com



   
Manuscript Submission Guidelines

As part of our commitment to developing and promoting American literature, Arx Publishing is seeking new manuscripts from both new and established authors. We're not just looking for writers who can tell a story, but rather those rare and talented individuals who can turn a good story into a great work of literature.

If you would like to submit a manuscript to us, we ask you to read the guidelines below very carefully before submitting. Arx is not a vanity press, but a royalty-paying publishing house. We are extremely selective about the manuscripts we choose for publication and have very specific requirements about the type of work that we want for our catalog. On average, we have only published one fiction title per year.

Please note that because of the increased volume of submissions, and because we do not have a full-time staff to go through them, we can no longer provide complimentary manuscript critiques in reply to submissions. In order to help aspiring writers perfect their craft however, we will now offer critiques on a fee basis. See our Critiquing Service section for more information.

Submissions that obviously did not follow our guidelines will be immediately disposed of, so it is in the author’s best interest to make certain that a work fits our criteria before submitting.


Writing Style Guidelines

Writing style is extremely important to us, and we have very high standards when judging it. We are very much literary traditionalists and look for polished literary prose that reminds us of the great classic writers of the 18th and 19th centuries, such as James Fenimore Cooper, Sir Walter Scott and Nathaniel Hawthorne. We look for writers who can convincingly “thee” and “thou”, and who can skilfully use archaic English without sounding contrived. Bland uninspiring language is one of the chief reasons manuscripts are turned down.


The Moral of the Story

We look for stories that can teach important lessons about the virtues of heroism, piety, self-sacrifice and honor without being heavy-handed or saccharine. Books should be morally suitable for ALL age groups, as an important part of our audience is homeschooled young adults.

We will not publish anything New Age, Wiccan, neo-pagan, agnostic or atheistic. Authors should be at home in traditional religion, namely orthodox Jewish and Christian theology. If the story setting is a pre-Christian or non-Christian world, we expect the highest strains of pre-Christian philosophy and piety to shine through (e.g. Homer, Aristotle, Vergil, Beowulf).

In no case will we publish stories that are blasphemous, morally ambiguous or immodest. Vulgar, immoral and/or obscene works will be read only by the inside of our trash can.


Genres

We are seeking submissions in the following three genres only. Please do not submit any stories with contemporary settings or themes.
HISTORICAL FICTION should be well researched and creatively presented, and is especially valuable to us if it recounts long-neglected stories of great episodes, adventures, and individuals. We want works set before the modern era (pre-1900); some of our favorite settings are Ancient Greece and Rome, Medieval Christendom, and especially early America. Fictionalizations of Biblical characters and episodes, however, are strongly discouraged. Suggested models: James Fenimore Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans, Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, Robert Graves’ I, Claudius, and from our catalog Angels in Iron.
FANTASY: We encourage the submission of world-building or “mythopoeic” fantasy works based around invented lands and times. These should, however, teach real lessons rather than be a mere escape into make-believe. Religious and mythic elements need not be explicitly Christian, but can in no way be hostile to Christian theology. Invented worlds must be original and unique creations—not just a repackaging of the Middle-Earth model of men, elves, & dwarves, or novelized Dungeons-and-Dragons scenarios. Suggested models: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, and from our catalog Dream of Fire, Mask of Ollock, and Niamh and the Hermit.
SCIENCE FICTION: Submissions should present innovative, well-thought-out visions of humanity’s future. They should be true to human nature, believable, and not place uncritical faith in technological advancement or utopian ideologies that are going to be obsolete 10 years after the book is written. Authors should display a basic competency in, as well as an appreciation for scientific and technical understanding. Suggested models: Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy.

To Submit

    If your work meets all the above criteria and would be suitable for Arx Publishing’s catalog, send us the following materials only:

    * a cover letter and/or synopsis of the work as a whole
    * two sample chapters
    * any relevant additional materials  (maps, illustrations or appendices—but no more than a few pages).

    Either email submissions or postal submissions are acceptable. If submitting by email, include your materials in the body of the email(s) and not as an attachment. If submitting by US Mail, remember to enclose a SASE if you wish your materials to be returned.
    Again, because of volume we cannot personally reply to all submissions. If we cannot use your submission we will send you a brief notification via email or return your SASE.

    Submissions and any further questions not answered here, can be addressed to our editor:
 
Jamie Salvucci
Arx Publishing
PO Box 1333
Merchantville NJ 08109
USA
jcs(at)arxpub.com




Story Critiquing Service

    As a service to beginning authors who would like their ideas professionally reviewed, our editors are now offering critiques on a fee basis. This service is completely independent of our publishing program: it doesn’t in any way lead to publication, nor is it in any way a prerequisite for publication. We are offering it as a wholly distinct service designed to help first-time writers hone their craft and tell a better story so as to improve their chances of publication.
    A one-time fee of $35 includes one single-spaced page of analysis and critique, based on your synopsis, a close reading of two sample chapters, and a review of any maps, timelines and general worldbuilding techniques. We may also make some grammatical and stylistic suggestions. Do not send more than two chapters, as we will only read and evaluate two regardless.
    You will receive your critique 2-3 weeks after we receive your materials. We pay special attention to the Christian symbolism in the book, as well as your use of literary language and worldbuilding. We will offer constructive, useful criticism to help you strengthen the weak points in your idea and will provide concrete suggestions on how to improve your writing.
    We appraise honestly but always with charity, as our goal is to help authors develop their story ideas so that they can communicate the Gospel with greater effectiveness.
   
    If you would like to take advantage of our Story Critiquing Service, please include the following with your payment of $35:
Checks may be made out to:
Arx Publishing LLC
PO Box 1333
Merchantville NJ 08109, USA
revised 4/2/07
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