Very exciting news from the Wild Hunt Books team - we’re now open to unagented manuscripts from 12-26 October 2026, 18:00 GMT. It’s a fun time to read new manuscripts. At Wild Hunt Books, we are a literary publisher that is gripped by excellent writing and characters, and that tends to lean towards novels that dip into the dark and experimental.

The editor is looking for full-length novels between 50K-95K words. We are not seeking short story collections or novellas this time. We are not a home for poetry, non-fiction, screenplays, and children’s or YA fiction.

Formatting your manuscript: Please send your full manuscript formatted in 12-point, double-spaced Times New Roman font with page numbers in Word Doc only (we do not accept PDF, RTF, etc). *We require a short query letter (no more than 300-words), one-page synopsis and the entire manuscript. We will not consider partial or incomplete manuscripts. We only consider one manuscript per writer and we do not consider co-written manuscripts.*

To get a sense of what the editor is looking for:

I consider authors from around the world, but I do prioritise authors living in the UK of any nationality or background writing in English. While I’m always open to agented submissions, this window is open to only unagented authors and/or unagented manuscripts.

I am seeking novels that speak to the heart of the company: Our mission is to foster strong and distinct literary voices and those who experiment with narrative, plot and structure. We are also a home for authors dabbling in the darker genres and liminal spaces.

I love books that have clear, engaging prose from the start, and don’t sacrifice on character or story. I’m looking for novels that are close to their characters and worlds. I also like a strong authorial voice. I tend to gravitate towards fiction rooted in reality even if it incorporates genre. While I’m not the perfect editor for pure genre, I do enjoy novels that play with genre and upend genre expectations or motifs.

Some of my favourite genres are literary mystery, magical realism, horror, Gothic, epistolary, folk horror and the literary weird. I really need a book to grab me from the first page (first line is even better!). I also really like to be surprised by a book, i.e., does the story or character spin in an unexpected way? I’m particularly taken with contemporary set books, but I will consider historical fiction, especially if it’s post-1850.

I would be very happy to receive manuscripts that involve (but not limited to):

• Horror
• Dark literary fiction
• Unusual dark academia
• Dark swamp magic
• Folk horror
• Unconventional locked rooms
• Modern day set Gothic stories
• Unexpected ghost stories
• Literary novels that upend genre expectations
• Unreliable POVs
• Mysteries and literary suspense with an unexpected sleuth or mystery at its core
• Isolation on an island
• A mysterious item or ritual
• Everyone in a village goes mad
• The land has turned on people and soured
• Eco or climate fiction, especially with an uncanny plot or elements

I especially would love to hear from writers outside of London, BAME, disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, writers over 40, working class and non-Brits living in the UK.

What I’m not looking for:

• YA or Children’s fiction
• Most fantasy like high fantasy, urban fantasy or epic fantasy
• Erotica
• Sci-fi
• Racist or abusive material
• Translations
• No AI generated writing
• Books that have been previously published or self-published

Also, please note that any unagented submissions sent outside of this window will be deleted, unread. We also do not consider submissions sent via email or sent to us on social media. Please use this form.

• AI POLICY: By submitting your manuscript, you confirm that your work does not contain AI-generated writing. We want to read manuscripts written by you with your ideas and your words - Don't worry, your book doesn't have to be perfect! It just must be written by you. This also applies to all parts of the submission package (one-page synopsis and query letter).

FAQ:

• Do you consider writers from outside the United Kingdom? Yes! But we tend to prioritise UK-based authors.
• My book has been published before or self-published. Can I still submit it? We are looking for new, unpublished manuscripts. So unfortunately we won’t consider previously published work.
• What do I need to submit? You must be 18 years or older when you submit. We require a short query letter (no more than 300-words), one-page synopsis and the entire manuscript. We will not consider partial or incomplete manuscripts. We only consider one manuscript per writer and we do not consider co-written manuscripts.
• What is the word count? We are specifically looking for manuscripts between 50K-95K words. We will allow for a small over/under, but please do not exceed about 1000 words in either direction.
• Can I email you my submissions? No.
• Can I submit a manuscript you already considered? We tend to not re-consider manuscripts that we already declined. However, if the work has been substantially re-imagined and re-written, please do send it through.
• I used AI to write my book. Can I submit it? By submitting your manuscript, you confirm that your work does not contain AI-generated writing. We want to read manuscripts written by you with your ideas and your words. Don't worry, your book doesn't have to be perfect! It just must be written by you. This also applies to all parts of the submission package (one-page synopsis and query letter).