Updated October 2020
Oneworld Publishing is an independent print publisher. They were founded in 1986 by husband and wife team Juliet Mabey and Novin Doostdar, at the time they only published non-fiction. Now they publish over 100 books a year. They still publish non-fiction, but they also publish literary fiction. Their books are widely available online, in chain bookstores, and independent bookstores. They try to have an international approach in terms of authors and book distributors.
They publish a lot of literary fiction. But they are not open to unsolicited submissions of fiction.
When it comes to non-fiction, make it clear why you are qualified to write the book you are proposing. This does not mean you have to be an academic. Just demonstrate that you are an expert in that field, or uniquely qualified to write the book. Their non-fiction books cover a large range of topics, including Self Help, Anthropology, Science, and Religion.
They are open to submissions from authors directly, as well as from agents. They publish work by authors with a backlist and those that have never been published before.
Because they have a curated feel to their publications, I highly encourage you to browse through their catalog and look into the series’ they publish before submitting. They have very strict submission guidelines and they imply that they will not respond to queries unless those guidelines are met. When you submit to them you have to fill out a form which helps guide you through the process, and includes all the information about what you need to submit.
To learn more about Oneworld Publishing and what they are looking for, please visit their website here.
