FAQs

We accept almost all genres.

We require submissions to be sent as Word documents or PDF files. We do not accept submissions in the body of an email.

You can send your work by submitting online through our website or by email. We would prefer that you submit online using the form, this is the quickest and most efficient way to submit to us. If you hail ourve any questions about the process or any concerns, feel free to email Submissions Editor at submissions@olympiapublishers.ae . We are no longer accepting unsolicited submissions by post, so this must be discussed prior to posting your work or it may not be considered. Please visit our submissions page for full information.

Yes we do. We accept submissions written in both Arabic and English from all countries.

Double spacing is not needed.

We do prefer to have all manuscripts written in suitable fonts which are easy to read for our editors.

It usually takes between 4-6 weeks to hear back from us. But this time scale can vary depending on how busy it is. However, regardless of the outcome, we always respond.

We do consider poetry, however we only consider collections rather than single poems.

Queries regarding royalties and rights will be answered by editorial team and accounts team. The printed copies and cover questions will all be answered during the production stage.

The submissions team will be looking over your book and deciding whether it would be a book we are willing to publish. We do often receive lots of emails asking for updates in our decision. Unfortunately, we can not hurry the review process. We do get back to every submission. Once you hear from us, you’re more than welcome to speak to the team member who has contacted you.

If you include a stamped envelope, we will be more than happy to return your work.

No, you do not need an agent to submit to us. We treat authors and agents with the same respect.

The work that was rejected can be submitted after one year – this is due to the ever-changing market. However, you’re more than welcome to submit a different piece of work to us.

The law in the UK is that the author or creator of the work is usually the first owner of any copyright in it. When you’re published with us, you are covered by English copyright law. Therefore, you own your copyright if you are chosen to publish under our publishing house.

Our talented illustrators can create beautiful illustrations for your book. However, the illustrations in children’s books are usually what grabs our attention and can make or break our decision. If the story really does reach out to us, we may offer a contribution contract which will cover the cost of illustrations. We do advise the author to provide their own by default, as they will be far more likely to impress.

It’s not necessary, but it’s certainly advised. A cover letter provides us with information about yourself, your book and your publishing expectations.

Every book has a different production time. Some books submitted to us are almost ready to be printed, with a very clear idea for a cover, limited proof reading needed and no troubles at all. These can take a minimum of six months, but that is a very very fast process. The usual time is nine – fourteen months. Some books can require further attention with general rights, copyright on photos, designing very specific covers and so on. There is a contracted time we have to complete the book (providing a problem that is out of our control does not occur) so it should take no longer than two hundred and ninety working days.

It depends on the genre of book. In general, we have a word limit of 250,000 for a first-time author. But this, of course, is subject to change. Very long books can be off-putting, so perhaps spread it into sequels? All books must be at least twenty pages of text, unless it is a picture book or children’s story predominantly made up of illustrations and a few sentences on each page. However, even for kids’ books, we try to keep to twenty pages as a minimum.

Yes, we give all of our authors a say in the cover we design for them. We send a cover suggestion form and always send cover ideas and finished covers before finalising.

You can do as much or as little marketing as you like. However, books have greater success when authors are fully involved in promoting themselves and the book. As your publisher, we of course carry out various marketing activities and compose strategies to promote your book. We ensure your book will be added to all of the major book databases, which means your book will be widely available across the world. As it’s very unlikely that we live just down the road from you, it’s always helpful when authors do a little local marketing, invite friends and family to a book launch and contact local news. It’s a great start to your book’s life – and a real helping hand for your publisher. Remember, thousands of books are published each week, therefore it’s important to work hard at promoting your work to give you a better chance.

Genres are very important if you want to target an audience. There are cult followings for certain genres, book clubs, hashtags on Instagram and categories on bookshops’ websites. We initially ask you to tell us what genre your book is, don’t just say ‘fiction’ or ‘romance’ – be very specific. You will, oddly enough, appeal to a wider audience this way.

Once a publication date is discussed, it’s then a good idea to start planning some events. There is no need to book in signings and interviews when you’re early in the production stage. The best thing to do early on is to start gathering contacts. Perhaps create a mind map of ideas? An excel sheet of potential contacts? Book events usually get booked in when you’re closer to, or in, the marketing stage.

We aim to get all complimentary copies to you by your publication date.

Bookshops only stock books that are in demand. For example, if three people walk into Waterstones and order the same book within a week, they will recognise there is a demand for this book and likely stock it. Roughly three million books are published worldwide annually; as bookshops only have a certain amount of free shelf space, they will only stock what they deem to be worth it. Your book will always be available to order in all good book stores and available online through companies such as Waterstones, Barnes and Noble and more. So, there is no need to worry about a lack of availability. Your book will be in bookshops when the demand starts.

As we have stated before, every book is different. Some books can be almost perfect, with few corrections needed. Some can have wonderful content, but be full of grammatical errors. These will naturally require more proofs.

Once your book is signed off and you are passed onto your publicist, we will start contacting reviewers and accept review requests. This is dependent on how interested reviewers are in looking at your book, how long your book is and how busy they are. Reviewers can take any amount of time to complete their review – however, we do keep their details so we can chase them up.

You can start writing whenever you like! The publication process can be lengthy, so it’s actually encouraged to keep your mind busy with a new project. Just make sure when the focus needs to be set on your current book, it is there.