BBBF x Pan Macmillan Publishing Collaboration

Submission Guidelines.

Marking the next chapter in a five-year partnership, this collaboration combines BBBF’s vibrant engaged community of readers with Pan Macmillan’s editorial and publishing expertise, rigour and networks. This is a community-powered publishing model, a publishing first designed to open up traditional pathways, discover brilliant new talent, and transform how books reach their readers.

Start Your Application Explore the Guidelines

What are we looking for?

We are seeking completed manuscripts across all genres, fiction and non-fiction, including but not limited to the below categories. Unfortunately, we cannot accept submissions for children’s picture books at this time.

Fiction categories

  • Commercial Fiction
  • Literary Fiction
  • Crime & Thriller
  • Romance
  • Fantasy & Science Fiction
  • Historical Fiction
  • Horror
  • Middle Grade Fiction (ages 8–12)
  • Young Adult Fiction (ages 13–18)

Non-Fiction categories

  • Science, Ideas & Politics
  • History
  • Biography & Memoir
  • Personal Development & Business
  • Health, Fitness & Wellness
  • Mind, Body & Spirit
  • Food & Drink
  • Sport & Adventure

Who can apply?

To be eligible to submit, you must:

Be aged 18 or over.

Identify as Black (including Black African, Black Caribbean, or wider African and Caribbean diaspora heritage, as well as mixed heritage writers who identify as Black).

Be currently based in the UK.

You should not have a literary agent representing the manuscript you are submitting.(This initiative was specifically created to open a direct route into publishing for unagented writers without needing industry contacts. If your agency status changes while under review, simply let us know.)

Have a completed manuscript.

You do not need previous publishing experience, industry contacts, formal proposal writing experience, or a social media following.

If your manuscript has more than one author, each co-author must individually meet the eligibility criteria above and consent to the submission being made.

Previously published authors are welcome to apply, provided you meet the other eligibility criteria above and are unagented in relation to the manuscript you are submitting. You will be asked to disclose whether you have previously published or self-published any books, and whether the manuscript you are submitting has itself previously been published or self-published. Previously self-published manuscripts remain eligible provided you still own the rights needed to make the confirmations required for submission.

The two-stage process

Our process is split into two stages:

First step

Stage One

Submit a short pitch and writing sample of 5,000 words maximum, no lengthy proposal packages required upfront

Pitch & writing sample
By invitation

Stage Two

If your submission stands out, you will be invited to submit your complete manuscript for deeper editorial and commercial review.

Full manuscript review

Stage One: what to submit

When submissions open, you will complete a straightforward online form requiring:

Book details

Working title, category/genre, total word count, and intended readership or age group.

Short pitch

A one or two-sentence summary of what your book is about and why someone will want to read it.

Synopsis or book overview
(Max 500 words)

For Fiction: Detail the central premise, main characters, key conflict, stakes, and where the story goes (including the ending). For Non-Fiction: Explain the subject, central argument or premise, target audience, and what the reader will gain.

Writing sample
(Max 5,000 words)

For Fiction: Your opening chapters. For Non-Fiction: Your introduction/opening and one representative chapter.

Why this book?
(Max 250 words)

Tell us why this story or subject matters, why it feels relevant, and why you believe readers will connect with it. No publishing jargon required.

Three comparison titles:

Name three books or cultural reference points like TV, podcasts, or films that help us understand where your book sits in the market, with up to 50 words on why each is relevant.

About you
(Max 250 words)

Tell us who you are and why you wrote this book.

Stage Two: full manuscript & deeper review

Submissions that stand out at Stage One will be invited to Stage Two for full evaluation. Progressing to Stage Two means we want to look much more closely at your book. What happens at Stage Two:

  • Full manuscript submission: You will be asked to upload your complete, finished manuscript in .doc or PDF format
  • Shaping the BBBF longlist: Stage Two submissions are evaluated by BBBF, with community insight, to shape the official BBBF longlist
  • Editorial and commercial assessment: Pan Macmillan’s editorial teams, alongside community insight, will conduct a deeper review of your manuscript’s potential.

Additional Stage Two requirements (where relevant): Depending on your genre (particularly for non-fiction), progressing authors may be asked for:

  • Expanded overview / proposal: Deeper detail on your book’s central thesis, target reader or unique selling point (USP)
  • Research and sources: Information regarding references, primary/secondary sources, permissions, or scientific/medical evidence supporting specialist work
  • Editorial follow-ups: Responses to specific questions from editors regarding character development, narrative pacing, or concept expansion

Selection & publishing deals

  • The BBBF longlist: The strongest Stage Two submissions will form the BBBF Longlist for final publishing consideration.
  • Publishing offers: Successful authors selected through the process will secure contracts with Pan Macmillan, subject to agreeing individual publishing agreements.
  • Legal and representation choice: Reaching any stage, including the longlist, does not obligate you to sign an agreement. You will have full opportunity to review your publishing contract and seek independent legal or literary agent advice before deciding whether to accept.

Community-powered publishing

Our volunteer reader community actively shapes what we will be publishing, helping select the longlist and having a voice throughout the process, driving grassroots excitement to champion these authors from day one.

Your rights and simultaneous submissions

You Keep Your Copyright: Submitting your manuscript does not transfer your intellectual property. Your work remains 100% yours. Publishing rights are only dealt with separately if you are selected and enter into a formal publishing agreement.

Simultaneous submissions: You are welcome to submit your manuscript elsewhere while under review. We simply ask that you inform us if you receive a publishing offer or secure agent representation so we can update your application status.

No generative AI

We are exclusively looking for human writers and human-authored books. Generative AI must not be used to create, write, rewrite, develop, expand, restructure, or materially edit your manuscript, pitch, synopsis, chapter summaries, or other substantive application materials, other than for minor revisions made solely for editing, correcting or otherwise refining the content.

Standard spelling and grammar checking software is permitted provided it does not generate or rewrite substantive content.

Pre-submission checklist

Before submitting at Stage One, please confirm:

READY TO APPLY?

Submit your book.

Start your application Read the FAQ
Real Stories. Real Readers. Real Impact.

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