NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR OUR BRAND NEW ‘…&FRIENDS’ SERIES

DEADLINE: 15 August

In 2027, we’re aiming to publish four titles as part of an experimental new series of amalgamatic poetry – books in which individual author-editors collate, curate, adapt and remix, combining original composition with work they’ve solicited or borrowed from elsewhere.

This is a new concept in poetry publishing, so please read this call-out carefully. We’re inviting 200-word proposals along with a sample of 10-20 pages, not full manuscripts.

The format for the books will be as follows:

• Pocket-sized and perfect bound (11 x 16cm, the same size as our Hipflask Series, or Everyman’s Pocket Library books).
• 60-120 black-and-white pages.
• Typeset in 8pt Libre Baskerville, 13pt spaced (which means 9-12 words a line and roughly 26 lines per page).
• Attributed to ‘[Author Name] & Friends’ on the cover and spine. You will be listed as both editor and contributing author on databases.

What should I submit, and what is meant by ‘amalgamatic poetry’?

Amalgamism is a literary style which is conspicuously hybrid or patchwork in appearance, not just in terms of mixing genres and tones but also in terms of drawing on the work of multiple authors and/or editors, including comment and criticism alongside creative writing, utilising elements of non-literary media, and blurring the line between writer and reader.

Your proposed book should have your own original poetic compositions at the heart of it. But these should be supplemented by, and in conversation with, some combination of: 1) work you have solicited from other writers; 2) public domain works that you’ve remixed and recontextualised or otherwise reworked; 3) passages of editorial reflection and other kinds of writing adjacent to (but distinct from) lyric poetry.

There should also be a clear theme or thread of subject matter that frames the content. Our aim is to build a cohesive, collectible series with a shared aesthetic, where each title has a distinct focus.

To help you get a better idea of what we’re envisaging, we’ve put together two examples:

• Download Garden On Your Tongue Sample.
• Download The Hearth Sprite Sample.

And what exactly should my proposal contain?

• A working title for your book (this can be changed later).
• A description, including reference to amalgamatic elements (up to 200 words).
• A 10-20-page sample, giving a flavour of the contents.
• A short bio (100-200 words).

Why not just plain old single-author collections?

Since our inception, we’ve wanted to challenge the idea that single-author collections are the only viable format for books of new poetry. We believe that contemporary literature should ideally not be a contest to reveal and elevate certain individuals, but a means by which we become increasingly aware of, and empathetic toward, each other’s lives, experiences and imaginations, and enriched by these connections. To that end, we’ve explored various kinds of hybridity across our titles; this latest idea is essentially a hybrid of treasury, treatise and single-author collection.

What if I’m not UK-based?

We accept submissions from outside the UK, but be aware that bookshops near you may not be able to stock the book, and ordering extra copies will incur international postage fees.

Will I be paid?

The main author/editor of each book will be paid 40% royalties from profits (we will supply six-monthly statements), plus five copies of the book on publication and a 40% lifetime discount on all Sidekick titles. If we are successful in gaining additional funding we will disclose this and offer an advance. Our own finances don’t allow us to offer an advance without outside funding. All profits we make on individual titles at the moment are put back into the press.

What support will I receive to put this book together?

EDITORIAL: Jon and Kirsten will work with each author/editor to understand their vision for the book and act as sounding boards for layout, structure, copyright, illustration etc. If this is your first time curating/editing a full-length MS, we will be available to help with any questions or concerns, troubleshoot any challenges and make this as enjoyable a journey as possible. As part of the process, we will schedule regular check-ins and ensure you feel confident at each turn.

PRODUCTION: We will typeset, proofread, print and distribute the book, ensuring you are happy with the final files before we go to print.

PROMOTION: We work with the brilliant Inpress, who market Sidekick titles to bookshops, and we will promote the title through our website, social media channels and newsletter, as well as sending out review copies. We will help organise a launch for the title, and we attend book fairs throughout the year to get Sidekick titles out to new, enthusiastic audiences.

Can a book have more than one author/editor?

You are more than welcome to submit a collaborative proposal, but royalties from profits will be split between the main authors/editors.

Can I include previously published work/simultaneous submissions?

Please do not include submissions currently under consideration elsewhere. Up to 10% of your own writing or your commissioned pieces may have been published in journals, but please do not send your own writing or commissioned work that has already appeared in book form. Public-domain pieces are the exception here (hey, we can’t time-travel).

If the proposal contains collaborations, or curates/reuses other people’s work, should I be credited as author?

This is why we’re going with the ‘[Author Name] & Friends’ main attribution. We can list the names of additional contributors on the back cover and title pages.

Can Sidekick cover the cost of using copyrighted material in my book?

Unfortunately not. Any illustrations and texts by other authors should be copyright-free, unless you have agreed free use for commercial purposes with the author or artist. We can advise on sources, ensure Creative Commons compliance and even conduct a limited amount of picture research for you. You are welcome to commission original pieces for the book. All contributors will receive a copy of the finished product, plus a lifetime discount on Sidekick titles.

Does Sidekick accept collaborations with A.I.?

No. While creative A.I. collaborations are a valid experimental art form, we cannot consider work that makes substantial use of A.I.-authored components. Sidekick Books is a member of the Society of Authors’ Human-Authored Scheme, in recognition of the ethical issues A.I. raises around authorship and the feeding of copyrighted materials into LLM training datasets, as well as the social harms enacted by large A.I. corporations and the environmental impact of data centres.

We would also ask that neither you nor your contributors submit work that has been processed by writing tools like Grammarly, even if you are concerned about typos and spelling errors. We are interested in your voice and ideas, and as editors we would much prefer to fix mistakes than receive immaculate A.I.-generated writing.

We will check all material submitted to us, as best we can. No detection method is infallible, so we will use our best judgement and discuss any issues with you.

I still have a few questions…

Email contact@sidekickbooks.com and we’ll do our best to answer!

I’m ready! Where do I send it?

Send your submission as a single file (PDF or docx) to contact@sidekickbooks.com with the subject line ‘Submission: …&Friends Series’.