✴✴✴WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY LOOKING AT POETRY OR CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS✴✴✴

What we look for

We don’t always know what we’re looking for until we actually see it, but the one thing that matters to us is that the writing is good, that it is work that comes from the heart and soul of the author and that it fits well with the concerns of our press. Because Cinco Puntos Press focuses on the U.S. / Mexico border region, the Southwest and Mexico, however, we’ve found that many writers assume that their work will be a good fit if it likewise focuses on this area. But that isn’t always true. We like to range out, just like everybody else, explore different possibilities, experiment. It will help if you are familiar with what Cinco Puntos Press has already published, have even maybe bought some of our books.

SO…

Before you submit a finished manuscript to Cinco Puntos Press, please review our books carefully and see if what you have written fits in with the books that we publish. If that’s the case, then call our acquisitions editor, Lee Byrd, at 1-915-838-1625 and speak to her directly about your manuscript BEFORE you send it to us. If she gives you the go ahead, send only the first 10 pages of your work so we can get an idea of how you write. If we are interested in what you’re doing, we’ll get in touch with you and ask for more. Always send your email address, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you would like to have your work returned. Never send the original work, but only a copy. As publishers, we are not responsible for manuscripts that are submitted as acquisitions.

What we don’t look at…

• Manuscripts that we don’t ask for (unsolicited)
• Partially completed work
• Book ideas
• Poetry manuscripts

We will only consider a manuscript when it is completely finished!

If we’re not a good match, some suggestions… 

Local bookstores, libraries, & book fairs are good resources for finding suitable publishers for your manuscript. Read as many books as you can find that are like the book which you have written; make a note of who publishes books with similar qualities as your manuscript, and inquire as to the editorial guidelines of those publishers. Your local librarians or bookstore owners may also have suggestions as to which publishers may be appropriate for your specific manuscript. And there’s a good reference book in the library called Writers’ Market, which will direct you to many different publication avenues. Best of luck to you in finding the right publisher!

If you really want to gain some insight into who we are and what we do, we suggest you read this interview with Lee Byrd, Cinco Puntos’ acquisition editor and president. The interview is by Native American writer Cynthia Leitich Smith and is posted on her blog.