Deseret Book Submission Guidelines

Rebecca Datwyler, Acquisitions Editor

submissions@deseretbook.com

Publishing at Deseret Book

Deseret Book is a publisher and retailer that publishes and promotes a variety of books, all of which reflect the values espoused by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Books we are interested in will be

  1. Of value to our readers. Readers should feel they are better people for having read the book and that they are getting good value for their money. The book should uplift and inspire.

    2. Of value to our readers. Readers should feel they are better people for having read the book and that they are getting good value for their money. The book should uplift and inspire.

  2. Well-written and well-researched. Poor writing and careless research greatly increase editing and production costs and often indicate less-quality work. The book should be clean of offensive material, including profanity, vulgarity, excessive violence, or sexually explicit or suggestive scenes.

    3. Unique. The book should stand out by providing a new approach and insights to the subject. It should not merely reiterate material and ideas already available in other works.

    In general, Deseret Book is interested in Latter-day Saint content, particularly nonfiction. We publish a limited number of manuscripts in specialized genres such as LDS fiction, children’s picture books, family and parenting, and self-help.

    We are not interested in the following genres: business and finance, cookbooks, family histories, memoirs, poetry, personal journals, or previously self-published projects.

Our Imprints

In addition to books published under the Deseret Book imprint, we also appeal to a values-based, general market through our Shadow Mountain and Ensign Peak imprints. While both imprints are intended for a national market, Shadow Mountain specializes in non-religious books while Ensign Peak titles are generally religious in nature. To learn more about Shadow Mountain, please visit https://shadowmountain.com/submission-guidelines/. Please note that submitting to Shadow Mountain requires representation by a literary agent. The Ensign Peak website is currently in development. In the meantime, please submit manuscripts intended for this imprint through Deseret Book. Please note that all submissions submitted through the Deseret Book and Shadow Mountain websites go through the same review process and will be considered for all three imprints.

LDS Living Magazine, Shadow Mountain Records, and Excel Entertainment are also divisions of Deseret Book. To submit an article query to LDS Living or a music demo to Shadow Mountain Records, please visit their individual websites.

Submitting Your Manuscript to Deseret Book

Deseret Book does not require that you be represented by a literary agent. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome. We will consider manuscripts that are being submitted simultaneously to other publishers; however, please let us know you are submitting elsewhere so misunderstandings can be avoided.

Please submit your query or cover letter, outline/synopsis, and a full manuscript online at https://querymanager.com/query/3663, or click on the link at the bottom of the guidelines. We will only review manuscripts submitted through our online form. Hard-copy manuscripts will be discarded. Please send any specific questions not answered below to submissions@deseretbook.com.

  1. Query/Cover letters should include:
    • Information about your manuscript including the title, genre, intended audience, total word count, and a compelling 2–3 sentence blurb.
    • A brief explanation about why this book is different from others in its genre.
    • Your contact information and background in relation to your book.
    • Your current or future marketing plans.

  2. Outlines/Synopses should:
    • Be concise (less than 2 pages in length).
    • Give us an overview of what your manuscript is about and where it’s going. For nonfiction, a table of contents is acceptable. For fiction, an overall plot summary or chapter-by-chapter outline is adequate.

  3. Manuscripts should be formatted as follows:
    • Typed and saved in a single Word document or PDF file for upload.
    • Spellchecked and proofread before submission. Your submission should represent your best work, not a first draft.
    • For nonfiction books, include complete documentation for your sources and a bibliography.
    • For children’s picture books, we are happy to see original illustrations, but it is not necessary to have completed illustrations prior to submission. If your manuscript is accepted for publication, we will hire an illustrator for you. Sample sketches or word descriptions are acceptable. (Example: [A mother and child by the beach.])

  4. General guidelines:
    • Do not submit manuscripts by mail, by e-mail, or in person. Manuscripts submitted through these networks will not be reviewed. Our busy schedule does not allow us to meet with prospective authors.
    • Do not send duplicate manuscripts to Deseret Book or Shadow Mountain. All online manuscripts submissions go through the same channels, and duplicates will be discarded.
    • Do not submit manuscripts written in languages other than English.
    • Do not submit final products for vending. For distribution in our retail stores, please visit our retail product guidelines.
    • Please allow four to five months for a response on your manuscript. We will respond via email to each manuscript that is submitted to us. If you have questions about the status of your manuscript or wish to withdraw your manuscript, please let us know at submissions@deseretbook.com. Before contacting us, please know that the number of manuscripts submitted, as well as pressing deadlines on books already in production, often result in delays.

After the Review

After the acquisitions and publishing teams have reviewed your manuscript, they may (1) accept it for publication, (2) invite you to revise and resubmit it, or (3) reject it. Being asked to revise your manuscript is a positive response that indicates that your manuscript has excellent potential for publication.

Many factors must be taken into account in deciding which manuscripts are accepted for publication, and rejection does not necessarily mean that the manuscript is not publishable—only that it is not right for Deseret Book at this time. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide detailed critiques or evaluations of manuscripts.

Thank you for your interest in publishing with Deseret Book. We will be in touch once we’ve had a chance to thoroughly evaluate your manuscript. Please allow four to five months for our response.

To submit a manuscript now, visit https://querymanager.com/query/3663.

Deseret Book and Shadow Mountain are registered trademarks of Deseret Book Company.

These guidelines are for informational purposes only and are in no way legally binding.