Due to a large backlog, Brain Jar Press is currently closed to new submissions until August 1st, 2024. We’re a Brisbane-based publisher specialising in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and crime, as well as non-fiction works that can be tied to those genres. We operate under a digital first model—the bulk of our books are sold as ebooks or print-on-demand copies.
Please read the submissions guidelines below before submitting. If you have any questions, you can email us at BrainJarPress@gmail.com.
We’re primarily interested in science fiction, horror, fantasy, crime, and thriller fiction, as well as short story collections aimed at readers of those genres.
Brain Jar Press is open to publishing:
We’re particularly interested in serial and series works, whether they are written at short story, novella, or novel length, and works that fit into some of our established product lines such as the Writer Chaps series (chapbook collections of writing-oriented non-fiction).
We are also interested in non-fiction that’s focused on the craft and business of writing, or topics aligned with the fiction genres we cover. Basically, think “would a relatively left-wing geek who enjoys genre fiction enjoy this?” If the answer is yes, it’s probably in our wheelhouse. We are happy to consider non-fiction at chapbook length and above.
When we take on a book, it’s usually because it plays to Brain Jar’s strengths editorially and commercially In short, we take on books we believe we can develop and enhance through the editorial process, and promote to our readers effectively.
Our maximum capacity is publishing about 6 to 8 books a year, so we’ avoid taking on books that don’t play to our strengths. Right now, this means genres such as Young Adult, Hard Science Fiction, Military SF and Military Thrillers, Romance, and Literary Fiction with a focus on realism will not be a good fit.
Please submit enquiries for manuscripts that are completed and polished. We’re not interested in pitches for incomplete work.
Send your submissions to BrainJarPress@gmail.com with the subject line including the following details:
SUBMISSION: [Title]; [Author Name]; [Genre]. If you are submitting for one of our established lines, such as Flash Chaps or Writer Chaps, please use the series name in place of genre.
Include a brief query letter that includes the genre, word count, and contact details (including email address and phone number), plus a short description of your project (up to 600 words) in the body of the email. If you’re addressing your letter with a personalised greeting, please include both members of the Brain Jar Press team (Peter and Sarah). We’re also happy to receive emails address to Brain Jar Press or the BJP Team.
Please attach the following to your email, all in a single .rtf or .docx word file that includes both title and author name in the file name. This file should include:
Please format the attached file using the standard manuscript format.
Brain Jar Press is open to publishing out-of-print works after the rights have reverted to the author, or taking on available digital or print rights for existing works where such rights are available. To submit reprints, please send your submission to BrainJarPress@gmail.com with the subject line: Submission; [title of your book]; [your name]; REPRINT, with a word file of your book attached. Please note the available rights in your email.
We will generally respond to submissions of previously published work within two weeks.
Brain Jar Press publishes in ebook and print on demand, working on a digital-first model that only produces print editions when they’re ordered. This means we do not pay advances, but we do offer a slightly higher royalty rate on print books sold than larger publishing companies.
The Downside of Our Business Model: if you dream of seeing your book on the shelf of your local bookstore, we’re probably not the best fit. While some of our books find their way into stores and we distributed all our titles via Ingram, the vast majority of our sales take place through our web store, in-person, or through online retailers.
The Upside of Our Business Model: we’re not competing for the limited shelf space in those stores, which means we can build an audience for an author and take on more diverse, experimental, and outright weird projects. This means we focus our attention on books that are often thought of as too short, too strange, or too niche for a larger publisher. Several of our early projects started with a writer saying, “I’ve got a weird idea for a book, but…”
We also have global reach, which means our small, locally produced titles reach audiences in the UK, USA, and Europe, in addition to Australian readers.
