2025 is the 12th year we’ve been running our industry first #DigitalOriginals #OneDay open submission project enabling new commercial fiction authors writing specifically in the Romance space to bypass the traditional route to publishing and submit directly to the Simon & Schuster UK/Books and the City editorial team.

 

We've read over 10,000 #OneDay pitches and synopses over the years – and have acquired and published novels written by some phenomenal authors including Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus, Andy Jones, Catherine Bennetto, Christina Pishirus, Claire Frost, Clara Christensen, Florence Keeling, Heidi Swain, Holly Hepburn, Jackie Fraser, Jennifer Bibby, Julie Haworth, Juliet Ashton, Katherine Collette, Laura Bambrey, Penny Parkes, Simon Booker and Victoria Walters under our #DigitalOriginals banner, so if you’re a debut author writing in the romance space and have an absolute killer synopsis for your novel we’d love to hear from you this year.

 

HOW DOES IT WORK  

From 8am to 8pm GMT on Tuesday 15th July 2025, writers of commercial fiction aimed at the Romance reader, can send the synopsis of their novel in 500 words or less (the approximate equivalent of one A4 sheet of paper) via email to oneday@simonandschuster.co.uk.  We will read your synopses as they come in – make sure you use #OneDay2025 in the subject header of your email – and if we like the sound of your novel will reply to you by Friday 15th August 2025 to ask for the first three chapters of your manuscript.

 

We want to discover new voices, so if you are already represented by a Literary Agent at the time of submission, I’m afraid you are not eligible to submit your work to us through this opportunity.

 

We are dedicated to publishing a broad and diverse range of books for everyone, representative of the world around us. We are committed to working with and supporting writers, illustrators, and other creative partners from all walks of life, regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, nationality, religion or belief, age, social or economic circumstance.

 

FAQ

Do I have to have a completed full manuscript to pitch?

No. It’s not essential that you have a full completed manuscript at this stage, but it would be wise to have the first three chapters available to share with us should we request to see it.

 

Can I submit more than one novel?

Only one submission is permitted per person.

 

I don’t live in the UK can I still take part?

We are only accepting #OneDay2025 submissions from authors aged 18 or above, who are currently resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland.

 

I have self-published my book previously can I still pitch it?

Yes, if you have retained full rights.

 

I can’t be on email on 15th July 2025, can I still take part?

All submissions must be received between the hours of 8.00am and 8.00pm on 15th July 2025, so we suggest you schedule your email in advance. We cannot accept submissions outside this window and any received outside of this period will not be considered.

 

I submitted my synopsis but haven’t been contacted via email yet. What should I do?

If we don’t contact you by Friday 15th August 2025, please don’t be disheartened. This is a very subjective business, and it is likely that your novel doesn't fit what we are currently looking for, for our #DigitalOriginals list.

 

You requested to read my first three chapters, when will I hear back from you?

If we enjoyed reading your first three chapters, we will get back to you within one month of receipt requesting the full manuscript. If we haven’t contacted you within one month of receipt, please don’t be disheartened. It is likely that your novels plot feels too similar to one we are due to, or have already, published, or too similar in tone to another author we have under contract.

 

You requested to read my full manuscript, when will I hear back from you?

We will endeavor to get back to you within 8 weeks of receipt of your full manuscript.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION  

Your synopsis is a summary of your whole novel from start to finish, should isolate what's special about your book, and summarize what makes it unique. It should be memorable, simple to read, tell us what happens to who, why, where, when and how, and help us understand the full narrative arc of your novel. We want to be immediately grabbed by your concept, and desperate to read the manuscript, so draw us into the plot, characters and setting, with a hook we haven’t read before.

 

#OneDay2025 is not open for literary fiction, non-fiction, short stories, historical fiction, crime thrillers, science fiction or fantasy, poetry, young adult or children’s titles submissions.

 

The email account to send your pitch to is oneday@simonandschuster.co.uk. Please ensure you use ‘#OneDay2025’ as the subject heading to your email.  Your synopsis must be in the body of the email, not sent as an attachment.

 

We reserve the right to discount any submissions that do not meet the criteria stated, at our sole discretion.

 

#OneDay2025 is not a writing competition, and therefore there are no ‘winners’, but any novel we acquire through our #OneDay2025 open submission day will be published in #DigitalOriginals eBook format, which will be available across all e-tailers in the English language across the World. You will be working with our experienced in-house team, and will be provided with a contract, full editorial input including structural, copy and line editing, an eBook jacket and a sales, marketing and publicity plan.

 

Due to the volume of submissions expected, we are not able to give individual feedback.

 

We accept no responsibility for any illegible, incomplete, delayed, corrupted, malfunctioning, late, lost or misdirected submissions, including but not limited to emails not received due to technical disruptions, network congestion, compute error in transit or any other reason.

 

If we make an offer to publish your novel and you don’t accept the terms of the acquisition or advance, you are entitled to reject them, but the terms of our contract are non-negotiable.

 

We are not a vanity or custom publisher and we do not charge a fee for submitting to #OneDay2025.

 

#DigitalOriginals is part of the Simon & Schuster UK publishing company. A #DigitalOriginals author will benefit from the Simon & Schuster UK editorial, marketing, publicity and sales expertise and your contract with us under the #DigitalOriginals project offers you the same benefits all Simon & Schuster UK authors receive.

 

All decisions made by the Simon & Schuster UK/Books and the City editorial team are final and not subject to appeal.

 

Notwithstanding anything set forth in these guidelines if, in the sole opinion of Simon & Schuster UK, Ltd., none of the submissions are of a sufficiently high standard to merit publication, Simon & Schuster UK, Ltd. shall have no obligation to proceed with this offering.

 

By submitting to #OneDay2025, you confirm that (i) his/her/their submitted materials are their original, wholly owned, creation and make no use of any third party materials or intellectual property rights; (ii) no deliberate attempt has been made to base any fictional characters in the written submissions upon any individual, living or dead; and (iii) the submitted materials contain nothing that is illegal, obscene, discriminatory or of a defamatory nature. Applicants will keep the Simon & Schuster UK Ltd. harmless from any claims that their submitted materials infringe the personal or proprietary right of any other person.

 

Simon & Schuster UK is one of the leading general book publishing companies in the UK. The group is based in London with sister companies in the United States, Canada, Australia and India. Within the UK division, there are five imprints: Simon & Schuster, Gallery, Scribner, Summit and Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, which publish a wide and eclectic mix of authors ranging across commercial fiction, literary fiction, non-fiction and children’s publications. Home to bestselling authors and award winners, Simon & Schuster UK is a publishing house of quality writing and a proud home to its authors and their exceptional work.

 

Books and the City comprises a website, social media channels, #DigitalOriginals publishing programme, direct to consumer marketing tool and events platform – developed to promote Simon & Schuster’s women’s fiction.  

 

Contact:  

Sara-Jade Virtue  

Brand Development Director, Fiction  

Simon & Schuster UK  

@BookMinxSJV