Last year, for the first time in a decade, Eraserhead Press opened its doors to unsolicited submissions. It was an overwhelming success! We discovered superb work from writers who were new to us as well as authors who we’ve loved for a long time. So, we’ve decided to do it again! If you have written a bizarro book you think belongs in our catalog, we want to hear from you!
Our reading period is April 1 – June 30, 2017.
From the submissions page:
What we are looking for:
- Eraserhead Press is seeking original novellas and novels of 20,000 to 100,000 words in length that fit into the Bizarro Fiction category.
- We want surprising, unique, well-crafted weird stories with compelling plots, eccentric characters, and never-before-seen concepts.
- We want a balance of both plot and character – we love weird characters with weird problems in weird places. We are looking for exciting concepts that make people say “I have to read that!” and well-developed characters they can fall in love with along the way.
- We’re most drawn to darkly absurd tales that are addictive to read and contain a strong emotional core. We love fiction that is both heart-rending and fun. While it may or may not be funny, we are interested in more than just a joke. If you can make us laugh and cry at the same time or if you can both gross us out and turn us on, we will love your book.
- We are looking for entertaining and accessible stories that speak to a specific audience. Will your book appeal to vegan punks? Riot grrls? Overworked airline pilots? Cos-players? Fans of 80s New Wave? If you’ve identified the audience for your work, please tell us in your book description.
- Multiple submissions are okay – during our open submission period we are open to reading as many manuscripts as you feel would meet our criteria but we are only interested in your best work. Bring it on!
- We have high standards – we have been the leading publisher of Bizarro Fiction since 1999 and have worked with everyone from brand new authors to established heavy hitters. We have gained a cult following for our high-quality boundary-pushing weird fiction and are looking for books that will top everything else we’ve ever published. The best way to understand what we are looking for is to familiarize yourself with our catalog. If you feel you’ve written something completely unique that stands apart from everything being published today, then we want to see it!
For more details please see our full submission guidelines.