Submissions

Foolscap & Quill publishes a variety of books. We charge no upfront fees. We do no Kickstarters. We receive our compensation from the sales of your books. That means we believe in your books before we offer you a contract. Our contract is fair and reasonable. You can commission your own artwork or we can provide it. If you would like more details about our contract, feel free to send questions to scribe@foolscap-quill.com.

AI policy: We do not accept books written by AI apps or covers designed and created AI processes. Such text or images is not copyrightable under U.S. law.

How to Submit a fiction or non-fiction book:

Please submit a one page query by e-mail to: submissions@foolscap-quill.com, include the title, the length, the genre and a brief synopsis. Please submit a query only after you have completed your work.

Manuscript submissions should be in the format on this sample: manuscriptformatsample.docx or manuscriptformatsample.odt and emailed to submissions@foolscap-quill.com

Submissions to Trifles quarterly journal:

Additional information about Trifles: www.foolscap-quill.com/trifles.html

Call for Submissions: Trifles will be accepting submissions for the June issue from April 1 through April 30, 2026. No need to query first. Submissions should be related to Sherlock Holmes in some fashion. That includes articles about crime, or social, or material conditions of the Victorian or Edwardian eras. They must be your own original work. We will consider reprints, especially of works which had a limited initial release like in a scion newsletter. We will consider stories, essays, limericks, puzzles, trivia, humor and art. Note that all submissions will appear in black and white. The preferred length for stories and essays is 2700 to 5400 words, but we will consider any length. Responses will be sent by the end of April 2026. There will be no compensation offered at this time. If the initial release is financially successful the initial contributors will be given a bonus and subsequent contributors will be offered pay in their contract. (We have an option from Authors to reroute their compensation to their favorite BSI scion.) Authors of all published materials will receive a free copy of the issue.

Submissions should be in the format on this sample: manuscriptformatsample.docx or manuscriptformatsample.odt and emailed to submissions@foolscap-quill.com

General Writing Tips:

1. Write in any fashion that works for you: in order, out of order, with an outline, without an outline. Do whatever it takes to get to "the end."
2. When you are satisfied that it is perfect, throw it in a closet or otherwise ignore it for a while.
3. Read it and rewrite it.
4. Find some friends to proof it and critique it.
5. Rewrite it.
6. Submit it.