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Chronicle Books LLC publishes approximately 175 books a year. We specialize in high-quality, reasonably priced books for adults and children. Our titles include best-selling cookbooks; fine art, design, photography, and architecture titles; full-color nature books; award-winning poetry and literary fiction; regional and international travel guides; and gift and stationery items. We will accept unsolicited manuscripts in each of these subject areas. To gain a better understanding of our publishing program, please examine our books in a bookstore, library, a Chronicle Books catalog, or visit our web site: www.chroniclebooks.com.

When submitting a proposal, initial query letter, or completed manuscript, please remember that it may take up to three months for the editors to review it. (Please note, we do not accept proposals on disks, over the Internet, or by fax.) Outlined below is the basic procedure for submitting manuscripts and proposals. While by no means are all of the steps mandatory, bear in mind that it is your vision you are presenting to us, so the more information you give us to visualize your project, the better. Please send us copies of your material and keep the original for your records.

A nonfiction proposal could include:

1. Cover letter giving a brief description of the project and what is included in the package.

2. Proposal, including outline, introduction, illustrations list, sample captions, and text/sample chapters (approximately 30 pages of text). If you are submitting a cookbook proposal, include a list of recipes plus at least ten sample recipes with headnotes in addition to the information described above.

3. Sample illustrations or photographs (duplicates rather than originals).

4. A market analysis of the potential readership for the book, including title, publisher, and date of all similar books, with an explanation of how your book differs from each.

5. Author/illustrator/photographer biography, including publishing credits and credentials in the field.

6. A self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of the materials.

If you are submitting fiction (a novel or a short story collection), submit the complete manuscript to Adult Trade -- Fiction and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for its return. Please note that Chronicle Books does not publish romances, science fiction, fantasy, westerns, or other genre fiction.

Do not submit original material (either art or manuscript) and please keep a copy of your project. Please note that material unaccompanied by a SASE will not be returned. Also, please do not contact President Jack Jensen or Chairman/CEO Nion McEvoy directly with your query. Instead, direct your proposal to our editorial department at the address below.

Chronicle Books
Adult Trade Division
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107

Thank you for your interest in Chronicle Books.

PLEASE NOTE: These guidelines are for informational purposes only and do not constitute a solicitation of any manuscript, artwork, transparencies, or other material. Submission of any unsolicited materials shall be done at the author/illustrator’s own risk of loss or damage.