Sorry, we are not reading submissions at present 
We have an Author/Publisher agreement which we and the Author sign when we accept a manuscript for publication.  If you would like a sample copy of the contract emailed to you, please email us and request one.

There are initial costs to the author associated with our publishing their books. Poetry books are normally most effectively sold by the poets themselves and we expect authors to take at least 100 of the copies we print, at 50% of RRP, for their own distribution at readings and through their own contacts. (There is a discount if the author takes 150 books from the first run.) We set up and maintain a page for each author's books published by us. Sales from our web-pages through Paypal earn 10% of RRP and sales through Amazon earn 5% (paid to the author in April.)

As publishers, we offer as much support for poets as we can: we advertise their books in our newsletters and on Twitter and Facebook, retweet and share their posts, and in 'normal' times, hold events at the Poetry Café, London, to showcase them, where the authors can sell their own copies at no commission, and we attend Poetry Book Fairs. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we can no longer hold 'live' events, but we are offering a Zoom online launch to every author who wants one for their new publication.
Submitting a manuscript: what you should do:
First check that we are reading new manuscripts by reading our notices on this website.
  1. ​All submissions by email, please.
  • Make a continuous Word file of your poems, in the order that you want them to appear, with a list of them on the front page. There's no need to number the pages or make a Contents page. The font should be 12 point Times New Roman. 
  • We recommend making a conscious decision about using uppercase letters at the beginning of lines, and overriding Word's default setting unless you definitely want a capital letter at the beginning of each line. In free verse, this is generally inappropriate, in our opinion.) 
  • Separate the poems with a page break at the end of each one (NOT a 'section break', please.)
  • We publish most of our individual collections in A5 format. We will adjust fonts, margins and page breaks as necessary, when we lay out the book. The poems should be finished. We do not expect any adjustments to the content of the poems to be requested or made after you have sent us the manuscript, other than punctuation where necessary. (We may consult with you about adjusting the order of the poems, to ensure areader-friendly flow by putting longer poems on double facing pages.)
  • We expect to publish a book within about three months of the agreement's being signed, and your manuscript should be carefully proof-read for typos and punctuation before you send it to us.
  • Add: a title page (you can add your name, address and other contact details for our information here); a dedication if you want one; acknowledgements of books or magazines where your poems have previously appeared; a foreword, introduction or epigraph if you want one. (If you haven't decided about these things, they can be added later if you want them.) We will also need a photograph of you for the back cover of your book.
  • We recommend making a conscious decision about using uppercase letters at the beginning of lines, and overriding Word's default setting unless you definitely want a capital letter at the beginning of each line. 
  • Send your file to us at dempseyandwindle@gmail.com, as a word (.doc or .docx) attachment in an email headed with your name and SUBMISSION. (Please don't send a pdf.) In the body of the email, please give your name, address and phone number, and a short writing bio of about 50 words.
If we are reading manuscripts, you will hear from us within about ten days, whether or not we can publish your book.
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