Submissions

WE ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS

 

Crystal Cove Press is the young adult fiction imprint of Crystal Lake Publishing and specializes in speculative fiction novels and novellas. We are proud to announce that we are opening for submissions on August 1, 2025 until August 31, 2025.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

At Crystal Cove Press, we’re all about publishing dark, edgy speculative fiction — horror, fantasy, and science fiction — for a teen audience (13 to 18 years old). If you’re writing something smart, commercial, and just the right kind of strange, we want to hear from you.

Finished manuscripts should land between 65,000 and 80,000 words. We’re after stories with wide appeal, told with sophistication and heart — no talking down to readers, no over-the-top gore or explicit content, and no endless streams of obscenities just for shock value. We love sharp pacing, strong characters, clever dialogue, and action that actually moves the story forward. Bonus points if your story has emotional pull and keeps us turning pages late into the night.

What else? We’re suckers for a solid structure, clean prose, and fresh language. If you can make us think and give us a wild ride, we’re all in.

Here’s a quick genre breakdown:

  • Horror – Whether it’s psychological, situational, or with a hint of dark humor, we’re into it—as long as it’s not just a gore-fest. Think Fear Street, not Saw.
  • Fantasy – We lean toward modern, urban, or alternate history settings. Keep it immersive and developed, but don’t go full encyclopedic. Think The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco.
  • Science Fiction – Right now, we’re on the hunt for unique dystopians set in the near future. If it’s in the vein of Legend by Marie Lu, The Grace Year by Kim Liggett, or Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, send it our way.

Not writing something that fits those boxes perfectly? That’s cool too! We’re open to speculative stories that cross lines and defy genre. Give us your darkly funny tales (Beauty Queens by Libba Bray), your twisted heroes, your morally gray magic. Surprise us.

WHAT WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR

Some things just aren’t our vibe right now:

  • Romance-heavy plots. We’re fine with romantic elements, but it shouldn’t be the whole story.
  • Paranormal romance is a no for now.
  • Please, no Fae, aliens, zombies, or vampires.
  • Super surreal stuff that’s more abstract than narrative.
  • Nonfiction, picture books, children’s books, or middle grade — none of that, please.
  • Nothing written with AI.

FORMATTING GUIDELINES

Make sure your manuscript is clean and professional. We prefer:

  • Times New Roman, 12 pt
  • Double-spaced (Yes, I prefer single too, but let’s stick to the rules.)
  • Indented paragraphs—no tabs
  • When all else fails, just follow the classic William Shunn format: shunn.net/format/classic

HOW TO SUBMIT

Read everything above? Great. When you're ready, click here to submit your work or click the button below. We can’t wait to see what you’ve got.