Submission guidelines (General)
SUBMISSIONS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED. General Submissions will be open again for the entire month of January, 2027. Work postmarked before or after January, 2027 will not be read. Pitches for the Bonfire Monograph Series (see guidelines below) are always open.
General submission guidelines: Bonfire Books welcomes submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and children’s books, as well as original translations into English. Please note we are no longer accepting electronic submissions. Please send your printed manuscript to:
PO Box 439, Clifton Hill VIC 3068
Please send a cover letter (including full contact details and a statement declaring that AI was not used in any aspect of your manuscript) along with your full manuscript or a significant portion (approx. three chapters). 1.5 spacing, serif font and page numbers are appreciated. Do not send your only copy as manuscripts will not be returned. If you are outside Australia and sending a printed manuscript will pose difficulties, please contact us via email at info@bonfirebooks.org. Emailed submissions will not be read.
For Fiction and Non-fiction our minimum word count is 12,000 with no maximum. We are open to literary fiction, historical fiction, short stories, memoir, essays, history, literary or cultural criticism and hybrid genres. Non-fiction with a particularly Australian focus will be looked upon favourably.
For Poetry our minimum length is forty pages. We appreciate both traditional and modern styles and value music and rhythm.
For Children’s Books please include a sample of artwork as well as the complete text.
Successful authors will be contacted within four months.
We look forward to reading your work.
A note about the mass plagiarism entity known as “AI (Artificial Intelligence)”. Work that includes the use of so-called “AI” in any way whatsoever will not be read. If AI use is detected after publication we will unpublish the book and void the contract.
BONFIRE MONOGRAPH SERIES
We are accepting pitches for the Bonfire Monograph series. The Bonfire Monograph series is an occasional series of stand-alone essays on literary and artistic figures, literary culture and philosophy. Finished essays should be between 8,000-20,000 words and have an appreciative tone tempered with discernment. Reappraisals of established or canonical figures (writers, artists or musicians) are welcome as well as assessments of living figures who have yet to attract substantial scholarly attention. Issues to explore could include (but are certainly not limited to): problems facing Australian writers, intersections of Christianity and culture, the place of politics in art or “stuck culture”. While our focus is Antipodean there is scope for breadth. Pitches should include estimated word count, why you are enthusiastic about your topic and your publishing record (if applicable).
Email pitches to info(at)bonfirebooks.org with MONOGRAPH in the subject line.