From December 7th, 2021 through January 9th, 2022, Berkley, a Penguin Random House imprint, will hold an open reading period. Full-length adult novels in the following categories are sought: Horror, science fiction, and fantasy, as well as romance, women’s fiction, mystery, suspense, and thrillers.

Program Rules

1.       Submissions will only be accepted during the announced submission window. Submissions sent outside of this time frame will not be considered.

2.       Authors must be unagented. If an offer for publication is made, authors may seek an agent to represent them before negotiations.

3.       Projects may only be submitted once.

4.       Authors may only make submissions for works they have completed.

5.       Submissions must include a 1-page synopsis, the first 10 pages of the manuscript, an author bio, and a query letter with links to social media platforms, if applicable, and any other information you wish the editors to consider. A query letter is an introductory one page letter that tells an editor something about the story, something about the writer, and why Berkley should publish the book.