Frontenac House Poetry Submissions Guidelines

Frontenac House was founded in 1999 with the express purpose of publishing poetry that pushes boundaries and challenges preconceptions. We embrace diversity, and have published (and continue to publish) Indigenous writers, Black writers, LGBTQ2S+ writers, writers of colour, writers with disabilities, cis, and white writers. We are based in Okotoks, just south of Calgary, Alberta, but we have published authors from almost every part of Canada. Canadian residency is not required, but we are only able to publish authors who are deemed by the government to be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants.

We do not publish chapbooks as part of our regular programme. Manuscripts must be at least 48 pages.

Poetry

We will be accepting manuscripts between January 6  and April 30, 2024, for publication in 2025. Titles will be selected from manuscripts received during our submission period. Note: We will not be able to accept poetry manuscripts outside the submission window. We do not encourage multiple submissions. Please pick only your best work and send it to us.

Manuscripts are selected by a panel of readers, including the publisher and editors. Manuscripts are read ‘blind’, and titles are selected by a majority decision of the panel. We ask that in order to facilitate the blind readings, you remove all material that can identify you from your submitted manuscript

We endeavour to publish 7-8 books of poetry annually. We release 3 or 4 titles in the spring, and our Quartet series in autumn.

Fiction and Non-Fiction

Over the years, Frontenac has – on occasion – published art, aviation history, children’s books, anthologies, drama, and other genres. These titles are selected on an individual basis, and we do not have a formal submission period for them. If you wish us to consider such a manuscript, please make the genre clear in your email subject line. These titles do not need to be submitted during our poetry submission window.

A note on previously edited manuscripts

If you have had your manuscript professionally edited before submitting, please note that we will be unable to compensate your editor after the fact. We have our own in-house editorial team that will work with you on your manuscript, should it be selected for publication. This note applies to both poetry and other types of manuscripts.

Format

We no longer accept submissions by physical mail. Submissions must be made by email to submissions@frontenachouse.com. Please do not use the body of the email as your cover letter, include the cover letter as a separate attachment. We require the following:

• Cover letter, clearly describing the manuscript and its audience. List any promotional activities you are willing and/or interested in engaging in. Include your physical mailing address, phone number and email address. We would prefer that you not submit to multiple publishers, but ask that if you are doing so – or intend to do so – you inform us at the time of submission.
• AI declaration. In your cover letter, we ask that you declare that no part of the manuscript was generated through the use of AI tools, or if it was, explain how you feel it does not infringe on any existing copyright.
• Biography and/or Curriculum Vitae.
• The full manuscript (Word, Pages, OpenOffice, or PDF formats only). Files with embedded macros will not be read, due to the potential for virus contamination.

We will endeavour to reply to your email address with a note saying we have received the submission, within a week of your submission. If you do NOT receive such an email, please send a follow-up email requesting confirmation of receipt. We’re human, and subject to the usual foibles.