July 2013
Monthly Archive
July 31, 2013
“Sometimes, when it’s going badly, she wonders if what she believes to be a love of the written word is really just a fetish for stationary. The true writer, the born writer, will scribble words on scraps of litter, the back of a bus ticket, on the wall of a cell.” David Nicholls
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HarperCollins publishing will launch a new digital only imprint for suspense and mystery this October. Witness, will feature a variety of mystery, suspense and thriller titles by new and established authors. Editor Dan Mallory is looking for police procedurals, atmospheric thrillers, mystery series, psychological suspense, historicals and “murder, mayhem, and the macabre.” Both agented and unagented authors are welcome. Authors receive 25 percent royalties on the first 10,000 copies sold, and 50 percent royalties thereafter. Royalties are paid monthly. Find our more here.
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Bridgestone Publishing is putting together an anthology of short, erotic stories for women, particularly moms. From their guidelines: “we’re looking for erotic short stories that would appeal to the average mom. Generally, this means that the characters are not eighteen-year-old Penthouse models with no children. Romantic? Good! Spicy? Great! Super steamy? Even better! Considerably off-color? Fine! Bloodshed? Um, no. ” Stories should be no more than 5,000 word. Payment is $50. Find more details here.
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I have some updates to my website. Check it out at http://www.CindiMyers.com
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Story/Houston, an online literary magazine, is seeking short genre fiction for its Fall 2013 issue. Stories should be no longer than 5,000 words. The editors particulary enjoy humor. Payment is $200. Find the details here.
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Are you a member of a book club? If your club reads The View From Here, or my upcoming book. The Mountain Between Us, I’d be happy to Skype into your meeting and visit with you. Contact me at CMyersTex at aol dot com.
As always, feel free to share the information from this blog with others. You can reprint it, repost it, etc. All I ask is that you give me credit as the source of the information. Thanks! Cindi
July 24, 2013
“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
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Harlequin E Shivers is looking for your new gothic!
From Monday July 22nd, 2013, to midnight EST on Friday, August 2nd, 2013, anyone who submits to Harlequin E Shivers will be personally reviewed by a Harlequin E Shivers team member, and is guaranteed a fast response with personal feedback. They’re promising to respond to all submissions by September 13.
What is Harlequin E Shivers? Shivers stories are moody, atmospheric, lush gothic-inspired stories with high sensuality. We are updating the pulp gothic as a rich romance with dark, sexy, mysterious heroes and anti-heroes and sensible heroines beguiled by male magnetism and allure against all better judgment. The focus is on the building sensual tension and the sumptuously scary surroundings that this chilling type of story elicits in the reader. Shivers are exactly what the reader will feel both from the mystery suspense and the carnal romance. The perfect Shivers story is 30,000-50,000 words, but the editors are open to both shorter and longer stories.
- Comparative Authors: Amanda Stevens, Barbara J. Hancock
- Movie/TV Examples: The Others, True Blood
What’s in it for you? You get to bypass the slush pile and go straight to an acquiring Harlequin team member. We are actively looking for enthusiastic, talented new voices to join our existing roster of Harlequin digital-first authors. For this limited time only, when you submit to Harlequin E Shivers you will receive feedback from a Harlequin team member. Additionally, we will respond to your submission within a six week timeframe of receipt (by September 13).
To be eligible you MUST do the following:
- Submit to Submit_HDigital@harlequin.com using the subject line HARLEQUIN SHIVERS (caps are required, please!) title, author name.
- One fully completed manuscript per author for this opportunity.
- You must follow submission guidelines and include all required components. Incomplete submissions will be deleted. Please review submission guidelines here: http://www.harlequin.com/articlepage…1734&chapter=0
- We are only accepting manuscripts that have never been submitted to Harlequin Digital First before.
- This opportunity applies to Shivers only. While we will be accepting regular submissions during this time, the 6-week feedback guarantee applies to Shivers submissions only.
FAQs: Q: Can I submit more than one manuscript at a time? A : No. At this time we are limiting submissions to one per author.
Q: My book is the first in a series. Can I submit all the books in the series to you? A: For series, please send the first book with synopsis, as well as a description of the vision you have for the series. If we love the first book, we will likely ask for more!
Q: What if I already have a submission pending with you? A: If you have submitted to Harlequin Shivers and you haven’t yet heard back from us, please send an email with the subject line HARLEQUIN SHIVERS EXISTING SUBMISSION and we will find it and provide feedback within 6 weeks. You are still eligible for the special submissions call!
Q: I have a submission for one of the other Harlequin digital-first lines (not Shivers). Do I still get feedback? A: At this time we are offering this opportunity for Harlequin Shivers submissions only. We are still accepting submissions for our other genres, but our 6-week feedback guarantee only applies to Harlequin Shivers.
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Peaches Magazine accepts fiction stories of erotica, lust, sexuality, and self-image for a female readership. Stories should be between 700 and 2K words and can include elements of sci-fi, supernatural, fantasy, or transcendentalism. Payment is $50/story.
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Speeding Star is a new imprint of Enslow Publishers that will focus on books for boys 3rd grade to high school. The editors are looking for manuscripts of 5,000 to 12,000 words that will appeal to boys in this age group. They welcome mysteries, adventure tales, fantasy, horror, and sports fiction. The books should have male protagonists, but should also contain female characters, and characters from diverse backgrounds. Find out more
here.
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Noble Romance, a digital publisher, is seeking manuscripts for its new Young Adult line. Stories should feature characters 18-24 years old. Noble publishes all sub-genres. The editors welcome everything from 3,000 word short stories to novels of 30,000 words and up. Noble pays up to a $1,000 advance, plus royalties. You can request a sample contract to reveiw before you submit to them. Find all the details
here.
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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. Repost, reprint and reuse — all I ask is that you credit me as the source, and include a link to this blog. Thank you. Cindi
July 10, 2013
It’s here! My new romantic comedy, The Wedding Gamble, is on sale now. Romantic Times Magazine gave the book 4 1/2 stars and said “Myers’s latest is filled with action, heat and quippy dialogue that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. With a wonderful balance of humor, excitement and depth this is one very fun read.” Get your copy at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or the ebook retailer of your choice.
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Bold Strokes Books, an independent publisher focused on LGBTQ fiction, is looking for your adult fiction. Stories should feature LGBTQ protagonists ages 14 to 18 that will appeal to readers ages 15 to 25. Manuscripts should be 40,000 to 75,000 words, in any genre. Check out their tip sheet, including a list of possible themes.
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Apparently, September 17 is Past Loves Day, and to commemorate this, Spruce Mountain Press is sponsoring a Past Loves Day Story Contest. Enter your true story of no more than 700 words about a past love. The deadline to enter is September 17, 2013. First prize is $100, second prize $75, third prize $50. There is no fee to enter.
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The Jim Henson Company is searching for an author to write the next Dark Crystal book. They’re looking for professional quality writing (though you do not have to have been previously published) to write an approximately 50,000 word prequel to The Dark Crystal Movie. The contest is being conducted in partnership with Grosset and Dunlap. The winning author will receive $10,000. The contest will accept entries between October 1 and December 31. Entries should be 7,500 to 10,000 words and may be the first chapters, several chapters, or a short story that forms the basis for the eventual book. They’ve set up a web-site to provide details about the world and characters. Be sure to check this out, and read through the FAQ and submission guidelines here.
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Harlequin Digital First is acquiring manuscripts for a wide variety of new series, including:
Harlequin Shivers — Gothic romance
Harlequin Horror — Horror — need not be romance
Harlequin Intrigue Noir — Darker, sexier romantic suspense
Harlequin Space Opera — High stakes adventures in space
Harlequin Reckonings — Apocolyptic fiction
Harlequin Erotic Vacations — Exotic and erotic travel
Harlequin Big Book Melodrama — Glitz, Glamor, Sex
Harlequin Pop! — Sophisticated pop culture analysis
All submissions should be 10,000 words and up. Get the details here.
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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. Forward, reprint, repost, etc — all I ask is that you give me credit as the source, and includ a link to the blog. Thanks. Cindi Myers
July 3, 2013
“Women with clean houses do not have finished books.”-Joy Held
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Writer’s Digest Magazine is sponsoring a romance writing contest as part of its larger Popular Fiction Awards. The grand prize is $2,500 and a trip to the Writer’s Digest Writing Conference in New York City. First prize is $500. Enter your romance manuscript of 4,000 words or less by October 15, 2013. If you enter by September 16, the entry fee is $20. Find more details here.
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Enchanted Conversation, a literary magazine devoted to retellings and reexaminations of traditional fairy tales, is sponsoring a Beyond the Glass Slipper Writing Contest. Enter your short story or poem inspired by one of the ten stories in the anthology, Beyond the Glass Slipper. You can purchase a copy of the anthology, or you can read the stories for free online. No minimum or maximum word count. Submit by August 15, 2013. The grand prize is $200 and four honorable mentions will receive $50 each. Find the details here.
Enchanted Conversation, in partnership with World Weave Press, is also soliciting stories for an anthology devoted to the mythical figure of Krampus, “Santa’s dark side or evil twin.” Stories should be under 10,000 words. The deadline for submissions is August 1, 2013. Payment is $10 and a copy of the anthology. Find the details here.
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Long Hidden is seeking historical short stories about marginalized people. Submit your speculative fiction story of 3,000 to 7,000 words, set between the years 1400 and 1920. The story must feature people who were marginalized in their time and place — examples include ethnic minorities, women, GLBT people, indigenous peoples, slaves, the handicapped, the very old or very young, poor people, etc. Stories must include significant elements of horror, science fiction or fantasy. Submission deadline is July 31, 2013. Payment is 5 cents a word on publication. Get the scoop here.
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KHP Publishers is a digital publisher actively seeking manuscripts for a new erotic romance imprint, Scarlet Petals Press. Editor S.D. Hinz seeks romantic erotica stories in the following romance sub-genres:
Contemporary romance — traditional tropes such as men in uniform, friends to lovers and bad boys.
Historical romance — especially westerns
Menage
Gay and Lesbian
S&M/BDSM
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy — witches, vampires and weres only
Fairy Tales in Modern Settings
Amish
Pseudo-Taboo
[Note — I don’t know what pseudo-taboo is, and I’m scratching my head over Amish erotica — really?.]
All submissions should be between 30,000 and 50,000 words. KHP pays 50 percent net royalties quarterly. Find more details here.
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Metro Moms.net seeks short stories for its Metro Fiction section. Submit your 900 to 1,100 words short story that will appeal to women — romance, women’s fiction, science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, historical or literary. No dark themes. Payment is $25. Get all the details here.
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It’s here! Her Cowboy Soldier is now available for sale. The book received four stars from Romantic Times, which said “This is an engrossing, uplighting story of two people who learnn through love to overcome losses brought on by war.”
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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others — reprint, repost, Tweet, etc. All I ask is that you give me credit as the source of the information, and include a link to the blog. Thank you! Cindi Myers
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