Before submitting
Please read our publishing programme. We consider literature, philosophy, art, criticism, music, cinema, theatre, architecture and selected humanities projects. A strong proposal should explain why the work belongs on our list and who its readers are.
What to send
- a one-page covering letter;
- a clear synopsis or proposal, including subject, argument, structure and intended readership;
- a short author or translator biography and relevant publishing history;
- a contents page and sample chapters, or the complete manuscript for shorter literary work;
- estimated final word count, current status and any proposed illustrations;
- details of rights ownership, previous publication, representation and simultaneous submissions;
- for translations, the original title, author, publisher, language and current rights position.
Format and delivery
Send a single, clearly named PDF or Word document by email to contact@orchestrabooks.co.uk with “Submission — [title]” in the subject line. Do not send original artwork, physical manuscripts or irreplaceable material unless requested.
Review process
We review proposals selectively. Because of the volume and complexity of publishing decisions, we cannot guarantee individual feedback or a response to every unsolicited submission. Please allow a reasonable review period before following up once.
Rights and confidentiality
You retain all rights unless a written agreement is signed. Submission does not create an obligation to publish, an agency relationship or a duty to keep material confidential. Do not send information that requires a non-disclosure agreement at the initial stage.
What we do not seek
We are unlikely to consider projects outside our editorial fields, raw first drafts, incomplete proposals without samples, work generated or assembled in a way that creates unclear authorship or rights, or material that is defamatory, unlawful or infringes third-party rights.