Storytelling
A good author is a storyteller. The story has to be new, it has to interest the people it's for, and — this is the part that matters — the telling can't get in the way. It has to pull the reader to the last page. Intensity that traps.
Submissions
Send the book
If it's ready — if you believe in it, send it. Keep it simple. You're a writer; I'm assuming you can communicate. Use the form below, or email martin@literato.org with the same materials. I'm not running a formatting cult — I'm looking for the work.
“I don't care that this is your first book. I care that it's finished and as good as it can be. You've got chops, and they're on the page; make me jealous.”
— Martin Ortiz-Cañavate
What I'm looking for
Story first. Fiction or nonfiction — that's the test.
Fiction
Fiction hooks me when you've made a world I want to explore, protagonists I want to know, or a plot that makes me need to know what happens next. All three preferred.
Nonfiction
Same engine, plus a subject that can actually hit — current culture, at least for the people it's aimed at. Story or information: they should feel they need to know it.
What I'm not looking for
In lieu of plot… also not looking for that.
Flat storytelling: If the telling is an obstacle, I'm out. Beautiful sentences parking in place. Work meant to impress a seminar. Ideology with a plot duct-taped on. A story that isn't new, isn't for anyone in particular, and never traps.
Bland fiction: No world I want to explore, nobody I want to know, no plot I need to see through. If nothing in the story entraps me, I'm already gone.
Dull nonfiction: A subject that doesn't land on the culture it's aimed at. If it feels like homework, don't bother. If it reads like you're trying to sell something, don't send it.
How to submit
Query + sample
Tell me what the book is, who you are, and why I should care — plus 1–2 chapters or so (or the first 25–50 pages). Paste into the form or email. No attachment gymnastics unless I request it. If you need a full proposal, I'll ask.
The facts
Word count and category. Category isn't a hard encasement — pick whatever best encompasses the work, even if it spills over the edges. I know how difficult it is to define a good novel by one genre; I'm not going to nitpick your shelf label. Debuts over ~100k words are a harder sell — not because I hate long books, but because editors often do for new names. Exceptions exist. Make yours obvious.
One at a time
One project per query. If I've passed, don't resubmit the same manuscript unless we've talked and you've done serious work.
Response time
If it looks like a fit, I'll try to write back. Silence after about twelve weeks means no — not power-tripping, just finite hours. The right stuff tends to leap.
I can't give individual feedback on passes. Don't take it as a verdict on your soul. Keep writing.