Updated March 13th, 2020
GemmaMedia is an independent publisher that has managed to get a fair amount of distribution. GemmaMedia focuses on niche markets. They publish “cultural memoir for young people and adults, literary fiction from beloved Irish authors, and current affairs publishing with diversity at the heart of the story”.
They are not interested in books outside of these genres.
GemmaMedia has been around for 10 years now. They appear to operate on a very traditional contract based system, however how much they would offer a writer in terms of royalties is unknown.
The covers are well done and many of the books are burbled by established writers and academics which is a very good sign. Most books they publish appear to be between 150-250 pages in length. They seem to publish around 8 or so books a year, which means that they only accept a very limited amount of manuscripts.
They are currently only open to submissions for their open door series for adult and young adult literacy. All the books in this series appear to be fiction. There requirements for this series are as follows.
- topics of relevance to adults and young adults improving their reading
- 10,000 words or fewer
- clearly identified narrative. Tell a story!
- second- to fourth-grade reading level (We can help.)
- short sentences and frequent chapter breaks
They accept submissions of query letters through email only, they are not interested in submissions by post. They try to respond to most queries within a month, and if you have not heard back from them in two months, you should email them again to inquire about the submission of your status.
To learn more or to submit visit their website here. Because of the specificity of their niche markets it is very helpful to browse the books listed in their shop before submitting.
