Arcadia Books

About

Arcadia is Quercus’ imprint for science fiction, fantasy and horror. Established in 2011 as Jo Fletcher Books, and helmed by the inimitable Jo herself, the imprint established a reputation as the home for a small and beautifully curated list of incredible authors and modern classics such as This is How You Lose the Time War, Mexican Gothic, Rotherweird and Traitor’s Blade.
In 2023 we relaunched this iconic imprint with a new name, one that combines the spirit of Jo Fletcher Books with the bold taste of another esteemed imprint, Arcadia.
Founded in 1996, the original Arcadia was a small press that specialised in exciting, ambitious and progressive fiction and non-fiction, one that shone a spotlight on underrepresented voices and stories. Quercus bought Arcadia in 2021, bringing its sterling reputation and exciting list of authors to Hachette.
As the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror have grown and developed over the years, so have our ambitions for the list. The idea of Arcadia – the mythical forest, the realm of Elizabethan poets, a synonym for the fantastical and the extraordinary – emerged as a name that could envelop all our ideas and our ambitions, and pay homage to the legacy of both lists.
In honour of this legacy, one of the pillars of our imprint is our commitment to accessibility. Arcadia is, and always will be, proudly open to unagented submissions.

Important: Formerly Jo Fletcher Books.

The editors may not respond to all submissions. After waiting 180 days, assume your submission will not be accepted.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United Kingdom

Established in 2011

Publication Media

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Print Publication Print Publication

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

48 members set this publisher as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Arcadia Books's overall average response time is slower than most publishers.
More Challenging: Arcadia Books's overall acceptance rate is lower than most publishers.
Less Responsive: Arcadia Books's overall rate of non-response is higher than most publishers.

Learn more about our statistics

Fiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults, New adults, Young adults.

Genres:

Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres
Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Novel: No specific word count limits known (our definition: more than 40000 words).

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Unknown advance + Unknown royalties Unknown advance. Unknown royalties.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Arcadia Books

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Social:
Instagram @arcadia_books
X (Twitter) @arcadia_books

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Arcadia Books Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

This project ranks among the Most Unresponsive Fiction Publishers in our database.

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Accuracy

We have received 14 reports from 13 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

14 min | 208.9 mean avg | 223.0 median | 281 max days (447.7 std dev)

Responses

0.00 %

Acceptances:

0.00 %

Rejections:

Non-Responses

78.57 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

78.57 % (239.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

21.43 % (52.3 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

6 responses are pending (85 min | 162.2 mean avg | 171.0 median | 213 max days waiting | 145.3 std dev) from 6 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 180 days. (78.6 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 180 days.)
The editors may not respond to all submissions. After waiting the time indicated above, assume your submission will not be accepted.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 06:30 UTC (3 hours, 30 minutes ago).

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
For book publishers, it is standard to submit a cover letter, synopsis, and sample instead of the full manuscript. Do this unless otherwise instructed.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 06 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.