Submission Terms

Submitting a work to POL grants us no rights over it beyond reading and considering it. Copyright and all other rights remain entirely with you (or the rights-holder you represent). Any publication would be the subject of a separate written contract, negotiated and agreed before anything is published.

That the work is your original work, or that you are authorised to submit it on the rights-holder’s behalf; that, to the best of your knowledge, it does not infringe anyone else’s rights; and that the contact details you give are accurate so that we can reply.

For translations, please tell us the status of the underlying rights — whether the original work is in the public domain, or whether you hold or are seeking permission.

Submissions are read in confidence by our editorial team and are not shared outside the house without your permission. Files are stored securely and, if we do not pursue publication, are deleted within 12 months.

We aim to respond to every submission. Reading takes time — particularly for full manuscripts — so please allow several weeks before following up.

Submission does not oblige us to publish, and considering your work does not oblige you to publish with us. Either of us may walk away at any point before a contract is signed, with no penalty and no hard feelings.

If a submission resembles a project we already have in development, that is coincidence — publishing is a small world of shared concerns. Our consideration of your work creates no claim on either side beyond the confidence described above.