Submission Guidelines & Payment Information

Thank you for visiting Dream of Things!

Dream of Things is a book publisher and online retailer. We are dedicated to producing high-quality books of creative nonfiction (see “Guidelines for Anthologies” for definition of creative nonfiction). Our primary focus is on producing anthologies of stories built around a central topic or theme (Wise Men and Other Stories is an example), and motivational and inspirational gift books (The Note is an example).

Payment
Dream of Things pays a 15% royalty on hardback books, a 10% royalty on trade paperback books, and a 20-40% royalty on electronic books (depending on the sales channel). For anthologies, Dream of Things purchases one-time rights. Royalties are paid quarterly. Each author’s share of the royalties is prorated based on word count. (Example: If you contribute a 2,000-word story to a 40,000-word book, you will receive 5% of the royalties for that book.) Authors also receive five free copies upon publication, and a 50% discount on additional copies. For motivational and inspirational gift books, payment terms and rights are negotiable.

How to Submit
The best way to submit stories is through our online submissions form. Using the form makes it easier for us to track your submission at Dream of Things, and ensures that your contact information stays with your story.
We also accept submissions via e-mail to editor@dreamofthings.com. Be sure to put the name of your story in the “subject” line of your e-mail, and include your story in the body of the e-mail or as an attachment to the e-mail. Include the following information in your e-mail:
1. The topic of the book for which you are submitting the story (see current topics on our Workshop page).
2. Your contact information – including your name, e-mail address, telephone number and mailing address.
3. The word count of your story.
4. If your story has been published before, tell us when and where it was published.

Guidelines for Anthologies
We seek creative nonfiction for anthologies on various topics. See our Workshop page for a list of current topics.

“Creative nonfiction” means true stories told in a creative and compelling manner. The story you submit should be inspiring, heartwarming, humorous or thought-provoking. Most of all, the story you submit should be a story. Tell us the story of a meaningful or humorous experience, or the story of an interesting or colorful person. It’s not enough to simply share your insights and observations; tell us the story of how you learned those lessons. Similarly, it’s not enough to simply write about an interesting person; tell us the story that shows that person at his or her best.

Your story can be anywhere from 500 to 2,500 words long. We accept previously published material as long as you have retained rights to the work. We also accept multiple and simultaneous submissions. You will receive initial notice of Dream of Thing’s interest in 6-8 weeks, and final notice 1-2 months prior to publication.

Guidelines for Motivational and Inspirational Gift Books
All submissions for anthologies are automatically considered for use in our motivational and inspirational gift books. These books are built around particularly strong stories that have the potential to serve as the cornerstone for an entire book. The Note and Paper Airplane are examples of books about appreciation and creativity, respectively, built around strong stories. If you have an idea for a gift book built around one of your stories, please send us a query letter explaining your idea.

Tagged as: anthologies, authors, creative nonfiction, essays, new writers, publisher, publishing, publishing opportunities, royalties, submission guidelines, submissions, writers, writing