Cindi Myers Market News's Blog

“Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.” – Robert A. Heinlein

****************************

I’m home from the Romance Writers of America annual convention in San Antonio, Texas. While there, I attended several publisher spotlights, and ordered recordings of others. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing those with readers of this blog. My initial observations about the current market for romances: The demand for paranormal romance is declining, historicals are also a hard sell. Contemporary romance is very big — but connected books, not stand-alone titles. Sports teams, brothers, sisters, military groups, etc. Romantic suspense is also in demand. Erotica, especially if it’s dark, is also still selling strong. Pretty much all the publishers have digital first lines now, which are willing to be more experimental.

********************************

The Spotlight on St. Martin’s Press was presented by Publisher Jennifer Enderlin, Associate Publisher Ann Marie Talberg, Associate Editor Rose Hilyard, Executive Editor Monique Patterson and Associate Editor Eileen Rothschild. St. Martin’s publishes all formats and all kinds of fiction. They produce three to four romances a month in hardcover, trade paperback or mass market formats. In addition to the editorial staff, they have an 11 person marketing team. All the St. Martin’s romance editors will accept queries from unagented authors. 

Jennifer Enderlin began by talking about “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Publishers”:

1. They know their authors are a resource. They want the author’s feedback on covers, marketing, etc. 

2. They are not slaves to trends. Once you identify a trend, it’s over.

3. They do not give up quickly.

4. They know they are working with an author. It is not a case of ‘us vs. them’ but ‘we.’

5. They understand we live in a global world, and take a global approach to marketing and publishing. 

6. They listen to editorial passion. If an editor is passionate about a project, they will take a chance.

7. They have fun. They are readers and book lovers who are excited about their work. 

Ann Marie Talberg is a former bookseller and romance buyer for Waldenbooks. She oversees the Heroes and Heartbreakers website and St. Martin’s ebook original program and welcomes romance submissions of both novels and novellas for the ebook program, and short stories for the website. Find out more details about Heroes and Heartbreakers here. 

Monique Patterson is interested in all kinds of romance, except sweet and inspirational. She’d also like to see some high concept commercial women’s fiction, and she’s open to contemporary fantasy with strong romantic elements. She also edits some literary fiction. She loves paranormal romance and is still buying it. She prefers a snail mail submission of a query, synopsis and first three chapters of the book. 

Ellen Rothschild is actively building her list of authors. She loves Alpha heroes, redemption stories and “quirky, sassy, interesting heroines.” She’d love to see a contemporary trilogy about brothers. She’s open to all sub-genres of romance except historical romance. She prefers an email query.

Rose Hilyard is open to submittions of all kinds of romance, including sweet romance, Young Adult, New Adult, women’s fiction, and erotic romance. Her favorite books are either really sexy or really sweet. She loves historical romance, and she’d love to see more Christmas books in all sub-genres. She accepts both email and snail mail queries. 

The editors did not give out their email addresses at the workshop, however, the standard form for email there seems to be firstname.lastname@stmartins.com.

********************************

Tor.com, the online short story magazine for science fiction stories, is closed to submissions until October 1. The magazine is separate from Tor Books, the publisher, which remains open to both agented and unagented submissions. 

********************************

Eldritch Press is seeking steampunk horror stories for an upcoming anthology, Lost Worlds. Stories may be up to 17,500 words and should focus on post-prophetic or end-times scenarios in which the world has been reconstructed with mechanized curiosities and steam power. Payment is 6 cents a word and the deadline for submissions is December 30, 2014. Find all the details here. 

*****************************

As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. Please give me credit as the source and include a link to this blog. For more about me and my books, check out my websites here and here. 

“There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.”
– Terry Pratchett

***********************

Harper Voyager Impulse is a new digital-first imprint from science fiction and fantasy publisher Harper Voyager. Executive Editor Jennifer Brehl hopes the imprint will offer more “fan-based, fast-paced, action driven ebooks.” The imprint will launch with 31 titles with a variety of types and styles of books, most acquired through an open call the publisher had last fall. Read the details in the official press release here. 

*************************

Bloomsbury Children’s Books is launching If Only, a new imprint to showcase young adult romance novels. Publishing Director Cindy Loh hopes to offer readers “clean, spirited and down-to-earth,  ‘new love'” stories.  Each novel in the line features a ‘what if’ scenario, includes humor, and is suitable for readers as young as 12, but should appeal to older teens as well. At this time, Bloomsbury accepts submissions only from agented authors.

*******************************

In November, Barbour Publishing will debut a new line of Christian fiction for readers ages 3-12. Shiloh Kidz will include a variety of types and styles of fiction. See their writing guidelines here.

********************************

Lee and Low Books is sponsoring a New Voices award for children’s picture book authors of color. Submit your children’s picture book manuscript of up to 1,500 words. The winner receives $1000 and a standard publishing contract with an additional advance and royalties. An honorable mention winner receives $500. There is no fee to enter and you may enter up to two manuscripts. The deadline for entries is September 30, 2014. Find all the details here. 

**********************************

Minotaur Books and Malice Domestic are once again sponsoring a Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition.  Submit your mystery novel manuscript of over 65,000 words for a chance to win $10,000 and a standard publishing contract from Minotaur Books. The story should center around a murder/mystery/ or crime. The deadline for entries is October 15, 2014. Find all the details here. (Scroll down to the contest info.)

*********************************

There will be no market news update next Wednesday. I’ll be in San Antonio, attending the Romance Writers of America convention. If you’re there,  I hope you’ll look me up and say hello. I’m giving a workshop Thursday morning at 8:30 on “Writing Faster, Writing Better” and I’ll be participating in the Kensington authors’ signing on Friday.

**************************

“I want to write books that unlock the traffic jam in everybody’s head.” ~John Updike

***************************

Crimson Romance a division of Adams Media, publishes digital-first historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and spicy romance. The editors are particularly interested in acquiring stories with the following elements: 

• Gender role reversals or defiance of gender role stereotypes ( i.e. biker heroine, preschool teacher hero)
• Smart humor (especially great romantic banter)
• Friends-to-lovers romances
• Asian heroes and heroines
• Bad girl – Good boy couples
• Superhero or comic book-related romances
• Light paranormals or magical realism
• 30-something or 40-something heroes and heroines
• Characters who craft (knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, etc.)
• Performing arts settings (Hollywood, Broadway, ballet, opera, orchestra, etc.)
• Futuristic or post-apocalyptic romances grounded in realism (think Battlestar Galactica)
• High heat/super sensual romances
• Characters who don’t want children
• Feminist heroines or heroes
• Series romances (trilogies or more with a different couple at the center of each book — usually connected by family, coworkers, community)

Completed manuscripts should be between 55,000 and 90,000 words. Send a query and a jj3 to 5 page synopsis, along with your completed manuscript. Get all the details here.

************************************************

Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly is seeking stories of cy-borg romances for its next issue. Stories should be between 1,000 and 7,500 words. Payment is $30 a story. The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2014.  Guidelines are here. 

***********************************************

If you haven’t yet had a chance to get a copy of my newest release, A Change in Altitude, it’s still widely available in bookstores and online, in both print and ebook format. An audio book will be coming soon. This third volume in my series about a quirky town in the Colorado mountains can be read as a stand-alone book, though if you want to read the whole series, the first two books, The View From Here and The Mountain Between Us are still available. 

*********************************************************

Intrigue Publishing, a boutique publisher based in Maryland, established in 2012, specializes in mysteries and thrillers, but wants to expand its offereings to include crime fiction, young adult, urban drama and sensual romance. Manuscripts should be between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Intrigue pays royalties and an advance. The editors are also looking for short stories, between 3,000 and 10,000 words, in these same categories. They’ll pay $50 for one-time electronic rights. Get all the details here. 

**********************************************************

As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. Reprint, repost, retweet. All I ask is that you give me credit as the source of the information and include a link to this blog. If you’d like to find out more about me, visit my web pages at http://www.CindiMyers.com and http://www.CindyMyersbooks.com. Thanks!

********************************************

“You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke.” ~Arthur Polotnik

***********************

I’m back after a couple of weeks off  to move to a new home. Lots of news this week…

My newest release, A Change of Altitude, is in stores now in trade paperback format, and available for download in all ebook formats. The third volume in my Eureka, Colorado series can be read as a stand-alone volume or, if you want to follow the whole series, the first two volumes, The View From Here and The Mountain Between Us are available for a discounted price. Check out the series I call “Northern Exposure in the Rocky Mountains.”

*****************************

The Labletter literary journal is accepting submissions for its 2015 issue. Fiction editor Sarah Marrs is interested in short stories up to 7,500 words, on any subject, in any style. Payment is $150 a story and writers retain all rights to their work. The deadline for submissions is July 18. Find all the details here.

*****************************

The First Line seeks short stories from 300 to 5,000 words with the first line “Fifty miles west of Bloomington likes Hillboro, a monument to middle-class malaise.” All genres of fiction are welcome. Payment is $25 to $50. The deadline for submissions is August 1, 2014. For more info, go here.

****************************

David LaBounty, editor with Blue Cubicle Press, seeks short stories between 500 and 5,000 words on the theme of people who work in the sports world — announcers, agents, umpires and referees, groundskeepers and trainers, etc. Athletes may be featured in these stories, but the focus is on the “work” side of sports. Selected stories will be published in the 11th Workers Write anthology “Tales From the Coliseum” Payment is $5 to $50 and the deadline is December 31, 2014. Get all the details here. 

****************************

Cicada Magazine, for young people ages 14 and older, seeks stories for a “Monsters and Maps” issue. Submit your stories about mythical or real monsters, along with maps of their territory, to editor-in-chief Mariane Carus by July 31, 2014. Stories may be up to 9,000 words and payment is 25 cents a word. Get all the details here. 

***********************

Entangled Publishing is seeking novellas and novels featuring heroes and heroines who meet on new Year’s Eve for its Lovestruck line of category romances. Stories should be 15,000 to 60,000 words and feature chance meetings that lead to sparks between the hero and heroine. The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2014, for publication in December 2014. Get all the details here.

*********************

As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others — reprint, repost, retweet and pass it along. All I ask is that you credit me as the source, and include a link to the blog. If you want to know more about me, visit my websites here and here.