🌿 Submit Your Manuscript to Sheltering Tree Earth Media

A traditional, spiritually‑focused publisher of uplifting fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Welcome, Writers

We’re honored you’re considering Sheltering Tree Earth Media. We are a traditional publisher

—on our way from small to mid‑size—

committed to books that are positive, uplifting, supportive, or spiritual in nature.

Our goal is to make the submission process clear, respectful, and encouraging.

Take the 2‑Minute Publishing Path Quiz

Please note: This is not the submission form.

Which Publishing Path Fits You Best?

Answer a few quick questions to discover whether you're ready for traditional publishing with ShelteringTree.Earth or if a supportive hybrid partner is your best next step.

If your results encouraged you to use a traditional publisher, please continue below.

If your results encouraged you to use a hybrid publisher, please consider August Isley Books. You can publish with them or come back and publish with us.

Before You Submit

Please prepare your manuscript by reviewing standard formatting guidelines: spelling, grammar, mechanics, hard tabs, size 12 Times New Roman, double-spaced, no heading triangles.

Ready to Submit?

Please complete the form below to send us your manuscript. You will receive a confirmation notice on this page once you have submitted it.

We look forward to reading your work and discovering whether we’re the right home for your book.

How to Submit Your Book

Please complete the submission form below. Accuracy matters—spelling, grammar, and clarity count.

You will be asked for:

Your contact information
Why you chose our publishing house (5 sentences or fewer)
Working title
Word count
Genre (choose up to 3)
Hook (2–3 sentences)
Query (150 words or fewer)
Author bio (100 words or fewer)
One sample chapter or up to 5 poems (max 5,000 words)
Illustration details and sample, if applicable
Disclosure of any AI use in writing or art

All Submissions Must Be Sent Through This Form

* are required

You must mark that you want a copy of your submission. CHECK to make sure you got your copy of your submission. If you did not, you didn't fill this out correctly. Please do so again.

You should get a pop-up which states, "Thank you for sharing your book with us. We will respond within 15 days." If you do not, you didn't fill this out correctly. Please do so again.

Full Name *

Email address *

Phone Number

In 5 sentences or less, in your own words, why did you choose our publishing house? *

Working Title of your Book *

Word Count of the entire manuscript (not page count) *

Please make sure you understand how to write a hook, a query, and an author bio before filling in the next three boxes. There are many articles available online explaining these. And yes, spelling, punctuation, and grammar do count.

Specifically, we are looking for:

Hook: Can you grab our attention in 2-3 sentences and make us want to know more about your book?

Query: Can you, in 150 words or less, without repeating the hook, convince us to ask you to submit the entire manuscript?

Author Bio: Can you, in no more than 100 words, explain to us why you are the best person to write this book? We are looking for solid examples of experience, academic certification, and expertise.

Hook *

Query *

Author Bio *

Upload the best chapter of your book or 5 of your best poems (no more than 5,000 words). PDF or Word doc *

If illustrated, please upload one jpg or png of your book's pictures.

If illustrated, give full (legal) name and contact information of illustrator. If you want your book to be illustrated but don't yet have an illustrator, tell us this.

Did you use AI-gen or AI-assistance to illustrate or write this book? *

Yes - AI-gen for illustrations
Yes - AI-assistance for illustrations
The illustrations are completely created by a human.
Yes - AI-gen for writing
Yes - AI-assistance for writing
The manuscript was completely created by a human.

If this book is already available in any way (website, audio, self-published, etc.), this means it is already published and will have to be unpublished before we could offer you a contract.

It is not available in any way.
It is published elsewhere, and I am willing to unpublish it should I be offered a contract.

If you are a non-US author living in the US, please answer the following questions (This information will not be shared outside the staff of ShelteringTree.Earth, LLC. ):

1. Where do you currently live?

2. What visa or immigration status do you hold in that country?

3. Are you legally permitted to earn income outside your authorized profession?

Our Review Process

Here’s what to expect after you submit:

Response within 15 business days to your query
You will receive either:
- A letter of declination*, or
- A request for the full manuscript with a 6‑week exclusive review period
After the 6‑week review, you will receive either:
- A declination*, or
- A contract offer

Timelines may be shorter depending on workload.

* We are not rejecting you or your book. We are simply declining the opportunity to publish it.

Our Release Scheduling Policy

To ensure fairness, quality, and predictability for all authors, ShelteringTree.Earth uses a structured release calendar with limited monthly slots.

How Release Dates Are Assigned

Release dates are assigned only after:

The manuscript is complete
All required materials (bio, headshot, endorsements, etc.) are submitted
The publishing agreement is signed

Next Available Slot System

Books are scheduled into the next available release slot on our calendar.
Authors may not request or reserve specific dates.

Why We Use This System

Ensures every book receives proper attention
Prevents overcrowding of release weeks
Allows for consistent marketing and production timelines
Reduces delays caused by incomplete manuscripts

Changes to Release Dates

ShelteringTree.Earth reserves the right to adjust release dates if:

production delays occur
the author misses deadlines
seasonal timing would significantly benefit the book

Authors will be notified promptly of any changes.

"Put it before them briefly so they will read it,

clearly so they will appreciate it,

picturesquely so they will remember it,

and above all,

accurately so they will be guided by its light."

- Joseph Pulitzer

Dear Non-USA Citizen Writers

Due to current international policies outside of our control, you may not be able to purchase paperback or hardback copies of your books if you live in countries designated by the US as "unfriendly." This also applies to countries which the US has placed under, or countries which have placed the US under "full travel ban or restrictions." This may prevent us from mailing copies and/or royalty checks to you without an excessive amount of red tape. These political designations are subject to change. If you live outside of the US, please check your country's status before submitting the form below.

ALSO

If you do not live in the US or are not a US citizen, please make sure you understand you will need to pay US taxes on any royalties earned from this publishing house. According to the W-8BEN tax form, "Foreign persons are subject to U.S. tax at a 30% rate on income they receive from U.S. sources that consists of ... royalties..."

see https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iw8ben.pdf for more information.

ALSO

Visas that restrict outside employment:

TN (most common for non-US nurses, teachers, scientists)
H‑1B (must work for sponsoring employer only)
L‑1 (must work for the sponsoring company)
F‑1 students (work extremely restricted; cannot freelance)
O‑1 (must work only for authorized employer/agent)

If an author is in the U.S. on one of these visas, they may not be legally allowed to earn royalties unless:

the royalties are classified as passive income, and
the IRS agrees they are not performing active work.

Publishing a book is usually considered active work, not passive investment income.

Authors who are U.S. permanent residents (green card) or citizens: No restrictions. They can publish freely.

Languages We Accept

If your manuscript is originally written in one of the following languages, please submit both the original and an English translation:

Dutch, Indonesian, Gaelic, Lakota, Catalan, Romani, Thai, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Cree, Icelander, Malagasy, Gujarati, Tagalog/Filipino, Queretaro Otomi, Yucatec Maya, Samoan, Tongan, Norwegian, Maltese, Hindi, Navajo

**What We Do Not Accept**

🚫 Submission Restrictions

We will not consider manuscripts that include:

Graphic violence — verbal, physical, or sexual
AI‑generated illustrations in children’s books (illustrated picture books, beginning readers, middle grade, YA)
AI‑generated writing
Previously published books unless you are willing to unpublish and revise them if offered a contract

Note: AI‑assisted images and texts may be accepted for adult books and poetry with proper citation

AI‑Generated Writing

Definition: AI‑generated writing is any text, image, or translation that is created by an AI system in response to a prompt. The AI produces the wording, structure, pacing, and content itself.

How it works (from the AI side): When an author enters a prompt such as “Write a children’s story about a girl who loves to sing,” the AI generates the story word‑for‑word. The author may revise afterward, but the underlying draft originates from the AI.

Characteristics of AI‑generated writing:

The AI determines the plot, dialogue, descriptions, and moral.
The author is not the creator of the original text — they are the editor.
The AI produces the narrative structure, pacing, and stylistic choices.
Revisions made by the author do not change the fact that the text was generated by AI.

ShelteringTree.Earth requires this to be disclosed as AI‑generated content.

Such books are not eligible to be published through our house.

AI‑Assisted Writing

Definition: AI‑assisted writing is human‑authored text that is improved using AI tools. The author creates the original content; AI only helps refine it.

How it works (from the AI side): The AI does not generate new narrative content. Instead, it performs small, localized tasks such as correcting grammar, improving clarity, or suggesting alternative wording. The creative decisions remain entirely with the human author.

Characteristics of AI‑assisted writing:

The author writes the original text themselves.
AI is used only for minor improvements.
The story’s structure, plot, characters, and voice come from the human author.
AI suggestions are limited to mechanics, not creation.

ShelteringTree.Earth requires disclosure for AI‑assisted content.

AI assisted writing does not disqualify your book from being published by our house.

Why the Distinction Matters

Platforms (Amazon, Books-a-Million, Target, etc.) require authors to disclose AI‑generated content because the AI — not the human — is the originator of the creative work. This affects copyright, originality, and reader transparency.

AI‑assisted writing, however, is treated like any other editing tool. Spellcheck, grammar checkers, and thesaurus suggestions do not change authorship.

Publisher’s Summary

AI‑generated = AI created the text. Must be disclosed.

AI‑assisted = Author created the text; AI only refined it. Must be disclosed.

For ethical publishing, authors must accurately identify which category their manuscript falls into. Mislabeling AI‑generated work as AI‑assisted can lead to copyright issues, platform (distributor - i.e. Amazon, Books-a-Million, Target) violations, and declinations from traditional or hybrid publishers.

You may also consider our imprint August Isley Books.

It is a hybrid publisher.