Nicholas Holloway
TCK Publishing
My Manuscript Wish List®
Nicholas Holloway is an award-winning mystery thriller author, proudly serving as TCK Publishing’s Fiction Editor.
Born and raised just outside Palm Springs, CA, Nick earned his masters degree from the MFA Screenwriting Program at California State University Fullerton.
He’s passionate about helping authors develop a strong sense of character and voice. He believes that any story’s plot can be explosive, but without a cast of memorably distinctive characters and a specific voice that readers can attribute to the author, the story quickly loses traction.
An avid traveler and nature enthusiast, Nick has previously lived in New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. He garners a love of dynamic landscapes and also believes a story’s terrain is just as important as its characters.
Favorite Books: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Favorite Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Favorite Time to Write: Being fairly nocturnal, my favorite time to write is between the hours of 9 PM – Midnight. I write mystery and thriller fiction, so nighttime and darkness help me to fully immerse in the dread and the danger associated with those genres.
Favorite Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Literary Fiction
Writing Pet Peeve: I don’t like long, run-on sentences. I like “tight and toned” writing, with each thought or action serving as its own entity. Keep it tight!
Also, I can’t stand boring narratives that don’t possess a distinctive voice. Stephen King invents words, purposely misuses spelling and grammar, and speaks directly to the reader; get creative with the voice of your story. Don’t be afraid to say “gonna” or “ain’t”.
Favorite Hobbies: Pretty much anything that gets me out in nature: hiking, kayaking, SUPing (stand up paddle boarding), geocaching, bouldering, and chucking a ball to my doggo, Harvey.
Favorite Place: New Zealand, specifically the South Island.
Submission Guidelines
Fiction Submission Guidelines
We do not publish or accept submissions for poetry or children’s picture books.
Other than that, we accept all fiction submissions that meet the following guidelines:
- You must have a completed full-length novel (40,000+ words minimum).
- Your story must be original. We do not accept fanfiction submissions.
- We accept simultaneous submissions and submissions from authors with or without literary agents.
We especially love publishing fiction books in the following genres:
- Romance
- Science Fiction
- Thriller
- Mystery
- Suspense
- Fantasy
- Adventure
- Young Adult
- New Adult
- Middle Grade
- Historical Fiction
Note: We do not publish short stories or novellas unless the author plans to publish at least one full-length novel in the same genre with us.
How to Submit a Fiction Manuscript
You can click this link to fill out a secure form and upload your fiction manuscript for review. We’re looking forward to reading and hopefully publishing your book!
Vital Info
I’d like the next…
I take on all genres of fiction. Please only submit polished drafts with unique characters, a distinctive author’s voice, and great pacing.
Though I work as an editor and an author, I was trained as a screenwriter – in film, you cannot hear the characters’ thoughts, wants, dreams, or backstories. You can only see it play out on the screen. Likewise, I want to see your story play out on the page. Do not begin your story with a bunch of backstory. Jump into the plot and let the backstory of your world or your character come out little by little as the story progresses. That is where the money is.
