CCLaP is currently accepting three types of manuscripts for possible publication:
–Full-length commercial novels or works of creative nonfiction, 60,000 to 120,000 words total;
–Novella-sized manuscripts of the same type, 20,000 to 40,000 words in length;
–And individual stories and essays for inclusion in our monthly magazine, ideally 5,000 to 10,000 words (although shorter and longer submissions are accepted as well).
All books are published in an electronic version released under a Creative Commons license and a “pay what you want” scheme (including a free version), as well as a trade paperback printed by Lightning Source and distributed through Ingram (typically priced between US$10 and 20). Full-length novels are also released under a special handmade hardback edition, purposely made with high-end materials (cotton pages, faux-leather spine, etc) so to sell at a purposely high price (typically $50). Authors receive a full 50 percent of all post-cost profits from each edition, a deliberately high amount to make up for a lack of advance payments. Contributors to the magazine do not receive payment, although they do receive a free copy of the magazine in both electronic and paper forms.
All types and genres of work are eligible for consideration except for poetry and children’s/YA stories, with special consideration given to work with unique, memorable themes or characters; authors based in Chicago; and speculative stories in the case of the magazine. Obviously some types of stories are better received by CCLaP’s editors than others; for those who want to learn more, the best way to do so is to simply look through our back catalog. The electronic versions of all our books are completely free to download if you wish, and we encourage you to spend some time looking and reading through older titles to get a feel for what type of work we prefer.
CCLaP’s editors are mostly former creative writers themselves, so we try to make the submission process as easy as possible: all formats are accepted, no special formatting of your manuscript is required, submissions are accepted all year long, we charge no reading fee, and a synopsis is not necessary if you don’t have one. But that said, we greatly prefer receiving submissions as either Microsoft Word or Open Office files (PDFs are discouraged, but will be accepted if no other format is available); a standard synopsis, bio and query letter are always appreciated; we prefer reading entire manuscripts rather than sample chapters; and much greater consideration is given to manuscripts already completed over ones currently being written.