Manuscript Submission
We consider only complete manuscripts; please do not send samples or a portion of a manuscript.
Poetry manuscripts must be submitted via email as both Word and PDF documents and should include a title page (including your name and contact information), as well as a table of contents. In the body of your email or in a separate document, include a brief bio and your publication history. Manuscripts should be single-spaced. Pages should be numbered.
The email address for submissions is oskana@uregina.ca. (Please write “Oskana poetry submission” in the subject line of your email message.)
Please note that we do not accept hard copies of manuscripts. If you submit a physical copy of your manuscript, it will not be returned but will be recycled.
Because its publication schedule is limited to two books a year, Oskana accepts simultaneous submissions. A manuscript that is being considered elsewhere may be submitted on the following conditions:
1. That the other press also considers multiple submissions.
2. That the manuscript be accompanied by a letter in which the author undertakes to inform the University of Regina Press immediately should the manuscript be accepted elsewhere and also undertakes immediately to accept an offer of publication from the University of Regina Press, should such an offer be made.
Please note that no editorial comments will be made on manuscripts not selected for publication.
Please do not submit revised versions of poems or a revised version of a manuscript until you have received a definite response to your original submission.
Review Process
You will receive a brief note acknowledging receipt of your manuscript. Afterward, decisions might take 4-6 months. Please remember we, like everyone else, are quite busy, so please keep these timelines in mind and do not query prior to 4 months after submission. If you have heard nothing further after 4 months, please feel free to send a query to oskana@uregina.ca.
Original poetry manuscripts by authors who have published books and/or whose work has appeared in reputable literary journals are far more likely to be accepted than manuscripts by authors without any previous publication experience.
Authors who are submitting discussions of poetics need not have published prose previously, but a strong record of publication as a poet is highly recommended. (These observations do not apply to manuscripts that consist of translations from First Nations or other Indigenous North American languages.)
If your manuscript is selected and once revisions are complete, you will need to provide any necessary permissions for quoted material or for illustrations that appear in the text. Your in-house editor can provide guidance on obtaining such permissions.
We will also ask you to complete and submit our Author Information Form and our Marketing and Sales Questionnaire. Typically, you will receive these forms via email once your manuscript has been accepted for publication.
Contract
Once the University of Regina Press has agreed to publish your work, it will be assigned a place in Oksana’s publication schedule. You will be issued a contract and a deadline for receipt of the final manuscript and any accompanying material.
The University of Regina Press’s standard contract details the responsibilities of both the Press and author.
For example, it is the responsibility of the Press to publish the work within a specified time frame, to edit it and market it in accordance with current publishing standards, to bear financial responsibility for publication, and to pay the author, on a regular basis, royalties on sales of the book or subsidiary rights to the book.
It is the responsibility of the author, for example, to submit the completed manuscript by the contracted date, to obtain permissions for use of copyrighted material, and to format any illustrations in accordance with Press requirements.
Manuscript Checklist
The following checklist will be handy as you prepare your manuscript for submission.
Text digital files
- Include only the most recent version of each file. Erase outdated or extraneous files.
- If your text contains unusual non-roman characters, provide a complete list separately plus a list of the necessary fonts.
Include all parts of your manuscript. The parts of a complete manuscript are:
- Title page
- Table of contents
- All front matter to be included, such as a dedication or preface
- All contents (poems, essays, chapters, or illustrations)
- All back matter to be included, such as acknowledgements or notes
- Bibliography or reference list for books of poetics (please consult our Documentation Guidelines for additional detail)
Illustrations
- If your text includes illustrations, please include these in a separate file or files.
- Please consult our Artwork Guidelines for additional detail.
Text and image permissions
- Provide a complete file of permissions correspondence and indicate if any are outstanding.
