Submissions

Alkira Publishing is a hybrid publisher created for authors who want the stamp of approval that comes from publishing with a selective publisher and the high royalties and creative control enjoyed by self-publishers.

Our model gives you, the author, the validation of quality you would get from any traditional publishing contract. With us you can avoid both the self-publishing stigma and having to learn a whole new set of skills in order to publish yourself. You’ll also get 100% royalties on ebook sales and 90% on print copy sales. This great royalty rate is only possible because we are author funded.

We also have a self-publishing option with 100% royalties. (N.B. Royalties are what the printer/distributor pays us after they and the store have taken their cut.)

We care about you and your book. Our team is dedicated to publishing books of which you, and we, can be proud.

Our Different Publishing Options

We have 2 full-service publishing options:

• Alkira Publishing – hybrid publishing, selective, published under the Alkira Publishing name. 90% royalties. Some social media promotion. Requires full comprehensive editing (editing price not included).
• Escarpment Publishing Full self-publishing service – This is our Self-Publishing Imprint. It’s non selective (apart from checking it’s socially responsible), published under your own name. Author decides how much editing they want and can use a different editorial team if they wish. 100% royalties and full control over their book after publication. https://escarpmentpublishing.com.au/full-publishing-service/

Escarpment Publishing also has an assisted self-publishing option for those who want to do it all themselves but want professional support.

Regardless of whether it’s through our hybrid publisher Alkira Publishing or our self-publishing imprint Escarpment Publishing, we can help you publish your book in a way that honours your creative vision, and you can trust us to give you a quality product at reasonable prices.

What we’re looking for in our Alkira Publishing submissions

Alkira publishing looks for something special, like a strong voice, a unique idea or some depth of insight. Our novels have strong story lines and active rather than expositional prose – they show the story, rather than tell it. We’re looking for diverse voices in a range of genres, but most importantly a good, well-constructed story.

Alkira Publishing only publishes fiction and narrative memoirs that pass our selection process, but our Escarpment Publishing assisted self-publishing imprint publishes a wider range of books, such as children’s books, picture books, individual, family and local histories, and non-fiction aimed at a general readership as well as self-published fiction.

Books accepted for publication with Alkira must meet the following criteria:

• The plot is well structured, well paced, conceptually sound and engaging;
• The characters are well developed and their dialogue and interactions with others are believable;
• The book is not overwritten or unnecessarily wordy; for instance; no obvious dumps of information, unnecessary repetition or irrelevant scenes;
• Changes in point of view are clear. No head-hopping;
• The prose is well written, engaging and active rather than passive.
• The book must not have socially irresponsible themes or gratuitous, graphic violence, and should use language consciously. Check your manuscript against conscious language resources before submitting.

If your book doesn’t meet Alkira publishing submission requirements already, our editing team can help you achieve them.

Our Publishing, Promotion and Distribution Process

Click each tab for more detailed information

Pricing & royalties

Submission Process

Choose between our three options:

• Alkira Publishing (selective hybrid publishing)
• Escarpment Publishing full self-publishing service
• Assisted self-publishing (DIY with support)

Submit your book to us by filling in the form below, noting which service you are submitting for.

For Alkira Publishing

1. Submission:
   1.  We will look at the sample you’ve included in the form and either reject the book, offer you a manuscript appraisal (if the book is clearly not ready for publication but we think it has potential) or we’ll request the full manuscript.
   2. If we read the full manuscript and find the story and writing standard meet our requirements for publication, we will offer to publish your book. If it’s not ready to publish in its present form, we will request further editing before making a final decision.
2. Final Decision: If we request further editing, then when the editing is complete, we will offer to publish it either as one of Alkira Publishing’s titles or under our Escarpment Publishing imprint.

For Escarpment Publishing

1. Submission
   1. We will look at your submission and let you know if it’s something we’re willing to publish.
   2. If your book needs editing, we’ll let you know what we think it needs and give you a rough quote.

Alternatively you can book a manuscript appraisal with Tahlia Newland, our managing editor. She offers publication with Alkira Publishing to editing clients whose books warrant it. Even if we don’t publish your book, you’ll have professional suggestions for how to improve it, and since most books submitted to us require further editing, this route can save a lot of time.

Why choose Alkira Publishing?

Alkira Publishing has a name for quality in the world of indie publishing – quality writing and quality book design. If we publish your book, it reflects well on your book and on you as an author. You can go to a bigger hybrid publisher, but many of them are known in the publishing industry for books that lack adequate editing or are simply pooly written, and that will reflect on you and your book.

Also, we pride ourselves on caring for our authors and making sure that their book is the best it can possibly be and that it will compete well in the marketplace. With us you can be sure that your book is a fully professional product. Our authors speak for us; see below.

And, of course, we are a partner member of The Alliance of Independent Authors, which means that we meet their code of standards for integrity, value, communication, transparency and service. We are what we say we are, and we won’t rip you off. 

What’s the difference between Alkira Publishing and Escarpment Publishing?

Alkira Publishing has the highest editorial standards out of our publishing options. It’s highly selective in which books we choose to publish, choosing books with the greatest chance of commercial success, and it only publishes fiction and narrative memoirs. Authors applying for Alkira need to be willing to grow as an author under our tutelage and accept our professional advice on such things as editing and cover design.

Our imprint Escarpment Publishing (EP) publishes a wider range of books – including picture books and non-fiction – and isn’t as selective. EP is better for authors whose book falls outside Alkira’s scope or who have set ideas for their book design, and/or a limited budget for editing. It has two options: a full publishing service where your book will be published by Escarpment Publishing, and an assisted self-publishing option in which we help you to publish under your own name. 

What our Authors are saying