Independent Creators Welcome
Want Us to Stock Your Work?
Books, games, zines, and creative work we’re excited to champion.
If you’re an author, game designer, illustrator, publisher, or independent creator, start here. Our guidelines explain what we can carry, how we evaluate submissions, and what we need from you before we can consider bringing your work into The Secret Lantern.
Before You Submit
A few things up front will help us review your work more quickly and determine whether it’s a good fit for our shelves.
Human-Made Work Only
We Have a Strict No-AI Policy
The Secret Lantern exists to celebrate human creativity. We do not accept AI-generated writing in books, submissions, pitches, or event materials. The stories, ideas, and voices we feature should come from real people.
Check the Storefront First
Search for your title by name, creator, or ISBN at store.thesecretlantern.com . If it appears there, it may already be available to us through distribution.
Know Your Distribution
Be ready to tell us how we can order your work, including your distributor or wholesale process. For games and indie products, clear wholesale terms are especially important.
Submit Through the Form
Please don’t drop off or mail unsolicited books, games, or review copies. Use the submission form so we have the information we need to properly review your work.
A note for game creators: Online catalog information for tabletop games, indie RPGs, and hobby products may not always be complete. If you don’t see your game online, that doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t order it. Include your distribution and wholesale information when you submit.
Stocking Requirements
Our shelves are curated, and the ordering process is a little different depending on what you’ve made.
Books, Comics & Graphic Works
For Authors & Publishers
For standard shelf placement, we need to be able to order your title through our normal book-distribution channels.
- Your title must be available through Ingram or we can order directly from you.
- It must be offered with standard wholesale terms.
- Returnability must be enabled for physical shelf placement.
- Books that are available in full for free online are not considered for in-store shelving.
- Please do not mail or drop off unsolicited review copies. Unsolicited materials may be treated as donations to the store.
Games, RPGs & Hobby Products
For Game Designers & Studios
Indie games are very much our thing. We just need enough information to understand how the product fits our shelves and how we can actually order it.
- Your product should be available through a recognized distributor or offered with clear wholesale terms on your website. We can definitely order direct from you if needed.
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Please include the following in your submission:
- Wholesale price
- MSRP
- Target audience
- Product or box dimensions
- Shelf footprint matters. A gigantic box needs a very good reason to eat an entire shelf.
- Include clear ordering and distribution information, especially if your product does not appear in our online catalog.
Local Matters
Local & Texas Creators
We’re especially excited to discover work coming from our own backyard. If you’re creating in Cedar Park, Austin, Central Texas, or elsewhere in the state, make sure you tell us.
Local does not automatically mean guaranteed shelf space, but it absolutely helps us understand your connection to our community and how your work might fit here.
- Authors, comic creators, artists, and designers based in Cedar Park, Austin, and Central Texas
- Texas-based indie publishers and small presses
- Indie RPG designers, tabletop creators, and small game studios
- Creators working in fantasy, sci-fi, romance, horror, manga, graphic novels, tabletop storytelling, and inclusive narratives
- Self-published and independently produced work that meets our stocking requirements
What We Can’t Do
We’re a small team reviewing a lot of wonderful work. A few boundaries help us keep the process manageable and fair.
- We can’t accept stocking requests by phone or in-person drop-in. Please use the submission form.
- We can’t review incomplete submissions. Make sure ordering and wholesale information is included.
- Due to submission volume, we may not be able to respond to every request.
- We aren’t able to read every book or playtest every game submitted before making a stocking decision.
Ready to Submit?
Send Us Your Work
If your book, comic, game, RPG, or other project fits the guidelines above, tell us about it. Give us the information we need to understand what you made, who it’s for, and how we can order it.