For Writers

Submissions

Every house needs its people. Here is where that begins.

Submissions are not yet open

JAVAHouse Press is in its founding season, finishing our debut title before we open the list to outside authors. When we do, it will be announced here and across @JAVAHousePress first.

Not ready to wait? Join the submissions list and we will write to you directly when the window opens.

What We Publish

Black American Fantasy & Horror

JAVAHouse Press publishes Black American authors writing Fantasy and Horror. The genre is wide open: witches, vampires, epic quests, ghost stories, Southern Gothic, folk horror, and everything in between. Your story does not need to be about Black history or folklore to belong here. It needs to be yours.

  • Author. We publish Black American authors living in the United States, writing in Fantasy and Horror.
  • Length. Novels and novellas both have a home here.
  • Voice. We are drawn to work that could not have been written by anyone else: specific, rooted, and unafraid of its own mythology.
Where Does Your Book Live?

Find your shelf

When submissions open, our intake form will ask you to place your book. Try it now. Pick a genre, then every subgenre that applies.

Start Preparing Now

What we will ask for

Final requirements will be posted the day we open, but you can have these ready. They follow standard small-press convention.

Query
A short letter: your book, its hook, and a line or two about you.
Synopsis
One page, ending included. We want to know you can land the plane.
Sample
The first 30 to 50 pages or three chapters, whichever comes first.
Length
Novels: roughly 80,000 to 120,000 words. Novellas: 20,000 to 40,000 words. Outside these ranges? Query anyway if the book earns it.
Format
Standard manuscript format: 12pt serif, double-spaced, .docx or .pdf.
After You Submit

What happens next

  1. Every submission is read

    By a real person at JAVAHouse. No rejection goes out without a read.

  2. You will hear from us either way

    A pass or a request for the full manuscript, within six to eight weeks.

  3. If it is a yes

    We talk before we offer: about the book, our vision for it, and whether JAVAHouse is the right house for it.

Get on the List

Be the first to know

We will email the submissions list the day the window opens, before it is posted anywhere else.

Questions in the meantime? See the FAQ or write to javahousemedias@gmail.com.