Young Adult and Older Middle Grade Submission Guidelines

We are actively acquiring single-title and single-title series YA and older Middle Grade fiction for our Sourcebooks Fire imprint. We are looking for strong writers who are excited about marketing their books and building their community of readers, and whose books have something fresh to offer the ever-growing Young Adult and Middle Grade audience.

Quick Reference

• 45,000-90,000 words for Young Adult novels
• 30,000-60,000 words for Middle Grade novels
• single title or single title series only
• agented submissions only
• we prefer email submissions in WORD
• always include a synopsis (including the ending) and complete author bio, including a list of any and all previous titles
• allow 8-12 weeks for response

Complete Guidelines

Young Adult Books
If you have a unique voice, you are an active reader of YA fiction, and can bring:

• a powerful new story
• unforgettable characters who develop and change over the course of the novel or series
• a mind-blowing hook

then we’re looking for you!

Older Middle Grade Fiction

Our readers want to relate to the characters and the world they live in, so if you have:

• strong and polished writing
• believable storytelling for audience
• great character development
• an exciting plot

then we're looking for you!
We’re looking for titles in the following categories

• friendship
• romance
• mystery
• thriller
• action/adventure
• humor
•  historical
• paranormal
• fantasy

Queries should be emailed in a WORD file and should include:

• full author and agent contact info (name, address, phone number, email
  address) on every document
• brief bio of author including previous books published (including under pseudonyms), sales history (number of books sold to readers, not to publishers), awards and contest won
• title and word count of proposed book
• short (2-3 paragraph) synopsis

Submissions can be sent via mail or email WORD file (email is preferred) and should include:

• full author and agent contact info (name, address, phone number, email
  address) on every document
• author bio including previous books published (including under pseudonyms), sales history (number of books sold to readers, not to publishers), awards and contests won, list of other finished manuscripts or books in progress
• competitive analysis (list of titles that are comparative and/or competitive with yours)
• full synopsis, including actual digital word count and the ending
• a header or footer on each page that includes: book title, page number, author or agent name, phone number and email address
• minimum of 3 sample chapters (for middle-grade fiction submissions), or complete manuscript in WORD (preferred for email submissions)

Please send submissions to:
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Aubrey Poole
Sourcebooks, Fire
390 Fifth Avenue, Suite 907
New York, NY 10018

Again, please allow 8-12 weeks for response.

Regretfully, we are unable to confirm receipt or review of unagented hard copy or email submissions. If you are unagented, please submit your manuscript or series to agents first.   Agents, if you require confirmation of receipt of a hard copy submission, please use a courier service such as Fedex or DHL or US Post Office Priority mail with delivery tracking. Please DO NOT USE US Post Office Express Mail.

If you have any questions about our guidelines, please don't hesitate to email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Thank you! We look forward to reading your book!