Who Do We Publish?
The short answer to this is 'nobody'. We publish books, not people. It was our goal from the start that submissions would not be judged by the social media presence of their authors, but instead by the quality of the writing and - most importantly - by whether or not we enjoyed the stories submitted to us. We don't care what colour you are, how you identify, what's in between your legs or who you like to get it on with - these things are irrelevant to us. You will be judged by your writing.
Of course, as the old saying goes, we can only publish what we receive, and the works we have published to date and the authors we have signed are indicative of 1) the works submitted to us; 2) our enjoyment of a selection of those works; and 3) the faith in us shown by their respective authors.
We are eternally grateful for the authors who have helped us plant our seeds in this well-ploughed soil. They are the reason Temple Dark Books exists, and why it continues to grow. We hope one day that many more will join us, and we can reward them greatly for that faith.
Submissions Guidelines
At time of writing (April 10, 2025), our Submissions Window is closed. Please read our latest statement and policy below:
What a strange thing it is that many who have submitted their work to us in recent years haven’t read even one of our titles nor shown any support for our writers or our label as a whole. Why would you hope to be published by a label to which you have shown neither support nor awareness? We moved from writers submitting their work (with no desire to be published by us) simply to receive feedback – thus wasting our time – to writers who genuinely wish to part of the Temple Dark Books family. Hence the following statement:
We will no longer publish the work of writers who have not made themselves familiar with our titles – their content, their style, their presentation, and so on. Further, we feel that the support our growing label requires and that which we ask of our readers should also be borne by those who wish to benefit from it as published writers. When our submissions window re-opens, we will prioritise (and fast-track) submissions from SFI Members, followed by other writers who have expressed their support for our label, through such activity as purchases and reviews (especially reviews), and interaction with our social media channels in terms of liking, commenting, and sharing posts. This will ensure that our authors' community grows in a recpirocal manner, supporting each others' burgeoning careers.
Regarding the form of your work, your intitial submission of approximately the first 10k words should grab us immediately, just like a reader browsing your book in a store (or a sample online). There's no point telling us it gets better about midway through - why isn't it good from the beginning?
Further, please don't send us your work if you haven't at the very least run spellcheck, grammar, or editing software. We would also recommend that someone outside of your family and close friends (unless you really trust them to be brutally honest) has read your work before you send it on. We've all seen those people on TV talent shows and thought, "Why didn't someone tell them they can't sing?"
Thank you for considering us as you follow your dreams of publication, and please sign up to our mailing list to keep yourself apprised of our activities in this regard. Do not be disheartened by rejections and criticism along the way. Everything is part of the learning process. Remember what Thomas Wayne said to his son: "Why do we fall, Bruce? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up." Or as Denzel Washington said, "Fall down seven times, get up eight."
This is a tough business, but nothing worth achieving was ever easy. Nowadays, particularly with the 'brand' culture of social media, writers are required more and more to work with their publishers in promoting their work, rather than just sitting back and hoping for the best. We want to work with writers who understand the challenges to come, and writers who will work with us to bring their work to the widest possible audience. We have published and will only publish writing we enjoy and we do not bend to trends. Publishing engaging writing has its own reward, just as writing it should bring enjoyment and fulfilment.
Now, to return to the world of positivity and keep you motivated...a final word from Luke Cage: "Forward. Always."