Discover. Inspire. Empower.
Magis Ink is dedicated to publishing bold, imaginative stories that allow young readers to discover new worlds, inspire future generations, and empower children to make the world a better place.
Do You Believe In Magis?
At the heart of Magis Ink lies a singular Latin concept: magis, meaning "more" or "greater." Rooted in classical philosophical and Ignatian traditions, magis is a call to a deeper, more generous pursuit of excellence, authenticity, and human potential. It challenges creators and thinkers alike to look beyond the status quo, to refuse the mediocre, and to constantly strive for what is more profound, more compassionate, and more true.
For Magis Ink, this philosophy serves as both a compass and a heartbeat. A commitment to magis means recognizing that storytelling is an act of transcendent formation. Books should do more than simply entertain—they must awaken the imagination, expand moral empathy, and challenge readers to see the world with heightened clarity and wonder.
Ultimately, capturing the spirit of magis means building a publishing home where creativity is never content with the ordinary. It is a pledge to champion narratives that dig deeper into the human condition, honor the timeless weight of curiosity, and invite readers into adventures that linger long after the final page. By embedding this ethos into its foundation, Magis Ink stands for a publishing vision that continually reaches further—striving for stories that matter, inspire, and endure.
Magis Ink believes that teachers are the best storytellers, and that sharing and raising diverse teacher voices can help accomplish the mission of magis. Magis Ink was founded as the world’s first teacher-author publishing house, exclusively working with and publishing high-quality, meaningful stories written by teachers that advocate for empathy, social justice, and a greater, kinder world.
Meet the Founder
Dr. Michael J. Hockwater
Dr. Michael J. Hockwater is an experienced literacy educator, researcher, and professor with a demonstrated history of innovation in K-12 and higher education. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Education at Alfred University. Dr. Hockwater earned his doctorate in Educational Practice and Innovation with a focus on Curriculum Studies and Literacy from the University of South Carolina. His research explores the intersection of literacy and technology.
With nearly a decade of experience across public, charter, parochial, and international schools, Dr. Hockwater has taught grades K–12 and supported diverse learners through targeted reading interventions, culturally responsive curriculum design, and innovative instructional technology. He has presented his research internationally at the World Literacy Summit (WLS) at Oxford University, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Literacy Research Association (LRA), Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (ALER), the America Reading Forum (ARF), the New York State English Council (NYSEC), the New York State reading Association (NYSRA), and SUNY Cortland Literacy Conferences. He has published original empirical research on blended literacy learning, student engagement, and comprehension in The Language & Literacy Spectrum and Education Sciences.
Dr. Hockwater is also the co-founder of The Empathy Challenge, a multicultural education card game that fosters equity and compassion in classrooms. He holds multiple New York State professional certifications in English and Literacy and was honored as the New York Mets “Homers for Heroes” Teacher Hero in 2021. He has received several other teaching awards, including the Foundation for Inclusive Catholic Education (FICE) Educator of the Year award and SUNY Cortland’s Red Apple award.
Dr. Hockwater’s debut middle-grade novel, Carter Knox and the Lost Legacy, was published in 2025 and has since received critical acclaim from Publisher’s Weekly Booklife, Kirkus Reviews, the Midwest Book Review, and Reader Views. It has won the prestigious Story Monsters Inc. Royal Dragonfly Award for Middle Grade Fiction, Feathered Quill Book Award, and L.A. Book Festival Award.
Passionate about literacy, equity, and student voice, Dr. Hockwater continues to advocate for inclusive, meaningful, and transformative literacy practices in education.
Submissions for Traditional Authors
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Magis Ink exclusively publishes fiction written by teachers for children, middle grade readers, and young adults. We are currently accepting un-agented submissions in the following genres:
Picture Books
Early Reader Chapter Books
Middle Grade Fiction (All Genres)
Young Adult Fiction (All Genres)
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Authors interested in submitting their work to Magis Ink must adhere to the following guidelines:
All writing should be human-authored. Any AI-authored or co-authored writing will not be accepted.
All submissions should contain original ideas.
Manuscripts must be submitted as PDF files.
Each manuscript submission must be accompanied by a query letter.
For Picture Books and Early Reader Chapter Books, please submit the entire manuscript. For middle-grade and young adult novels, please only submit the first three chapters. We will request full manuscripts only if we are interested.
For Picture Books and Early Reader Chapter Books, you do not need to submit illustrations.
For Picture Books, word count should be approximately 500-1,000 words.
For Early Reader Chapter Books, word count should be approximately 5,000-10,000 words.
For Middle-Grade Books, word count should be approximately 30,000-60,000 words.
For Young Adult Books, word count should be approximately 50,000-90,000 words.
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For Picture Books, please format your document accordingly:
Core Typography & Setup
Font: Use a clean, standard 12-point font such as Times New Roman or Arial.
Spacing & Margins: Set 1-inch margins on all sides. Double-space standard prose, though some authors single-space rhyming texts to keep flow intact.
File Type: Save as a standard Word document (.docx) or PDF using the title of your book as the file name.
Contact and Title Information (First Page)
Top Left: List your name, address, phone number, and email address (skip this if pasting directly into an email query body).
Top Right: List your target audience (e.g., ages 3–7) and approximate word count (picture books are usually under 500 words and rounded to the nearest ten).
Center Page: Drop down about a third of the page and place your Title in bold or ALL CAPS, followed by "by [Your Name]".
Story Content & Layout
Page Breaks / Spreads: You can group text using line breaks, page breaks, or parenthetical spread notes (e.g., P1/2: or Page 1) to show how the story moves across double-page spreads, though heavy layout micromanagement should be avoided.
Dialogue: Put each speaker’s dialogue on a new line and use standard quotation marks.
Illustration Notes: Use these sparingly—only when a visual detail is essential to the plot and not mentioned in the text. Put them in brackets and italics (and optionally a lighter color like gray) so they stand out clearly from the story text.
What to Leave Out: Do not include a dedication, bio, or cover art dummy pages in a standard manuscript submission.
For all other books, please format your manuscript accordingly:
Core Typography & Page Setup
Font: 12-point Times New Roman (or Arial / Courier) in black ink.
Line Spacing: Double-spaced throughout.
Margins: 1-inch margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right).
Alignment: Left-aligned (ragged right); do not use full justification.
Paragraphs: Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches using your word processor’s indent settings (do not use the spacebar or manual tabs). Do not add extra blank lines between standard paragraphs.
Page Size: US Letter (8.5" x 11").
Title Page
Contact Info: Place your name, address, phone number, and email address in the upper left-hand corner.
Word Count: Place the estimated word count (rounded to the nearest thousand) and genre in the upper right-hand corner.
Title & Byline: Center the book title (often in a larger or bold font) roughly halfway down the page, followed by "By [Your Name]". Use a page break to move to Chapter 1.
Running Headers & Footers
Header: On every page after the title page, include a running header in the upper right corner with your last name, a short title of the book (in all caps), and the page number (e.g., Smith / MY BOOK / 42).
Title Page Exception: Suppress or omit the header and page number on the first page of the manuscript.
Chapters & Scene Breaks
New Chapters: Start each new chapter about one-third of the way down a fresh page using a page break. Center the chapter header (e.g., CHAPTER ONE or Chapter 1) and leave a few blank lines before the body text begins.
Scene Breaks: Indicate scene transitions within a chapter by centering a symbol (like three asterisks * * * or a pound sign #) on its own line.
Ending the Manuscript: Conclude with a centered # symbol or the words "THE END".
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Please submit your manuscript via our portal here.
Services for Self-Published Authors
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Magis Ink provides professional editing services to enhance and polish your manuscript. Please contact us for more information.
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Magis Ink provides marketing services to help authors sell and promote their books. We can also manage your book tour. Please contact us for more information.
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Magis Ink provides personalized consulting services for self-published authors. Let us help you navigate the ins and outs of the complex world of publishing.