Submissions

Illuminate YA is the new teen fiction imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, launched in 2017. We plan to release one new title per quarter. For info on royalty and distribution, click here. We will begin considering new submissions in April 2017. (Submissions are welcome in the meantime.)

Our goal at Illuminate is to shed light on positive and inspiring books that engross readers in an entertaining journey from beginning to end. We don't shy away from reflecting today’s authentic youth culture, yet we do so in a way that promotes good morals and values. Our stories touch teens’ deepest needs, answers their life questions, sweeps them away in a can’t-put-me-down adventure, and portrays their world with a thread of hope.

We temporarily accept unsolicited submissions but give more attention to agented submissions, as well as submissions from writers we meet at writing conferences.

Our authors at Illuminate YA are familiar with the current Young Adult market and understand how they will reach their target audience. They should have a platform via social media and must regularly engage with their tribe. While we assist in marketing efforts, the author must create and follow through with their own marketing plan.

We currently consider YA/NA novels in the following subgenres:

Contemporary
Historical
Romance

The protagonists in New Adult novels must be between 18 - 25 years of age.

Guidelines:

YA novels must be considered clean (no vulgar language or scenes).
Manuscripts must be within 50k - 100k word count range.
In your subject line, please state one of the following: "Agented Submission", "Unagented Submission", or "Requested Submission".
Please include agent name and contact info in your query letter (if applicable).
Query letters should include the following: brief summary of the book, short bio info, agent info, word count, and genre.
Include query letter in the body of your email and include proposal as a .doc/.docx attachment (see below for guidelines).

Proposal Guidelines:

In your proposal, please include...

Author bio and publishing credits
Brief summary of the novel (1 - 3 paragraphs)
Book tagline (one sentence hook)
Comparable titles
2 - 3 page synopsis
Marketing plan
Platform reach stats
Potential influencers
Potential series info (if applicable)
First three chapters or fifty pages

If you're unsure how to create a book proposal, we recommend the book "Writing a Winning Book Proposal" by Michael Hyatt.

Please send your submission to:

Tessa Emily Hall

YA Acquisitions Editor

Illuminate YA, Imprint of LPC

illuminateYAsubmissions@gmail.com

We will begin considering new submissions starting in April 2017, so expect to hear from us then. Unagented submissions will be considered temporarily.