Policies

Thank you for your interest in submitting your work to Not for Vanity. Our mission is to amplify independent voices and support the literary community.

While we welcome brilliant indie voices from all walks of life, Not for Vanity holds a special mission to champion UK-based creators and writers who are navigating the literary world at age 35 and older.

Please be aware that Not for Vanity is a safe space for the writing community, so we strictly reject any content that contains hate speech, plagiarism, explicit defamation, gratuitous violence, or discriminatory language.

Please read our guidelines thoroughly before sending us your work. Submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines may not be considered for publication or review.

Self-Published Authors (Fiction): Submission & Book Review Policy

1 | Submission Process & Accepted Formats

All authors must provide the following three assets: a 300-word pitch, a target audience breakdown, and the first 5 pages of the book. This ensures submission consistency and is the only way we will consider your book for review.
We accept books in the following digital formats: PDF, ePub and other formats available via BookFunnel or similar websites. Authors residing in the UK may also send physical copies if they wish.
We have a rolling subscription to KU (Kindle Unlimited) so let us know if your book is available on the platform and we will download it.
We welcome ARC copies and will prioritise these if received in advance of the book release date. We’ll let you know in writing if we have capacity to review your ARC before the release date or not.
Unfortunately, we do not consider submissions of memoirs for review.
We will not consider submissions of books with explicit sex scenes (‘fade to black’ transitions are deemed acceptable).

3 | Review Process

Our timeframe for reviews is variable and depends on our workload at the time of contact. We aim to read and review books within 2-3 months from the submission date.
Once a submission is received, we cannot guarantee a review on our website if we feel the work is not of acceptable quality. Similarly, we will not post the review of a book we didn’t finish reading. If any of the above apply to you, we will let you know via email.
All published reviews will include a writer bio with link and credits to the source and a direct link to the sales platform (Amazon, author websites, any other digital platform as long as it’s mainstream and safe for our readers to use).
All reviews we write will also be shared on our social media channels. Publication date is at our total discretion and may still be subject to change after it’s communicated to you.
Being a small team of two volunteering our time, we only showcase authors who actively engage with the indie community. If selected, you must agree to share the feature link on your platform.
As an alternative to book reviews, we might also offer the following two shorter length features:
Automated Q&A: a questionnaire authors fill out independently. We will then review and edit the answers when needed, add an editorial introduction, and publish.
Curated Previews: a feature based on book blurb and the first chapter, commenting on its positioning and what our readers can expect.

4 | Paid Fast-Track Reviews

While standard submissions are free, we also offer a paid expedited review tier for £XX. In this case, we guarantee a 14-day turnaround time. However, this is still subject to a successful application from the author. As per Point 1, authors must submit a 300-word pitch, a target audience breakdown, and the first 5 pages of the book to be considered. If successful, payment will have to be made prior to the review being published.

5 | Rights, Compensation & Fees

Authors retain 100% of the rights to their work. By submitting, you grant Not for Vanity a non-exclusive license to display, promote, and archive your work on our website and social media channels.
We operate as a promotional advocacy platform. We do not offer financial compensation for published submissions. In return, we provide authors with dedicated exposure, which may include reviews, featured author interviews, and social media amplification.

4 | How to Submit

When you are ready, please send your submission file to info@notforvanity.com with the subject line: “Submission: Book for Consideration – [Your Name]”.

Short Stories: Submission Policy

1 | What We Accept

We accept short stories submissions from writers and authors who are self-published, querying, still writing, not yet ready to publish. We’d love to hear your voices, especially if you come from unrepresented backgrounds or your work is niche.

2 | Submission Limits & Formatting

Short stories should be between 2000 and 5000 words in length.
Please submit your work as a single .docx file. Use a standard, readable font (such as Times New Roman, 12pt) and ensure your pages are clearly numbered.
Include a brief cover page with your full name, pen name (if applicable), email address, a short author bio (under 100 words), and social media handles.
All topics will be considered. However, we are unable to accept biographies, illustrated stories for children, part of books. We ask for stand-alone, self-conclusive stories.
We reserve the right to reject stories we don’t deem appropriate. Please note that each short story will be proofread before publication.

3 | Rights, Compensation & Fees

Authors retain 100% of the rights to their work. By submitting, you grant Not for Vanity a non-exclusive license to display, promote, and archive your work on our website and social media channels.
We operate as a promotional advocacy platform. We do not offer financial compensation for published submissions. In return, we provide authors with dedicated exposure, which may include featured author interviews and social media amplification.

4 | How to Submit

When you are ready, please send your submission file to info@notforvanity.com with the subject line: “Submission: Short Story – [Your Name]”.

Non-fiction & Poetry: Submission Policy

1 | What We Accept

Poetry: We accept collections or individual pieces of poetry. Previously published or self-published work is accepted, provided that you currently hold 100% of the publication rights.
Non-Fiction: We accept essays, creative non-fiction, and articles. All non-fiction submissions must be 100% original and completely unpublished (including on personal blogs, social media, or other platforms).

2 | Submission Limits & Formatting

For poetry, you may submit up to three poems in a single document. We cannot guarantee however that we will publish every single piece sent to us.
For non-fiction, submissions should be between 750 and 1,000 words in length.
Please submit your work as a single .docx file. Use a standard, readable font (such as Times New Roman, 12pt) and ensure your pages are clearly numbered.
Cover Page: Include a brief cover page with your full name, pen name (if applicable), email address, a short author bio (under 100 words), and social media handles.

3 | Rights, Compensation & Fees

In line with our mission, Not for Vanity will never charge reading or submission fees.
Authors retain 100% of the rights to their work. By submitting, you grant Not for Vanity a non-exclusive license to display, promote, and archive your work on our website and social media channels.
We operate as a promotional advocacy platform. We do not offer financial compensation for published submissions. In return, we provide authors with dedicated exposure, which may include reviews, featured author interviews, and social media amplification.

4 | Selection Process & Review Timeline

We allow simultaneous submissions, but you must notify us immediately if your non-fiction piece is accepted elsewhere.
Our small team reviews every submission with care. Please allow up to three working weeks for a response before following up.
Due to the high volume of submissions, we are unfortunately unable to provide individualised editorial feedback on pieces we decline.

5 | How to Submit

When you are ready, please send your submission file to info@notforvanity.com with the subject line: “Submission: [Poetry / Non-Fiction] – [Your Name]”.