Our Guidelines
Modus Operandi Press publishes ebooks in all formats and trade paperbacks. We specialize in suspenseful fiction, mysteries (cozy to police procedural) and thrillers. We welcome historical, speculative and contemporary settings.
We are open to selective true crime manuscripts with valid author credentials. Many of our authors are retired military or ex-law enforcement, anything nonfiction must be have credibility and that’s non-negotiable.
Please note: All books must be the property of the author and not currently available for free on other platforms. We will however gladly work with published authors who wish to reprint out of print titles.
We don’t place strict limits on word counts, but we prefer all new authors submit a novel length work of at least 50,000 words. Only established authors are welcome to submit short story collections, anthologies and novellas.
At Modus Operandi we believe in creating a partnership with our authors. Happy writers create better books. We offer our authors editorial revisions, full ebook and print book production, and a detailed marketing plan. We also provide sales reporting and royalties bi-monthly. We understand the evolving book market, and we work with the author to grow their audience and get results. We expect high quality books from our writers, and we deliver professional finished products they can be proud of.
Because we believe in our partners and want them to believe in us. We offer every new author a 50% / 50% net royalty split. We want this to be a long term relationship. We think by offering some of the best royalties splits in the business we’re proving our commitment in a big way. .
If you are an author interested in submitting your work to Modus Operandi Press we have two methods of submission:
Unagented authors:
Use our Contact form to send us your contact info and a query letter (with word count, genre and title) and a 1-3 page synopsis. We’ll reply with details on how to send you full manuscript via email. If the book is not finished please don’t contact us until it is.
Make sure you include your name and pen names and current contact information. If you’re submitting a true crime please include a short short bio and any relevant background details.
At Modus Operandi Press we love series writers, if your book has series potential let us know, or include a bit about the next book in the series.
We read every submission. We love the thrill of finding new authors with great stories to share and we acknowledge every submission with an receipt email. If you have not heard from us within six to eight weeks please contact us and make sure your submission was received. However due to the volume of submissions, we seldom send a detailed reply in the case of a rejection.
Agented submissions:
As above, please query first with your contact email. The email should include a detailed outline and a sample if possible. A finished manuscript is mandatory for all first time authors, however we may accept a partial from an established author.