Submissions

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

SUBMIT TO ONE EDITOR ONLY VIA EMAIL. From the list of editors and their areas of interest below, determine which editor would be best suited to or most interested in the type of book you are proposing. Address the submission to that editor’s attention. If an editor passes, it’s a pass for Kensington; do not re-query or re-submit to another editor.

 


 

Please send a QUERY ONLY in the body of the email.

Do not attach manuscripts or proposals to e-mail queries.

An editor will respond if he or she is interested in seeing your material based on your query. Due to the volume of submissions, editors may only respond to projects they wish to further consider.

Requested manuscripts should be Word documents unless otherwise specified, typed in 12-point font, double-spaced, and paginated. Include title and author in file name.

ALLOW AT LEAST THREE MONTHS FOR RESPONSE. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE KENSINGTON OFFICES. 

IF YOU DO NOT HEAR BACK ON YOUR QUERY, IT MEANS THAT YOUR PROJECT DOESN’T FIT OUR CURRENT EDITORIAL NEEDS. 

We are currently not accepting Children’s, Middle Grade, Young Adult or Poetry submissions.

EREWHON SUBMISSIONS

Speculative fiction imprint Erewhon Books typically accepts agented submissions only, with limited opportunities for unagented submissions. More information on their submissions process can be found here.

EDITORIAL STAFF—KENSINGTON AND CITADEL

John Scognamiglio, Editor-in-Chief of Kensington: Fiction (historical romance, contemporary romance, women’s contemporary fiction, Amish romances and inspirational romances, historical fiction, gay fiction, cozy and historical mysteries, dark suspense and thrillers). Word count for mysteries is 75,000-100,000 words.  jscognamiglio@kensingtonbooks.com

Michaela Hamilton, Editor-in-Chief of Citadel, Executive Editor of Kensington: Nonfiction (including popular culture, narrative nonfiction, true crime, biography, law enforcement, current issues, pop science). mhamilton@kensingtonbooks.com

Wendy McCurdy, Editorial Director: Now especially looking for historical fiction and nonfiction, with the nonfiction focused on military/wartime history. Also open to mainstream women’s fiction including southern fiction, beach reads, sagas, commercial literary fiction, romance, romcom fare, etc. Please include the first chapter as an attachment.wmccurdy@kensingtonbooks.com

Denise  Silvestro, Executive Editor, Citadel Press: Specializing in nonfiction, especially, but not limited to, narrative nonfiction, history, memoir, biography, social issues, pop culture, current events, and issues of special interest to women. DSilvestro@Kensingtonbooks.com

Leticia Gomez, Editorial Director—Dafina: Multicultural fiction and nonfiction of all genres including literary fiction, commercial fiction, historical fiction, romance, mystery, and narrative nonfiction of all genres with a focus on authors of color as well as specific nonfiction projects for marginalized communities. LGomez@Kensingtonbooks.com

Elizabeth May, Editor: Looking for familiar stories told in new  ways, especially projects from diverse, and historically underrepresented voices. Fiction: Historical fiction, particularly untold women's stories in history, and 20th century conflicts. Romantasy, and magical crossover. RomCom, or Women's Fiction crossover.  Upmarket mysteries, with broader fiction appeal. NonFiction: New Age/Spiritual, 'Occult,' Micro-Histories, Hidden-histories, stranger-than-fiction non-fiction, social commentary, pop-culture, prescriptive, and True Crime. emay@kensingtonbooks.com

James Abbate, Associate Editor: Nonfiction only. Biography, memoir, history, true crime, pop culture, pop science, film/TV, music, military history, with a particular emphasis on WWII and Holocaust nonfiction. jabbate@kensingtonbooks.com

Elizabeth Trout, Editor, Fiction: Seeking voice-driven women's fiction with romance crossover, historical fiction set in under-explored time periods or settings, gothic fiction, mysteries that are not fully cozy but not procedural (in the style of Knives Out), and general fiction with a speculative or magical realism tilt, but grounded in our world. etrout@kensingtonbooks.com