Epigram Books is an independent publisher with imprints in Singapore and London, established in 2011 to release exquisitely designed and thought-provoking books.
We are keen to read and publish new writing by Singaporean authors and authors writing about Singapore. We accept and evaluate completed manuscripts all year round and invite you to submit your work here.
We strongly encourage you not to send a hard copy of your manuscript to us—an electronic copy will suffice. While necessary care will be exercised, Epigram Books assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage of materials received. Please ensure that you have kept a copy for yourself, as we practice a zero-return policy.
We will acknowledge receipt of all manuscripts. However, as we receive many submissions, please give our editors up to six (6) months to reply to you regarding your manuscript. If you do not hear from us within 6 months, feel free to query us at submissions@epigram.sg.
To better present your manuscript, please refer to our Notes on Formatting and Punctuation before you submit your work. With the exception of nonfiction works, all manuscripts must be submitted in full.
If you are an ASEAN citizen or permanent resident submitting to our annual EPIGRAM BOOKS FICTION PRIZE, the submissions procedures differ. Please read about the Prize details here.
1. The Work
- The novel submission must either be an original work written wholly by the author(s) or an original translation of a work translated wholly by the translator(s). If the work is a translation, biographical data must be provided for both author(s) and translator(s).
- The submission must be at least 40,000 words long; entrants are encouraged to submit works that are 60,000 words or longer. There is no upper word limit.
- Submissions must be in the English language. Short story collections are not eligible.
2. The Manuscript
- All manuscripts should be prepared with 1-inch margins on all sides, double-lined spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and page numbers. Set the page size to A4. Do not justify text; instead, align text to the left.
- All manuscripts and their copies should come with a cover page. The cover page should include the working title, synopsis (50-100 words) and word count. Do not include the author’s name anywhere on the manuscript.
- Spelling should follow Oxford Dictionaries. Please use British spelling.
- Do not use the serial comma.
- Do not insert extra lines between sections; section breaks are to be indicated using an asterisk (*) that is centre-justified on the page.
- Single spaces (not double) after full stops and other punctuation.
- Most punctuation, and all full stops and commas, are to be placed outside quotation marks, as in British usage; the exception is in dialogue. In addition, use double-quotes (" ") rather than single quotes (' ')
- Ellipses are to be indicated by typing three full stops without spaces (…). Do not use four-point ellipses.
- Dashes are to be formatted as em dashes (—) only, not en dashes (–), with no spaces on either side.
- En dashes, not hyphens, are to be used to indicate a date range, as in "1914–1918", with no spaces on either side.
- Other matters of style are generally determined according to the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. Any specific questions of style should be posed to Epigram Books at ebfp@epigram.sg.
3. Submission Details
- The entrant(s) must fill out an entry form (please type; do not write by hand). The form, as well as the manuscript soft copy, a scan of each entrant’s documents in support of their citizenship and a recent photo of each entrant, must be uploaded to our Submittable form.
- Five (5) hard copies of the manuscript are required for each submission. Submissions without hard copies will be considered ineligible. All hard copies must be bound (comb binding) and printed double-sided. Submit the hard copies of the manuscript with a signed print-out of the entry form by registered post or in-person to:
Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2025
Epigram Books
1008 Toa Payoh North
#03-08
Singapore 318996
- Epigram Books will not entertain other forms of submission.
- The organisers and judges shall not be held responsible for manuscripts or collaterals that have been lost or damaged in transit.
- Manuscripts and collaterals submitted for this competition will be retained by Epigram Books. Please keep the original for your own reference.
- Works can be submitted either by the entrant(s) or a chosen representative.
- Works should adhere to the style and formatting guidelines provided below.
- Epigram Books shall acknowledge each entry by email.
- By submitting your manuscript, you agree to abide by the rules and regulations as stated here by the organiser, Epigram Books.
Do consider submitting for our annual Epigram Books Fiction Prize if you are eligible according to the rules here, note that the submission procedures differ.
The Prize is open from February to August.
Shortlisted submissions will be announced in November and the winner will be announced in the following January.