Submissions
Our Story
Crowne Books is an independent, Black-woman-owned publishing house born out of our flagship storefront in Salt Lake City, Utah. We are dedicated exclusively to publishing, amplifying, and celebrating genre fiction by and about Africans and the African Diaspora. Driven by our belief that “Literacy is Liberation!”, our publishing wing seeks to expand Black imagination through the written word. We provide a premium home for stories where Black characters and stories thrive.
Inaugural Catalog Launch
We are officially opening our doors for submissions to build our highly anticipated inaugural catalog, launching in June 2027 to celebrate our bookstore’s anniversary on Juneteenth.
- Opening Season Acquisitions: For this debut catalog cycle, we are guaranteed to accept a minimum of one novel and one novella, with the potential to acquire more based on the submissions we receive.
- Eligible Authors: We accept submissions exclusively from Black Authors from Africa and the African Diaspora.
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Representation: Both agented and unagented manuscripts are welcome!
Age Categories & Scope
We accept submissions across the following target demographics. Please ensure your protagonist’s ages match these specific guidelines:
- Middle Grade (MG): Stories aimed at readers aged 8–12.
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Young Adult (YA): Stories aimed at readers aged 12–18.
- Adult Fiction: Stories aimed at mature readers featuring protagonists aged 18+, but ideally 25 and Older.
Length Requirements
- Novels: 40,000 words or more.
- Novellas: 17,500 words to 39,999 words.
The Team
OLIVIA NIGHTINGALE is a Black and interracial romance author, an award-winning editor (Locus, British Fantasy, World Fantasy), and the owner of the independent bookstore and publishing house, Crowne Books. She co-edited the NAACP Image Award-nominated anthology Africa Risen and is currently curating Dominion II. Her hobbies include reading, raving, and ranting about book boyfriends. After acceptance, selected manuscripts undergo rigorous professional copyediting, proofreading, and premium custom cover design, backed by a dedicated retail sales channel through our brick-and-mortar bookstore and online storefront.
Manuscript Wishlist
We seek commercial, voice-driven genre fiction with a strong preference for Black main characters. We are actively seeking to expand Black representation in the following genres:
- Romantasy
- Afrofuturism
- Omegaverse
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Historical Noir
- Summer Slashers
- Corporate Romance
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Psychological Thrillers
Please Note: While these specific genres are what we are actively seeking, we are always open to exploring stories beyond these categories if the voice and concept align with our vision.
Advances & Royalties
We offer a professional, transparent financial model to ensure our authors are paid fairly. All royalty percentages are calculated based on net receipts (the profit actually received by the press from vendors and distributors after their respective retail cuts) and begin paying out immediately after the manuscript earns out its advance threshold.
Novels
- Advance: A flat $500 USD advance paid upon signing.
- eBook Royalty: 50% of net receipts.
- Print (Paperback) Royalty: 15% of net receipts.
- Audiobook Royalty: 25% of net receipts.
Novellas
- Advance: A flat $100 USD advance paid upon signing.
- eBook Royalty: 50% of net receipts.
- Print (Paperback) Royalty: 15% of net receipts.
- Audiobook Royalty: 25% of net receipts.
How to Submit
Our submission window will officially open on November 1, 2026, and run until November 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST). To ensure no materials are lost in email filters, all entries must be processed through our online intake form below. Crowne Books does not accept manuscripts, synopses, or outlines generated or assisted in whole by generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Midjourney). All submissions must be completely human-authored. Please format document uploads to standard manuscript format: double-spaced, 12-point standard font (Times New Roman or Courier), 1-inch margins, saved strictly as a
.pdf file.
Submission Form Requirements
- Query Letter: A 1-page query letter.
- Synopsis: A 1-page synopsis summarizing the full plot.
- Sample Upload: Your first 3 chapters or a 10,000-word sample.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does Crowne Books welcome intersectional identities?
- A: Crowne Books is a celebratory space for LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, disabled, and other historically multiply marginalized creators.
Q: Do you accept self-published books or manuscripts that have been posted online?
- A: Yes. For future catalog cycles, we will only acquire previously unpublished, unreleased work. If more than 10% of your manuscript has been made publicly available or distributed on platforms like Wattpad, Patreon, Kobo+, Kindle+, a public personal blog, etc., it will be ineligible for future open calls.
Q: Do you accept simultaneous submissions?
- A: Yes. We understand that your time is valuable. If your manuscript is accepted elsewhere, please email us!
Q: Can I submit multiple separate projects during the open call window?
- A: To ensure we can review every author fairly, please limit your submissions to one project per open window. Send us the manuscript you feel is most polished and closest to market-ready.
Q: If I am an unagented author, will I be treated differently during review?
- A: Absolutely not. Crowne Books handles both agented and unagented submissions the same.
Q: When can I expect to hear back regarding my submission?
- A: All authors who submit during the November window will receive a definitive response by February 28, 2027. We appreciate your patience!
Q: Are you looking for self-contained standalone books or series potential?
- A: Both! We love a strong standalone that tells a complete story, but we are also highly interested in high-concept genre fiction designed with multi-book series potential. Please indicate in your query letter if your book is a standalone or the start of a series.
Q: What exactly are “net receipts” for royalties?
- A: Net receipts represent the money Crowne Books actually receives from vendors and distributors after their respective cuts. For example, if a digital platform keeps 30% of an eBook sale, your royalty percentage is calculated directly from the remaining 70% paid to our press.
Q: Can authors outside the United States submit to this call?
- A: Yes! We welcome and encourage submissions from Black authors throughout Africa and the entire international African Diaspora. Payment and contracts will be handled digitally, but please keep in mind that if your country does not have an active tax treaty with the US, additional taxes may be withheld by law.
Q: Do you accept submissions from authors who only want to license their audio rights?
- A: Our primary focus for the June 2027 catalog is acquiring all-format rights (eBook, print, and audio) for novels and novellas. However, we are highly invested in expanding our audio footprint, so we are open to audio-only submissions!