History Through Fiction Press Gold Star Program Gold Star

History Through Fiction, along with our imprints HTF Publishing, HTF Romance, and HTF Fantasy, is dedicated to publishing high-quality fiction rooted in historical research.

We are open to all subgenres of historical fiction and welcome stories from any historical period, geographic region, or cultural perspective. We are interested in novels that engage thoughtfully with the past while offering readers a compelling and immersive fictional experience.

We are particularly interested in stories involving real people and events, though fictionalized elements and entirely fictional characters are welcome. Manuscripts may also include, though are not required to include, nonfiction features such as footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography. These elements can provide transparency and allow readers to further explore the history behind the story.

Above all, we are looking for historical fiction that is both well researched and deeply engaging. Your novel should illuminate some aspect of the past while succeeding first and foremost as a compelling work of fiction.

Please submit the following:

1. A query letter with your word count (via Duosuma in your cover letter)
2. A synopsis of 500 words or less (via Duosuma in your cover letter)
3. The first 10-15 pages of your manuscript (as an attached file or Drive link)

We welcome historical fiction across a broad range of subjects, settings, and subgenres. We are especially interested in stories that offer fresh perspectives, explore overlooked aspects of history, or approach familiar historical events in new and compelling ways.

We recognize that World War II remains an important and enduring subject for historical fiction, and we are open to unique and compelling stories set during this period. However, we are not currently interested in manuscripts that primarily focus on depictions of Nazi cruelty or that rely on a simplistic or overt good-versus-evil portrayal of World War II. We are particularly interested in stories that move beyond familiar narratives and offer greater complexity, nuance, or an unexpected perspective on the period.

We will carefully evaluate your submission to determine whether it captures our interest, fits our publishing niche, and merits a full evaluation. If it does, we will request the complete manuscript.

Upon receiving your full manuscript, we will assess it for craft, content, quality, and overall fit with our audience. If we love your story and believe it is a strong fit for our publishing program, we may offer either a traditional or hybrid publishing contract.

Our decision is based on a variety of factors, including the quality of the writing, the strength and originality of the story, its marketability, and its alignment with our publishing mission and audience. Traditional contracts are reserved for a small percentage of manuscripts that meet a wide range of qualifications.

We also consider manuscripts for HTF Fantasy and HTF Romance. Submissions that fall within these genres may be considered for either traditional or hybrid publication.

• Traditional Publishing Contract: Offered to manuscripts that are an exceptional fit for our specialized market. Traditional publishing includes a small advance against royalties and requires no financial investment from the author.
• Hybrid Publishing Contract: Offered when we love a story and believe it will resonate with our audience but see opportunities for further development or enhancement. Hybrid publishing requires a financial investment from the author and is designed as a collaborative process to create a novel that meets the same high standards as our traditionally published books.

We understand that artificial intelligence is increasingly incorporated into many of the online tools and platforms writers use every day. We also recognize that the line between AI and other forms of digital assistance is becoming increasingly complex.

However, our expectation is simple: writers should not use generative AI to write or generate text for their manuscripts. The work submitted to History Through Fiction should represent the author's own creative writing.

At the same time, we believe that accusations and speculation surrounding AI use can be unreliable and unproductive. For that reason, we will never use artificial intelligence to evaluate your submission. We will not submit your manuscript to AI detection software, and we will not make accusations or assumptions about AI use.

Instead, we will evaluate every submission based on its own merit. We trust that writers submitting to History Through Fiction will respect our policies and submit work that reflects their own creative effort.

If your manuscript is selected for publication, your work will continue to be handled by people. We will not use AI software to edit or proofread your story. Your manuscript will be read, evaluated, edited, and prepared for publication by human editors and publishing professionals.

• We accept multiple submissions and unsolicited manuscripts.
• We encourage submissions from both first-time and experienced authors.
• Writers from historically marginalized and traditionally underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to submit.
• Please allow up to three months for a response. If you have not heard from us by that time, feel free to send a polite follow-up email.
• By submitting to History Through Fiction or one of our imprints, you acknowledge and agree to our submission policies, including our expectation that generative AI has not been used to write or generate text for the manuscript.

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