SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

About Submissions to Samuel French

Please note that the substantial majority of our publications have been acquired after successful productions in New York City or a major regional theatre. If your play or musical has not yet been produced at this level, you may wish to consult resources such as The Dramatists Guild of America for more information on pursuing production opportunities before pursuing publication.

At present, we are not accepting unsolicited submissions of the following types of work: 

• One-act plays (plays under 30 minutes). If you are interested in submitting a one-act play, please visit the website for our Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival.
• Collections of monologues, sketches, short plays, or scenes
• Adaptations from classic literature (e.g. Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol, Cinderella, Treasure Island)
• Plays and musicals for one performer
• Plays by authors outside the United States that have not received a US professional premiere
• Plays that have not yet been produced
• TYA or plays for children to perform
• Holiday plays and musicals

Please note our submissions requirements are subject to change but will always appear in their most current form on our website.

Submitting Plays and Musicals for Publication

Due to the volume of submissions to Samuel French, Inc. we invite the submissions only in the form of queries, in the format outlined below. Queries are accepted by email only, and unsolicited full scripts are not accepted in any form.

Please send all queries for publication to publications@samuelfrench.com. Your email should state your intention to submit your work and should include the following subject line:

Query Submission – TITLE OF YOUR PLAY, Your Name
e.g. Query Submission – A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, William Shakespeare

In a single PDF document attached to your email, please include the following:

• The title of your play, your name, and your contact information
• One-page synopsis of your play or musical including relevant information such as casting requirements, genre, plot, etc.
• Production history, beginning with the year the play was written
• List of upcoming productions
• Short bio for yourself, and contact information for you and your agent (if applicable) 
• Ten-page sample of your play or musical

Please include your play title (without beginnning articles such as a, an, or the) and your last name in the name of your PDF file. 

e.g. MidsummerNight'sDreamSHAKESPEARE.pdf

If your submission is a musical, please include links to online music clips if available. Additionally, in the body of your email, please include links to reviews, video clips, your website, and any additional information about the play (if applicable). 

If we are interested, we will contact you for a full script within 4-6 months.

Playwriting Resources

We recommend the following resources to writers of all ages interested (or already immersed) in the art of playwriting:

• The Dramatists Sourcebook - Published by Theatre Communications Group and available for purchase from our website. This book is a great resource for playwrights. It offers information about theaters, agents, grants, contests, etc., and it's updated yearly.
• Samuel French Formatting Guide - A quick and helpful reference for those new to formatting plays.
• The Dramatists Guild of America - The professional association of playwrights, composers and lyricists. A great resource of information and advocacy for playwrights.