August 2023: They’ve updated their website and the submission page is gone, for now, but I suspect they may reopen to submissions because they still have a section of the home page devoted to books that started out as slush pile submissions.
Avon Books UK, an imprint of Harper Collins, is one of the rare imprints open to direct submissions that focuses on commercial fiction.
This is how they define what they are looking for in terms of Commercial fiction: “Commercial fiction is usually plot-driven. It follows specific formulas and tropes for a certain genre (for instance, enemies to lovers in romance or the locked-room mystery in thrillers). The writing is accessible and understandable, and the pacing is quick. The primary goal of commercial fiction is to escape, entertain and appeal to the mass market. An easy way to decide if your book is right for us, is to ask yourself the question: can you picture your book winning prizes at Cannes Film Festival or is it something you can see as a Netflix smash-hit? If it’s the latter then it’s one for us!”.
They are particularly focused on the following genres: crime, thriller, women’s and contemporary fiction, romance, romantic comedy, historical fiction, saga and time-slip fiction.
They ask that every author submit the following:
- A short author biography (100-200 words)
- Your social media links (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc)
- A blurb/elevator pitch for your book (100-150 words)
- A short synopsis of your book (300 words)
They also have helpful tips in terms of these components, that you can read here.
They try to respond to all submissions within 12 weeks.
Learn more here.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2022 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.
