Highwater Press Submission Guidelines

HighWater Press is a trade imprint of educational publisher Portage & Main Press and a successor to Manitoba’s longest established publisher, Peguis Publishers. Building on its tradition of regional history and Aboriginal titles, HighWater Press focuses on books that contribute to the understanding of the Canadian experience in all its diversity, publishing high-quality fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages. Our publishing program is limited to Canadian authors; we publish approximately four titles a year.

Adult trade:

WE PUBLISH
Nonfiction titles on Aboriginal history, regional history and culture, Canadian history and culture, and biography.

WE DO NOT PUBLISH
poetry, natural history, self-help, politics, how-to, general or speculative fiction, horror, cookbooks, drama, romance, thrillers, or mystery. Nor do we publish dissertations or other scholarly works.

To submit, please provide

• A covering letter, providing a brief synopsis of the book. Tell us why your book is a good idea, who would buy it, and what distinguishes it from competing titles.
• A table of contents
• A representative sample of the manuscript (no more than 20 .pages).
• A CV indicating your previous writing experience and your credentials and expertise in the proposed subject area.

Children’s trade:

WE PUBLISH
Fiction for middle years (ages 8-12) and young adult (ages 12 and up)
Nonfiction for middle years (ages 8-12) and young adult (ages 12 and up). Nonfiction titles should conform to school curriculums for the relevant age groups.
Graphic novels for all age groups.

WE DO NOT PUBLISH
Speculative fiction, horror, romance, or poetry. Nor are we interested in manuscripts written to convey a moral or lesson.

To submit, please provide

• A covering letter, providing a brief synopsis of the book. For fiction, include the main characters, setting and time period, approach, and theme. Tell us why you think your book is a good idea and who will buy it.
• A table of contents, where relevant
• A representative sample of the book
• Information about proposed illustrations or photography
• For a graphic novel, send a synopsis of the complete book treatment, along with four or five finished pages.

For All Submissions to Highwater Press:

All submissions should be typed on standard letter-size paper in a regular 12-pt font and sent by mail. We do not accept faxed or emailed submissions.

Your name, address, and email address should be included in your covering letter and on the manuscript so that we can contact you.

If you are submitting your manuscript simultaneously to other publishers, please tell us in the covering letter.

Please do not submit an original copy of your manuscript, as we cannot be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. If you wish to have your manuscript returned, please provide a S.A.S.E. with sufficient Canadian postage.

Likewise, do not submit original artwork or photographs, as we cannot be responsible for them.

Do not send completed manuscripts. If we like what we see in your samples, we will contact you.

Please note that it may take from three to six months to respond to your query.

Submissions should be sent to

Acquisitions editor
HighWater Press
100-318 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, MB
R3A 0A2

We regret that, due to the volume of queries received, we are unable to provide feedback or critiques of your work. Please avail yourselves of resources in your community, such as writers-in-residence at your local library and writers’ groups for these purposes.