Hatherleigh is a nonfiction publisher focused on publishing books about health and wellness, fitness and exercise, living with chronic diseases, as well self help books and books focused on sustainability and green living. They are distributed by Penguin Random House. They accept both ideas and proposals from authors, but unless you have an existing platform I encourage you to submit a proposal. They mention that they are open to ideas or proposals on this page.
You can get a good feel for what they publish just by browsing their landing page. It’s clear, well organized, and up to date. If you are serious about submitting, I really encourage you to spend time in their books section, reviewing the categories that are most relevant to your work.
With nonfiction it’s easier to get a feel for what a company publishes without having to read work that they’ve published in the past, but it’s just as important to understand what niche that publisher is focused on in the marketplace. That’s why spending time on the company’s website is so important.
They do not publish fiction of any kind. This is what they ask that your proposal includes:
- A synopsis (no more than 2 pages)
- A complete table of contents
- At least two, preferably three sample chapters
- A list of additional materials will be included in the book: Charts, photographs, illustrations, case studies, etc.
- If you’re sending a cookbook proposal, please note total number of recipes and if you’ll be providing photographs.
- Author bio information. Why are you qualified to write this book? What other books have you written? What are your promotional skills? (public speaking, television or radio appearances or seminars you have conducted on the subject.) What is your social media presence?
- A run-down of the book’s market potential: Who might read this book? Is it a broad audience, (all men over age 30) or a niche audience (stamp collectors between the ages of 30 and 32)?
- Analysis of the competition: What other books exist on the same subject? How is yours different, the similar, better?
They do stress that they still accept proposals that do not have the previously mentioned components. They do expect the proposal to seem professional and well organized.
To learn more about what they require in terms of a proposal please visit this page. Please do not submit unless you feel like your work is a good fit for them. They accept proposals via post and email.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2023 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
