Under its AVALON BOOKS imprint, Thomas Bouregy & Co., Inc. is a publisher of hardcover Romances, Mysteries, and Westerns focusing primarily on the library market. There is no explicit sexual content or profanity in any of our novels. It is the author’s responsibility to heighten the romantic atmosphere by developing love scenes with tenderness, emotion, and perception.

We publish sixty books a year in bimonthly cycles of ten. A cycle consists of four Contemporary Romances, two Historical Romances, two Mysteries, and two Westerns. Books range in length from a minimum of 50,000 words to a maximum of 70,000 words. However, if the manuscript is exceptional, we will accept somewhat longer books.

Please address any inquiries regarding manuscript submissions to: editorial@avalonbooks.com

We do not want old-fashioned, predictable, formulaic books. We are looking for contemporary characters and fresh, contemporary plots and story lines. Supporting characters and subplots should be interesting and realistic, and they should add an extra and interesting dimension to the book.

Every AVALON heroine should be an independent young woman with an interesting profession or career. She is equal to the stresses of today’s world and can take care of herself.

AVALON heroes should be warm, likable, realistic, sympathetic, understanding men who treat the heroine as an equal, with respect for her intelligence and individuality, and with courtesy.

Time, period, and setting for the historical romances are the author’s preference. Writers should take care that all description is authentic and indicative of period and place.

The element of suspense is very important, but it is equally important to have a tight, well-researched, believable story line. Avoid contrived, predictable, mechanical plots and old clichés.

The hero can be male or female or a team of people with sound values. The hero must be someone for whom the truth is paramount.

All westerns are historical novels. It is important that characters and setting be placed in time and that the background is carefully researched. Avoid using words and phrases that were not part of the language at the time your western is set. Though it is important for flavor and authenticity to use some westernisms in dialogue, overuse of dialect is to be avoided. Plots should be suspenseful and action packed.

The hero must be a strong individual with sound values. He’s excellent with his fists and his gun, but not overeager to use either.

We do accept unagented material. When submitting, include a query letter, a 2-3 page (and no longer) synopsis of the entire manuscript, and the first three chapters. All submissions must be typed and double spaced. If we think that your novel might be suitable for our list, we will contact you and request that you submit the entire manuscript.

Please note that any unsolicited submissions will not be returned.

There is no need to send your partial to any specific editor at Avalon. The editors read all the genres that are listed above. Address your letter to: The Editors. This also goes for email submissions. The address for submissions is:

The Editors
Avalon Books
160 Madison Avenue
NY, NY 10016