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Five Rivers

 

publishing Canadian voices

 

Five Rivers Chapmanry is an independent micro-publisher of fiction and non-fiction, giving voice to new and established Canadian authors. Five Rivers is committed to bringing publishing back to uncompromising personal editors where it belongs, rather than focus-group marketing. We publish real books by real authors for real readers.

We employ print-on-demand technologies as part of responsible management of environmental and financial resources: by printing only the books required, rather than warehousing thousands, we save trees, energy and capital expenditures, while reducing pollution. We also produce eBooks as part of that mandate.

Five Rivers is committed to producing quality books that have benefited from the scrutiny of a good editor, with attention to layout and cover design. We work closely with our authors throughout the process. And we are very aggressive in our marketing, ensuring both our authors and our titles receive the best possible exposure in the global marketplace.

We welcome submissions in the following categories:

Non-fiction:
All work must be solidly researched using primary references as a foundation.

Canadian history: this covers a broad spectrum, from stories of national significance to regional, from community to individual. For example,

  • biographies of notable Canadians
  • the quirky and esoteric field of experimental archaeology: e.g., recreating a 17th century Quebecois bake oven.

Canadian Issues:

  • First Nation, Métis or Inuit issues
  • immigrant issues
  • other current issues of likely interest to Canadians

Self-Help Books:

  • we have published books on writing, editing, creativity, and gardening

Academic, Scholarly and Teaching Guides:

  • we have a keen insterest in esoteric and niche market works that would be of interest to schools, universities, teachers and academicians.

Fiction:

We seek novels and short story collections that are solidly plotted and character driven, with an emphasis on Canadian culture and settings, although not necessarily, in the following categories:
  • Mainstream: Plot and character are the two pillars upon which we base the foundation of the mainstream fiction we publish. Have something to say, and say it well.
  • Fantasy: We tend to favour cultural and historical fantasies that reflect Canadian mores, although borrowing from other cultures is part of our multicultural nature. Examples would include Shadow Song and From Mountains of Ice.
  • Science fiction: We’re looking for original concepts from a Canadian perspective. An excellent example would be North by 2000+.
  • Horror and Paranormal: Again, we're looking for original concepts from a Canadian perspective, with solid narrative and characterization. It would be wise not to send us a clone of any of the current trends out there. Surprise us. Engage us. Works such as Caitlin Sweet's The Pattern Scars are the sort of horror that capture our interest.
  • Speculative: We are absolutely keen about authors who push the borders of fiction and concepts, though again we are looking for a Canadian perspective, insight or flavour.
  • Historical: We are very keen to encourage writers to delve into the rich historical foundation we have and create solidly plotted, character-driven stories illuminating our diverse history. Shadow Song would be an example of the sort of well-researched historical novel for which we are looking.
  • Crime and Detective: If your story has a new spin, if it's solidly Canadian, and refuses to fit into the usual fare dished out as crime and detective, then you've probably found the right home for your novel. We're absolutely slavish about accurate detail.
  • Young Adult: Any stories in the above categories with a target audience in the nine to 18 range.
We will not consider women's fiction or erotica; and unfortunately do not publish poetry or picture books for either children or adults.
 

Queries:
Email your query letter along with a synopsis and first 30 pages of the manuscript to submissions@5rivers.org, in DOC or RTF format, Times New Roman 12 pt typeface, double-spaced, 1" margins. Do not under any circumstances use any of Word's built-in formatting for chapters, headers, etc. We will only strip it out, and having to do so will make us cranky. Be sure to include your full (real) name, mailing address, and email address in your query letter.

Every effort is made to respond within two to six weeks, although it may occasionally take longer.

No hard copy submissions can be accommodated: hard copy submissions will be returned unopened. There are no reading fees required.

 

Payment Rate

Since there is no set printrun in print-on-demand publishing, we cannot offer authors an initial advance against anticipated royalties; we do, however, provide quarterly statements and payments. Author royalties are paid within 30 days of the close of the calendar quarter, based on the industry standard rate of 10% of retail price on print.
Our digital imprint, E-scapes, features short, entertaining works in both fiction and non-fiction, as well as our print catalogue. The concept is to capture the commuter and mobile market with quick, easy to read stories, from purely commercial fiction (romance, SF&F, thriller, horror, historical, suspense), to self-help, biographies and the eccentric overview of an arcane subject.

We pay a royalty of 50% on net, to equalize the profit share a little better, paid in our usual quarterly statements by the 30th of the month following the close of the calendar quarter. It goes without saying all manuscripts will have the scrutiny of one of our brilliant editors.
 
So, if you have that manuscript languishing in the bottom drawer because it’s too short and publishers are generally not interested, pitch us a pitch. If you have a colleague or friend who has that manuscript languishing in the bottom drawer because it’s too short and publishers are generally not interested, have them pitch us a pitch. Just be sure to put in the subject header of the email, E-SCAPES.
Format should be:
  • DOC or RTF format,
  • Times New Roman 12 pt typeface, double-spaced, 1" margins. Do not under any circumstances use any of Word's built-in formatting for chapters, haders, etc. We will only strip it out, and having to do so will make us cranky. and please set your spelling preference for English Canadian if at all possible.
  • Be sure to include your full (real) name, mailing address, email address, date of birth and SIN in your query email. Doing so will make it easier when we offer you a contract and pay you royalties.
Look forward to hearing from you!