Violet Lichen is currently open to novella queries in the following genres: speculative ecofiction, folk horror, Weird fiction, New Weird, and surreal / literary science fiction.
We are looking for atmospheric and thought-provoking novellas that intertwine a fascination of the natural world with horror and dread, and those that explore how we interconnect with our communities, other species, and whole ecosystems. We love weird fiction that unsettles, expands perspectives, and plays with bending reality, traditions, or tropes. Review the Submissions Guidelines for more information.
Your query package can be submitted via Query Manager before midnight Oct 31. Please include the following:
A one-paragraph pitch.
The synopsis: Ideally, 1 to 2 pages. Please include spoilers: this synopsis reveals all the important elements of your story in order.
The first 30 pages If reaching the end of a chapter takes you a little over 30 pages, that’s okay. Don’t sweat it, because we won’t. 🙂
Include your comps and ideal readers/target audience. (Optional. If you aren’t sure, leave these areas blank.)
Cover letter: A more personal introduction to the story. Include anything you’d like to share about yourself, why you wrote the book, or what inspired it.
Violet Lichen titles are distributed by Independent Publishers Group.
If your novella would also be suited for Apex Book Company, please query only one or the other imprint at any one time – whichever seems best suited for your work. A no from one is not a rejection from the other; if one imprint passes, you can still query the other.
Keep an eye on our social media and newsletter for announcements on future open windows.
We are excited to reveal the cover and announce the shortlist for ECO25: The Year’s Best Speculative Ecofiction! The cover art is by Marcela Bolívar, with cover design by Mikio Murakami at SilentQDesign. Our panel of judges read hundreds of ecofiction stories published in 2025 across more than 170 magazines, journals, and anthologies around the… Read more: ECO25 Shortlist & Cover Reveal!
Violet Lichen Books is excited to announce the acquisition of THEY CALL THE PLACE WILD by Rae Mariz. Pitched as Richard Powers’ THE OVERSTORY meets the Brothers Grimm and Slavic folklore, this novella is a lush dark fantasy about the stories we’re told and the stories we make for ourselves.
Violet Lichen Books is so excited to add a brilliant new book to its catalog today. Happy Book Release Day to THE CELLAR BELOW THE CELLAR by Ivy Grimes!
This gorgeous novella is a magical blend of the supernatural and the mundane, the beautiful and the weird. Ivy’s prose has a way of drawing you into her truly memorable characters, and the story constantly surprises, shifting seamlessly between weird and creepy to funny and surreal.
ECO: The Year’s Best Speculative Ecofiction is an annual showcase of some of the most compelling ecofiction published every year. If you published speculative ecofiction in 2025, you can now nominate your stories for consideration in ECO25!
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