We’re opening to unagented manuscripts in the new year (13-26 January 2025) and while we already have lots of info on our website about what we’re looking for and other submission package tips, here’s a quicky list of things we think you should keep in mind.

Publishing 8 May 2025; Paperback (also available as an ebook); ISBN 9781739458041; £12.99; Leo is just trying to catch his train back home to the village of Malacstone in North East England. But there’s disorder at the station, and when a loud young man heading for London boards the train accidentally, a usually easy journey descends into darkness and chaos. The train soon breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and as night falls, something...or someone steps out of the distance. Is it a man or something far more sinister?

Publishing 3 April 2025; Paperback (also available as an ebook); ISBN 9781739458065; £12.99; A couple mourning the loss of their young daughter take up an opportunity to renovate a rural cottage on the remote North Yorkshire Moors. However, they can't process their grief as increasingly eerie events unfold. Is it their daughter haunting them or something else?

Very exciting news from the Wild Hunt Books team - we’re opening to unagented writers from 13-26 January 2025. While we are always open to agent submissions we also like to periodically read work from new and emerging authors.

We are happy to report that we have acquired six new novellas for The Northern Weird Project, a set of books by authors living in the North of England and who are also engaging with the North as setting, subject and character.

As the publisher/editor of Wild Hunt Books, I get lots of questions about submitting and general housekeeping. Some of this information might only be relevant to our publishing house, but generally, these answers can be applied to most agents and editors.

t’s getting very exciting over here at Wild Hunt Books HQ. At the moment, we’re open to submissions for our new publishing venture, The Northern Weird Project. But we also have a few other things planned that I hope interest you as much as it does for us!

You wouldn’t expect it but more often than not, I receive manuscripts that are so strangely formatted that they are just about unreadable. And if that’s the case with yours, it’s a disservice to all the hard work and passion you’ve put into your book. It’s easy to format your manuscript to industry-standard (and don’t think that being kooky with your font choices or adding pictures will grab the attention of an editor; it won’t or it will for the wrong reasons). Go ahead and write your drafts however way you like! But when you’ve finalise edits and are ready to send it off for publishing consideration, it’s best to follow these guidelines.

Querying your book can be extremely stressful but as an editor for more than ten years, I often see messy submission packages more than I receive strong, engaging ones. These are a few tips to make you shine and standout.

It’s been a real pleasure to see Bear Season out in the wild and receiving so much love! If you still haven’t ordered your copy, you can purchase directly from us in the UK or your favourite local bookshop. If you’re outside the UK, you can order from your favourite online retailer in ebook or paperback.

Bear Season tells the story of Jade Hunter, a PhD student from Manchester, who goes missing in the Alaskan wilderness. Suspicion immediately falls on the reclusive survivalist Ursula Smith, who is swiftly arrested and convicted of Jade’s murder – even though a body has not been found.

Publishing 29 February 2024; Paperback (also available as an ebook); ISBN 9781739458003; £9.99; Jade Hunter, a PhD student from Manchester, goes missing in Alaska in 2016 and all suspicion turns to reclusive survivalist Ursula Smith. No body has been found but Ursula is convicted of murder, nonetheless.

Wild Hunt Books are happy to report that we have e-ARCS* ready for bloggers and reviewers! If you are interested in receiving one and/or interviewing the author, please let us know here.

The dreaded synopsis! How can you possibly sum up the entirety of your book in one single-spaced page? There are so many ways to write a compelling synopsis but getting there can be hard. We personally like to read clear, thrilling and spoiler-filled ones.

When reading for Wild Hunt Books, the first thing we look at is the query letter. It’s your way to introduce yourself to us and also your work. We have a fondness for succinct and clear queries that keep it to one page max but writing the letter can be so hard!

We are open for new submissions during the month of December. We request your query letter, synopsis and full manuscript. For our second list, we are expanding into novels of maximum 85,000 words (but we are still looking for novellas, so don’t fret). More information will be available on the Submissions page closer to December, but for now, we’re sharing our manuscript wish list.

Amy Douglas is the digital marketing assistant for Wild Hunt Books. She recommends a variety of witchy reads to flavour your reading list for autumn and well into winter.

Yesterday, there was a kerfuffle on Twitter over a US-based small independent publisher, who shall not be named. They withdrew a publishing offer from an emerging author and then proceeded to post bizarre statements on their personal account that included identifying information about the author. Besides reneging on their offer, there were so many parts of the story that didn’t sit right with the Wild Hunt Books team.

Gemma Fairclough is a writer living in Manchester. A range of unsettling influences, including horror films, surrealist art, and folklore inspire her writing, which frequently centres upon experiences of alienation, grief, and aberrant desire. Her novella, Bear Season, a dark fairytale set between the United Kingdom and Alaska, is scheduled to publish next year with Wild Hunt Books.