How to submit a book to Bloomsbury
Only through an agent
Bloomsbury takes fiction and children’s books only through a literary agent. Its academic and business lists accept proposals directly. It bought J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel and the publisher ABC-CLIO.
Read off Bloomsbury's own pages on
What it says
“Please note that Bloomsbury no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts - you must have a literary agent - and we cannot return any material sent to us.”
“Bloomsbury accepts submissions from academics in all subject areas in which we publish.”
“Bloomsbury Business is happy to accept unsolicited manuscripts for consideration.”
What it has bought from outside
- 1997
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, a first novel turned down by other publishers from J.K. Rowling £2,500
“Bloomsbury accepted the book, paying Rowling a £2,500 advance…” en.wikipedia.org
- 2005
Walker & Co, a nonfiction publisher
“Bloomsbury USA Books for Young Readers was established in 2002, and in 2005, Bloomsbury acquired Walker & Co, a small company dedicated to publishing nonfiction. [ 7 ] The Walker brand was discontinued in 2015 and sold to Walker Publishing Company. [ 8 ] [ 9 ]” en.wikipedia.org
- 2021
ABC-CLIO, an academic publisher; in 2024 also the assets of Rowman & Littlefield $22.9 million
“In 2021, Bloomsbury US acquired ABC-CLIO LLC, the established academic publisher of both print and digital materials, for $22.9 million.…” en.wikipedia.org
Other companies that take a book
- Albert Whitman & CompanyReads unsolicited workAlbert Whitman reads unagented picture books, middle-grade and young adult novels sent to submissions@albertwhitman.com, and answers only…
- Andrews McMeelReads unsolicited workAndrews McMeel Publishing considers proposals from creators and agents by email or mail: an outline and one or two sample chapters.
- Baen BooksReads unsolicited workBaen takes manuscripts through the submission form on its site, baen.com/slush, and prefers the complete manuscript with a synopsis.
- Carina PressReads unsolicited workCarina Press takes agented and unagented novels through Submittable: a query letter, the full manuscript and a synopsis.
- Chronicle BooksReads unsolicited workChronicle Books has an open submissions policy and takes unagented proposals for anything suited to its list, from books to gift products.
- Entangled PublishingReads unsolicited workEntangled takes agented and unagented novels through its Submittable page, starting with a one-page query letter.
- HarlequinReads unsolicited workHarlequin’s series lines take unagented manuscripts through harlequin.submittable.com: the full manuscript or first three chapters, with a…
- Holiday HouseReads unsolicited workHoliday House reads children’s book manuscripts sent to submissions@holidayhouse.com or by mail, and answers only if interested.