Thank you for taking a look at Toil and Trouble. Writing your book was only half the battle. Now that you’ve begun to explore publishing options, we would love to help you along your path to becoming a published author.
We are open to both Adult and YA titles with fantastical elements to them. If your main character is a POC or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, please point that out, as we strive to showcase underrepresented voices in fantasy.
Toil and Trouble is not a vanity publisher. At no time will we request any money from our authors unless you are buying copies for yourself.
Most books that we publish will be in e-book format and paperback formats. When/If sales reach 100 or more we will talk with the writer to see if releasing a hardback version is an option. As a rule, we do not pay advances, but we are a royalty-paying company. Our authors also retain all rights to their works.
We prefer completed titles. They do not have to be professionally edited, but they must be checked for grammatical errors. Make good use of your word processing program's spell checker before you submit.
On occasion, we will accept a title that is at least 90% complete. In that event, the work must be completed within a set amount of time that will be agreed upon by Toil and Trouble and the author. Failure to complete the manuscript within that time will result in contract termination.
We do accept simultaneous submissions but please inform us if we are not the only company that you have submitted to. We also accept works that have been previously shared at online sites such as Wattpad, as long as you have the rights to the work. Please let us know if the work you are submitting has been previously published or posted anywhere.
For a better idea of what we are looking for, please see below:
Toil and Trouble is not a vanity publisher. At no time will we request any money from our authors unless you are buying copies for yourself.
Most books that we publish will be in e-book format and paperback formats. When/If sales reach 100 or more we will talk with the writer to see if releasing a hardback version is an option. As a rule, we do not pay advances, but we are a royalty-paying company. Our authors also retain all rights to their works.
We prefer completed titles. They do not have to be professionally edited, but they must be checked for grammatical errors. Make good use of your word processing program's spell checker before you submit.
On occasion, we will accept a title that is at least 90% complete. In that event, the work must be completed within a set amount of time that will be agreed upon by Toil and Trouble and the author. Failure to complete the manuscript within that time will result in contract termination.
We do accept simultaneous submissions but please inform us if we are not the only company that you have submitted to. We also accept works that have been previously shared at online sites such as Wattpad, as long as you have the rights to the work. Please let us know if the work you are submitting has been previously published or posted anywhere.
For a better idea of what we are looking for, please see below:
What We Are Looking For:
Toil and Trouble is open to submissions for adult and YA titles in the following genres:
While we do welcome titles with explicit sex scenes, we will not publish works that have the following:
What We Aren’t Looking For:
If you have a general fiction, romance book without paranormal or sci-fi elements, poetry, or any other title that does not fit with what Toil and Trouble is looking for, query our sister site, Imagine That Books.
Romance and Erotic titles will be published under Toil and Trouble Heat or TTH
General Fiction under Toil and Trouble or TNT
YA titles will be published under Toil and Trouble Teen or T3
Word Count:
Novellas: 20K-49K
Novels: 50K and up
Some shorts 10k and up to 19k on occasion and for Anthologies
Shorts under 10K for Anthologies
Toil and Trouble will post Open-Calls for Submissions for our two annual anthologies:
Open Calls: Through the Veil
As we grow, Toil and Trouble will strive to publish at least 4 anthologies a year. For now, we have two anthologies that were listed above.
We are accepting short stories 1k-10k in length.
We do not pay royalties for stories included in anthologies. if your work is accepted we offer a one-time payment of $25.00 as well as eBook and print copies of the anthology.
Queries:
All queries should use the Contact Form. Your subject line should state, QUERY. In the body please include the title of your manuscript as well as the imprint within Toil that your manuscript would best be suited for, and a very brief summary of your story.
If we are interested in your story we will contact you for more information. In your reply we like to see your bio and your writing experience. Please include a more in-depth summary of your story. Write it as if you were writing the summary that would appear on the back of your book. Make us want to buy it.
Please include the first chapter in the body of the email. We will not open attachments.
Toil and Trouble is open to submissions for adult and YA titles in the following genres:
- Romance as long as it is
- Paranormal
- Urban Fantasy
- Sci-fi
- High Fantasy
- Historical as long as it contains one of the previously listed elements
- Erotica as long as it contains one of the previously listed elements.
While we do welcome titles with explicit sex scenes, we will not publish works that have the following:
- Blatant Hate Speech against any marginalized communities or religion.
- Explicit scenes of child abuse, or depictions of child pornography.
- Beastiality (Exceptions can be made for shifters and weres).
- Necrophilia.
- General Fiction as long as it is
- Paranormal
- Urban Fantasy
- Science Fiction
- High Fantasy
- Horror
What We Aren’t Looking For:
- Poetry
- Nonfiction
- General Fiction
- Faith-based fiction
- Children’s Books
- Comics and Graphic Novels (For Now)
If you have a general fiction, romance book without paranormal or sci-fi elements, poetry, or any other title that does not fit with what Toil and Trouble is looking for, query our sister site, Imagine That Books.
Romance and Erotic titles will be published under Toil and Trouble Heat or TTH
General Fiction under Toil and Trouble or TNT
YA titles will be published under Toil and Trouble Teen or T3
Word Count:
Novellas: 20K-49K
Novels: 50K and up
Some shorts 10k and up to 19k on occasion and for Anthologies
Shorts under 10K for Anthologies
Toil and Trouble will post Open-Calls for Submissions for our two annual anthologies:
- Faeries, Fangs, Fembots, and Fur
- Paranormal and Sci-fi stories with romantic elements.
- Through the Veil, Beyond the Stars
- Paranormal, Fantasy, and Sci-fi stories with no romance.
Open Calls: Through the Veil
As we grow, Toil and Trouble will strive to publish at least 4 anthologies a year. For now, we have two anthologies that were listed above.
We are accepting short stories 1k-10k in length.
We do not pay royalties for stories included in anthologies. if your work is accepted we offer a one-time payment of $25.00 as well as eBook and print copies of the anthology.
Queries:
All queries should use the Contact Form. Your subject line should state, QUERY. In the body please include the title of your manuscript as well as the imprint within Toil that your manuscript would best be suited for, and a very brief summary of your story.
If we are interested in your story we will contact you for more information. In your reply we like to see your bio and your writing experience. Please include a more in-depth summary of your story. Write it as if you were writing the summary that would appear on the back of your book. Make us want to buy it.
Please include the first chapter in the body of the email. We will not open attachments.