Spotlight on Pocket and Gallery Books, writing contests and more

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This week I’m continuing my recaps of publisher spotlights from the Romance Writers of America annual conference in New York City with a look at Pocket and Gallery Books.

The Spotlight on Pocket and Gallery Books featured videos, podcasts snippets, games and giveaways. Editorial Director Lauren McKenna, Executive Editor Adam Wilson, Executive Editor Miki Nuding and Editor Abby Ziedel presented the workshop.  Pocket and Gallery are divisions of Simon and Schuster.

Adam Wilson spoke about Gallery Books. Gallery publishes a number of best-selling authors. He spoke about these authors and their upcoming books. Gallery publishes a lot of pop-culture and celebrity non-fiction, but they also do a lot of romance, both historical and contemporary.

Lauren McKenna talked about Pocket Star, Pocket Gallery’s digital first division. They publish four to five titles a month. Each book has its own publicist and marketing plan. They do originals and reprints. They publish romance, erotica, urban fantasy, new adult and some mystery and thrillers.

Abby Ziedel talked about XOXO After Dark, Pocket’s romance website.  This includes a showroom for Pocket Star. The website encourages reader engagement with free reads and excerpts, contests, and author blogs. They also do a weekly podcast in which the editors talk romance, pop culture and anything that captures their attention. Sometimes they interview authors.

Miki Nuding talked about Pocket Books, which celebrated its 90^th anniversary last year. Pocket publishes all different genres of romance. She, like the other editors, reviewed a list of Pocket authors and their new releases.

The editors spoke briefly about their wish lists.

Abby doesn’t like kids in books, but she loves dogs, cats and horses. She would love to see a story about a virus in a submarine.

Lauren loves “hot, dark, screwed-up heroes” in any genre. She likes paranormal, though it’s a hard sell these days. She loves contemporary romance.

Miki loves a really good, emotional story – especially if you can make her laugh.

Adam also loves humor. He would like to see more stories out of geek culture.

Pocket Gallery accepts agented submissions only.

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My free online read, Black Canyon Betrayal, continues this week with Chapter Two. You can read all the chapters posted to date at any time here. Black Canyon Betrayal is part of my Ranger Brigade miniseries for Harlequin Intrigue. 

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Lee and Low Books is sponsoring a New Visions Award for middle grade and young adult writers of color. First prize is $1000 and a publishing contract with Tu Books, Lee and Low’s YA and MG imprint. There is no fee to enter. Manuscripts should be appropriate for children 8 to 12 or young adults 12 to 18. The work may be in any fiction genre, but the editors are particularly interested in science fiction and fantasy. Each author may submit up to two entries. For detailed how-tos and more about Lee and Low Books, go here. The deadline for entries is October 31, 2015.

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Anderbo.com is sponsoring the RRofihe Trophy short story contest. Submit your previously unpublished short story of between 3,500 and 5,000 words by the deadline of October 15, 2015 for a chance at the $500 prize and the Rrofihe Trophy. There is no fee to enter the contest, which will be judged by multi-published short story author Rick Rofihe. For all the details go here. .

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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. Repost, reprint, retweet, etc. Please give me credit as the source of the information and include a link to this blog. For more about me, visit my websites here and here, or check me out on Facebook. 

 

Spotlight on Kensington Books and more

“People on the outside think there’s something magical about writing, that you go up in the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn’t like that. You sit in back of the typewriter and you work, and that’s all there is to it.” – Harlan Ellison

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This week I begin my review of publisher spotlights from the Romance Writers of America annual conference in New York City. This year’s spotlights included a good mix of large and small publishers who publish a wide variety of romance and other fiction. Up this week: Kensington Books.

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Editor Alicia Condon started off the spotlight. The focus of the Spotlight on Kensington Books was on letting attendees know what makes Kensington different from everyone else. Ms. Condon noted that lLast year the company celebrated its 40^th anniversary. It is the largest New York-based independent publisher in the U.S. Steve and Adam Zacharias run the family-owned company. Being small allows them to respond more quickly to changing market trends. They give personal attention to each author but are large enough to have books on the New York Times list almost every week. Kensington editors and departments work at a team. As a smaller company, everyone knows everyone else.

Senior Editor Esi Sogah presented an overview of the kinds of books Kensington publishes. They publish over 500 books annually, in all genres and all formats. Zebra is the main mass-market romance imprint, publishing historical, contemporary, erotica, sweet romances, romantic suspense, paranormal – everything romance. Lyrical is Kensington’s digital first publishing program. In 2016 Zebra will debut Zebra Shout, which will focus on debut authors. The books will be priced at $4.99. Lyrical authors will also have the opportunity to move from ebook only to print in the Zebra Shout program. Dafina, Kensington’s African-American and multi-cultural program publishes over 80 books a year in all formats and all genres. Dafina is celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year. Pinnacle publishes thrillers, westerns and true crime. Sogah emphasized that Kensington is willing to take risks on authors.

Associate Editor Martin Biro talked about Lyrical Press, Kensington’s digital-first imprint. They publish 20+ books a month and are growing fast. They also release a trade-paper POD version of every Lyrical book that is 60,000 words and up. Lyrical publishes a wide variety of fiction. It is very romance focused, but they also publish mystery and suspense with Lyrical Underground and contemporary romance with Lyrical Shine. They publish mainstream commercial fiction and young adult in Lyrical also. Lyrical is actively acquiring and they are open to experimenting with a wide variety of fiction.

Tara Gavin is the newest editor with Kensington. She comes to Kensington after a long career with Harlequin. She spoke about how to submit to Kensington. Kensington accepts queries from both agented and unagented authors. She advised authors to study the market and think about where they fit in best. Read a lot and become familiar with what each publisher publishes. Send your query electronically and in your query let the editor know you have a complete manuscript. Compare your work to books that are already in the marketplace. This helps the editor understand the type of book you are writing and where it fits in the market. Summarize the story in a few paragraphs. Include a synopsis of a couple of pages with your query letter. Submit to only one editor at Kensington, but if the manuscript is not right for that editor and he or she believes another editor would like it, he or she will pass the submission on to them. Tara is actively acquiring and building an author base.

Alex Nicolajsen is the associate director of digital at Kensington. She works with Lyrical. She talked about marketing and Kensington. Vida Engstrom is director of marketing at Kensington. They develop a marketing plan for each book and have a dedicated communications person for each genre and imprint. They brainstorm ways to promote books.

The next section of the Spotlight was devoted to each editor revealing what is on their wish list.

Alicia Condon is looking for a “fantastic Amish romance” with a fresh theme or a fresh setting. She noted they have an Amish series that is set in Appalachia, which is the type of unusual setting they are looking for. She is looking for a mystery romance with a humorous, off-beat voice. She would love some “feel-good fiction” exploring the themes of friendship and family, on the sweeter side, verging on inspirational but not inspirational.

Tara Gavin loves historical mysteries. She would love to find some new cozy mystery series. She loves series and readers do too. She wants women’s fiction that focuses on community.

Alex would love to see a sexy cozy mystery for Lyrical, as well as contemporary romance with different settings, such as the French countryside.

Martin Biro said he’s looking for more mysteries for Lyrical. Personally, he loves historical romance from different settings and cultures. He also said if anyone wants to write “Dexter meets Murder She Wrote” he would probably buy it.

Esi Sogah is also very interested in sexy cozy mysteries. She would love to see more historicals with unique settings. She would also like an American romance set in the earlier part of the 20^th century – roaring 20s or turn-of-the-century.

Alica Condon announced that Wendy McCurdy is joining Kensington as of August 3rd. McCurdy is a former senior editor at Bantam Dell and the former executive editor at Berkley. She is acquiring women’s fiction and romance.

You can find out more about what specific Kensington editors are looking for at their website 

The editors present briefly talked about their pet peeves. Do your research and confirm the editor you are submitting to actually works on the kind of book you are writing – don’t send your YA to an editor who doesn’t work on YA. Spell the editor’s name correctly, and verify their gender (Alex doesn’t want to be addressed as ‘Mr.’).

You can reach any editor at Kensington via email by addressing your email to them using the address of their first initial last name @kensingtonbooks.com

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Starting this week you can read a free story by me online at Harlequin.com. Black Canyon Betrayal is part of my Ranger Brigade miniseries from Harlequin Intrigue, and for the next ten weeks you can read a new chapter each week here. And check out all the books in the series. 

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The Dark City is seeking crime and mystery short stories, 1,000 to 7,500 words. Editor and Publisher Steven Oliver is interested in stories that explore the dark underworld of crime and the immoral side of human nature. Currently he is particularly interested in stories set in the western U.S. with a basis in reality. Payment is $25 per story. See the guidelines here. 

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CBAY Books (Children’s Brains Are Yummy” is seeking stories about giants and ogres for an upcoming anthology aimed at readers 13 to 18 years old. Editor Madeline Smoot is looking for science fiction or fantasy stories of up to 5,000 words which feature a giant or ogre from a classic fairy tale, re-imagined in either a re-told fairy tale or a new story. Payment is $30 per story and the deadline for submissions is September 18. Learn more here.

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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. Repost, reprint, retweet, etc. Please give me credit as the source of the information and include a link to this blog. For more about me, visit my websites here and here, or check me out on Facebook. 

 

Spotlight on BelleBooks, Mystery novel contest, and more

“The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.” ~Samuel Johnson

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This week I’m continuing my summary of publisher spotlights from the Romance Writers of American convention in San Antonio, with a focus on BelleBooks. The spotlight on BelleBooks was presented by Editor Brenda Chin and marketing director Danielle Childers. BelleBooks is 15 years old this year. The company was founded by Debra Dixon and Deborah Smith with a group of six women who were all established authors. They wanted to create a publishing house “by authors for authors.” BelleBooks began with a focus on Southern books. Now they publish all types of books. They produce about 150 titles a year in both print and digital format.

They offer a 40% royalty rate for ebooks. They offer authors editorial development, full marketing services, they publish print and ebook simultaneously and also sell sub-rights such as audio and foreign rights.

Deborah Smith primarily acquires women’s fiction and cozy mysteries. Deb Dixon acquires fantasy and paranormal. Dixon is the Editor in Chief of BelleBooks and oversees all imprints.

The primary focus of this workshop was on BelleBooks imprint, ImaJinn Books. ImaJinn was developed by Linda Kichline, who passed away last year. Debra Dixon, a friend of Linda’s, acquired ImaJinn as an imprint of Bell Books. Brenda Chin is the new editor of ImaJinn.

ImaJinn was originally known for paranormal romance. Now it is open to all romance – all types of romance except inspirational romance – contemporary, historical, paranormal, romantic suspense, sexy, and new adult. Brenda talked about what she looks for as an editor: She wants big stories – high concept, well-plotted and compelling. Nothing over 90,000 words (50,000 to 90,000 words) but not category romance, either. “I want books that guarantee that the reader will feel something – and not boredom.”

Your story must have a hook that will help them sell the story. You need to be able to tell what the story is about in one or two sentences. You also must have characters readers can relate to and want to read about. Finally, you need a strong voice. She recommended authors find their trademark – what is unique about your books that readers will identify with. No matter what you write, make sure that trademark is still there.

Think of your book as a movie. What kind of crowd would it draw? Strive to make it a blockbuster movie.

Brenda prefers to receive a partial over a complete manuscript.  You can find the submission guidelines for ImaJinn here.

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Mystery Writers of America and Minotaur Books have teamed up once again to sponsor their 2015 Best First Crime Novel Competition. Writers over the age of 18 who have never had a novel published (in any genre) may enter the contest. Manuscripts must be 65,000 words or longer and must feature murder or another serious crime at the heart of the story.The winner will receive a publishing contract from Minotaur books (an imprint of St. Martin’s Press) and a $10,000 advance against royalties. The deadline to enter is December 15, 2014. For more details, go here.

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Look for the new mass market paper edition of The Mountain Between Us on sale at a WalMart near you. With a new cover and a special low price, this is a great way to dive into my popular Eureka, Colorado series. (Think Northern Exposure in the Rocky Mountains.) 

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As always, feel free to share this information with others. All I ask is that you credit me as the source and provide a link to this blog. If you want to know more about me and my books, check out my websites here or here and like me on Facebook here. 

 

Spotlight on Harlequin Single Title and more

“Loafing is the most productive part of a writer’s life.” ~James Norman Hall

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This week I’m continuing my summary of publisher spotlights from the Romance Writers of America convention, with a look at Harlequin’s Single Title program. The Spotlight on Harlequin Single Title was presented by Margaret Marbury, VP of ST editorial; Nicole Brebner, senior ed. of Mira;  Margot Lipschultz, senior editor; and Susan Swinwood, Exec. Ed. Of HQN. Each of these editors spent some time talking about the number of bestselling authors under their imprints. They also talked a lot about the editors and what Harlequin can do for authors.

Harlequin prides itself on excellent editorial. For single titles, they are very selective. They want to be able to support the book. Editors have a passion for the books they choose. “We recognize that publishing is a partnership, not a dictatorship.” Harlequin has “unmatched” distribution, according to Marbury. Harlequin books are sold world-wide, in 110 markets, in 34 languages. The books are available “where women shop.” They also have their own direct-mail bookclubs. They publish in all formats, including digital.

Ms. Brebner talked about Mira, which is Harlequin’s single title, general fiction imprint. They publish a wide variety of genres – romance, women’s fiction, historical fiction, thrillers and literary fiction. They publish mass market, trade paper, hardcover and digital. 2014 is the 20^th anniversary of Mira Books. Mira publishes about 105 titles a year in all formats. Mira is looking for more contemporary women’s fiction and “a really great psychological thriller.” Margaret Marbury, who also acquires for Mira, would love to see “big, historical fiction that hasn’t been done before.”

Susan Swinwood talked about HQN. 2014 is the Tenth Anniversary of HQN. HQN focuses on single title romance. They publish approximately 80 titles a year. They publish contemporary, historical, erotic romance and romantic suspense, as well as new adult romance. They want to offer readers a wide variety of stories. HQN publishes in mass market and digital, but is also expanding into trade paper. Swinwood noted that romances that tend toward women’s fiction – “layered, modern love stories” – do best in trade paper. These are emotional, more sophisticated books. HQN is looking for new authors who can write these kinds of books.  In general, HQN is looking for “breakout editorial” and would like some new voices and stories they haven’t seen. They aren’t looking to copy their existing authors. They’d be interested in more suspense or romantic suspense.

Margot Lipschultz talked about YA Fiction under Harlequin Teen. Harlequin Teen is five years old in 2014. They launched in 2009 with four titles. They now publish app. 40 titles a year. They publish commercial young adult fiction, primarily in hardcover and trade paper, as well as digital. Their books are targeted to girls 13 to 18, but the readership extends far beyond that. The books are primarily 60,000 to 90,000 words. The editors who primarily acquire for Harlequin Teen are Natashya Wilson and T.S. Ferguson. They are constantly surveying teen readers about what they want to read. They have a Harlequin Teen panel that they consult for ideas and feedback. Harlequin Teen publishes contemporary, fantasy, paranormal and historical. The stories may include romance, but they don’t have to. They’re interested in YA mystery – Margot would love something in this vein “snarky, like Veronica Mars.” She also acquires for HQN and there she would love to see a contemporary romance set outside the United States.

All of Harlequin’s Single Title lines take agented submissions only. The exceptions would be if you already write for Harlequin and submit through your Harlequin editor, or if you pitch to an editor at conference and she/he asks for your submission.

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Look for the mass market paperback release of The Mountain Between Us at a WalMart near you. With a new cover and a new low price, The Mountain Between Us takes readers along as the folks in Eureka, Colorado, prepare for the holidays under sometimes trying circumstances.  This book was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award this year.

“Fans of small town romances will enjoy visiting Eureka and its eccentric residents.” Library Journal

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Literary Wanderlust is a new digital and print publishing company devoted to genre fiction. Publisher Susie Brooks seeks to “bridge the gap between traditional and self-publishing” with this new venture. She is accepting submissions of romance, erotica, science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, and mystery. She is open to all sub-genres within these genres.  Find more details here. 

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As always, feel free to share this information with others. All I ask is that you credit me as the source and provide a link to this blog. If you want to know more about me and my books, check out my websites here or here and like me on Facebook here. 

 

 

Spotlight on Loose Id, new anthology calls, writing contest and more

“If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor.”
– Edgar Rice Burroughs

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This week I’m continuing my look at publisher spotlights from the RWA National Convention in San Antonio, with Loose Id books. The Spotlight on Loose Id was presented by editor-in-chief Treva Harte and marketing and information officer Allie McKnight. Loose Id (pronounced Lucid) is a digital first company. They have been in business for ten years and have been profitable for all of that time.

Loose Id publishes primarily erotic romance. They don’t mean erotica – they want hot and sensual books with explicit sex scenes, but the conflict arises from character and there is a romantic arc to the story. Sex is important to the story, but it doesn’t have to be kink. Kink works in some stories, but what Harte is looking for is sex that’s important to the stories and important to the characters. Every story should have a definite romance hook.

Under the banner of erotic romance, Loose Id publishes a variety of stories – both heterosexual and GLBT romances. They welcome historical and contemporary stories, paranormal, fantasy, mystery and science fiction under that erotic romance umbrella.

They publish stories 20,000 to 120,000 words. Stories 55,000 to 70,000 words receive an advance and are eligible to print as well as e-release.  They pay 40% royalties (on gross sales) and retain electronic rights for three years.

Harte talked about the submission process. They sometimes ask for revisions from authors before they agree to buy the manuscript. They provide an assessment letter, which points out strengths and weaknesses, with the goal of helping authors to improve. They offer talks and online classes to help educate and inform authors. And they have an author development program, where an editor works with an author to improve a promising story.

Right now, they’ve issued some special calls for upcoming anthologies:

Christmas Menage – 20,000 to 30,000 word Christmas-theme manage stories, XXX rated. Deadline – Oct. 15.

Baby, What a Big Surprise! – Holiday novellas – any holiday between December and March, 20,000 to 35,000 words. The deadline for Christmas stories is past, but they’re still open to holidays after the new year.

Find all of Loose Id’s submission guidelines, contract terms, etc. here. 

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Liz McMullen Show Publications is assembling a Valentine’s anthology on the theme of “appetite.” Send your 3,000 to 4,000 word short story on this theme — any genre, although Editor Ila Goyane prefers that all stories have some element of romance or erotica. Payment is $30 plus two copies. The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2015. Get all the details here.

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Young adult magazine Cicada has issued a call for stories, poems and comics on the theme of Tricksters and Thieves. Send your stories of pirates, charlatans, illusions, deceptions and trickery to editor Marianne Carus. Stories may be up to 9,000 words. Payment is 25 cents a word.  The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2104. Find more details here.

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New York based small press Black Balloon Publishing offers the Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize for an unpublished novel of 50,000 words or more. The novel may be of any genre, and they welcome cross-genre and hard-to-define fiction. First prize is $5,000 and a publication contract. There is no fee to enter. They will accept submissions beginning October 1 to October 31. Find more details here.

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As always, feel free to share this information with others. All I ask is that you credit me as the source and provide a link to this blog. If you want to know more about me and my books, check out my websites here or here and like me on Facebook here. 

 

 

Spotlight on Sourcebooks, two new anthology calls and more

“You could compile the worst book in the world entirely out of selected passages from the best writers in the world.” ~G.K. Chesterton

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This week I’m continuing my look at the publisher spotlights from the RWA National Convention with a look at Sourcebooks. The Spotlight on Sourcebooks was presented by Editorial Director Deb Werksman, Editor Mary Altman, Assistant Editor Kat Clyne and publisher Dominique Racca. Sourcebooks is a general trade publishing house. They publish 350 new titles a year, about half of that is fiction. They publish 8 to 10 romances a month. They are the largest woman-owned, independent publishing house in the country. They are based in Napierville, Illinois, with satellite offices in New York and in Milford, CT. Sourcebooks Casablanca is their fiction and non-fiction romance imprint.  Sourcebooks Fire is their YA list, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky is for children’s books and Sourcebooks Landmark is general fiction.

Both women sent some time talking about how Sourcebooks targets different markets, from mass-retailers such as WalMart and Target, to schools and libraries. Marketing is determined on a book-by-book basis. They produce books as both paperbacks and e-books. They send ARCs to reviewers.

The editors are looking for heroines the reader can relate to, a hero the reader could fall in love with, a world the reader can escape into, and a compelling hook that makes readers immediately want to read books. They love it if the author has ideas for a series. Manuscripts should be 90,000 to 120,000 words. They publish single-title romance in all sub-genres. The editor and author work together to plan future books and a career trajectory.

They talked about some of what they are looking for. In paranormal: shape shifters are popular. Vampires remain popular, but it is very difficult for a new author to break out with a new vampire story. In paranormal, world-building is of utmost important. The reader wants to visit that new world. They also like romance suspense/paranormal mixes.

In erotic romance, the love story and the sex really needs to balance out. The love story must be really engaging, as well as the sex being really hot. Deb thinks BDSM is a “bit overdone” right now. She also likes very sexy romances that aren’t necessarily erotica.  Mary said that when she acquires erotic romance, she looks for a very strong hook that will make the story stand out in a crowded field. Every sexual encounter needs to be vital to the story.

Sourcebooks is eager to acquire more YA. Sales are very strong in YA for them. They do well with contemporary YA thrillers and YA paranormal. They also like YA non-fiction.

In historical, the eras that sell best for them are Regency, Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian England. Anything Scottish sells. Time travel does well for them. They’re also publishing medieval. They also have a strong historical western romance program. They don’t publish stories set in the American revolution, Civil War, or anything after 1900.

They publish women’s fiction, both with and without romantic elements. Deb wants women’s fiction with a strong romantic element; Editor Shana Drehs prefers darker, more issue-driven women’s fiction.

The next section of the Spotlight was a bit unusual – several authors took the microphone to give testimonials about how much they love working with Sourcebooks.

You can learn about everything Sourcebooks is looking for, all the editors at Sourcebooks, their likes and dislikes here. You can find their romance submission guidelines here.Sourcebooks’ romance editors do accept both agented and unagented manuscripts.

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For a limited time, the ebook version of my Harlequin Intrigue, Rocky Mountain Rescue, is

on sale for $2.99 (regularly $4.99) Pick up a copy for Kindle here, for Nook here, or check your favorite ebook dealer.

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Bundoran Press is seeking science fiction stories for a new anthology, Second Contacts. All stories should be set fifty years after humans’ first contact with aliens. Stories should be between 3,500 and 6,500 words. Payment is 2 cents a word, up to $130 Canadian dollars. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2015. Find all the submission details here. 

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Crimson Romance is seeking novellas (10,000 to 20,000 words) for a Valentine anthology to  be released in February 2015. Stories may be sweet to spicy, though the editors cite a preference for  more sensual stories. The deadline for submissions is Octoer 15, 2014. See the guidelines here.

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Want to learn all the latest book news from me? Like my Facebook author page here.  Or visit one of my websites, here or here. 

As always, feel free to share the information in this newsletter with others. Please give me credit as the source, and includ ea link to this blog. Thanks!

 

 

 

Spotlight on Grand Central Publishing and more

“Writing means sharing. It’s part of the human condition to want to share things – thoughts, ideas, opinions.”

Paulo Coelho

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This week I’m continuing my summary of the publisher spotlights from the RWA National Convention with a look at Grand Central Publishing.

The Spotlight on Grand Central Publishing was presented by Leah Hultenschmidt, Editorial Director of Forever and Senior Editor Michelle Bidelspach.

The Hachette Book Group is the parent company of Grand Central. Forever is the romance arm of Grand Central. Hachette is a very large company with many different imprints. Leah presented this as an advantage, because they have the clout of a large company behind them. Hachette has many best-selling authors in its ranks.

Forever publishes six to eight mass market romances a month. Forever Yours, its digital-first romance imprint, releases four to eight titles each month. “The growth of romance is a company-wide initiative,” said Hultenschmidt, who came to Grand Central after stints with Dorchester and Sourcebooks.

Michelle talked about what the editors are looking for and how to submit. Forever is single-title – both print and e-books. They are looking for “everything” – contemporary, historical, romantic suspense, new adult, erotic romance, paranormal romance. They publish some of their authors e-first and follow with print later.

The editors are looking for 85,000 to 95,000 words, agented manuscripts only. But there are some exceptions to the agented-only rule: if a Grand Central editor judges a contest and asks to see your work or if you pitch at a conference and the editor asks for your manuscript, you don’t have to be agented. In these cases, send your complete manuscript. They will also consider query letters from unagented authors.

Only submit to one editor. If the project isn’t right for that editor, she will pass it on if she feels another Grand Central editor would be interested in it.

All Forever authors receive an advance against royalties.

The Forever Yours imprint is digital first. Authors published in Forever Yours do not receive an advance, but have escalating royalties. They publish novellas, 8,000 to 35,000 words and novels, 35,000 to 100,000 words. They also publish all kinds of romance – sassy, sweet, sexy. The only things they don’t publish are young adult, straight mystery, general fiction or non-fiction or poetry. They accept both unagented and agented manuscripts.

To submit to Forever Yours, send a query that includes your genre, your word count and a brief pitch, a synopsis, and the full manuscript.

Leah then took the mike again to talk about things a publisher can do for you as opposed to self-publishing. Editors provide guidance about market trends. They help guide careers. They do title and cover brainstorming. They discuss pricing strategies and author branding. They partner with retailers to do special promotions for titles. They coordinate all aspects of your book’s publication.

The publicity team at Grand Central arranges blog tours for authors and sends out galleys – both print and e – for review. They send out newsletters to promote their authors. They collaborate with editorial to plan promo for titles. They do social media promotion and try to help authors do their own social media promotion, in addition to Grand Central’s efforts.

Finally, the editors talked a little about what they’re particularly looking for:

Michelle says she’s always looking for a rock star hero. She’d love a great highlander romance, a western. She does a lot of historicals and a lot of contemporary romance. She looks for a strong voice and arresting characters.

Leah answered for some of the other editors : Alex Logan loves romantic suspense and small-town contemporary romance.

Associate Editor Lauren Plude loves history. Give her historical romances, especially Scottish. She also really likes single title contemporary romance.

Associate Editor Megha Parekh specializes in New Adult. She also works on a lot of erotic romance.

Leah is looking for “band of brothers” type stories – sports teams, military or cops. She loves the ‘behind the scenes banter’ among the men.

You can find the Forever Yours submission guidelines here.

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I have a new author page on Facebook. Like it to keep up with the latest on my writing.

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East of the Web is looking for short stories for children ages 5-12. East of the Web publishes the stories online, as well as making them available through their Short Story e-reader ap. They accept both new and previously published submissions and pay five cents a word, up to $200. The editors have not set a word length for stories, though they stress they want short stories, not book manuscripts. They’re open to all genres of stories for children. Find their guidelines here.

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As always, feel free to share the information in this newsletter with others — repost, reprint, retweet, etc. Please give me credit as the source, and include a link to the blog. If you want to know more about me and my books, visit my websites Here or Here.

 

 

 

Spotlight on Ballantine Bantam Dell, anthology calls and more.

“A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?” George Orwell

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This week I continue my look at the publisher spotlights from the Romance Writers of America annual conference in San Antonio, Texas, with a look at the Spotlight on Ballantine Bantam Dell

Editor Sue Grimshaw and Executive Editor Shauna Summers presented the Spotlight on Ballatine Bantam Dell. Ballantine Bantam Dell is a divison of Random House Group, which is a division of Penguin Random House – the larger publisher in the world. They publish all types of fiction in all formats – hard cover, trade paper, mass market paper and electronic editions.

The majority of their workshop was spent showing covers of the books they published and talking about the authors and stories. Reading these books will give writers an idea of the types of storylines and writing Ballantine Bantam Dell is interested in.

“Our sweet spot is franchise authors and one of the things we do well is build an author’s brand,” Shauna said. “We see ourselves as a full service publisher in that way.” They publish authors such as Janet Evanovich, Diana Gabaldon, Debbie Macomber. Danielle Steele, Jude Devereaux, Stephanie Bond, Karen Marie Moning, and Julie Kenner.

Sue Grimshaw talked about Loveswept, their digital imprint. They relaunched the Loveswept brand in 2011 to include reprints of original Loveswept titles, as well as original romance novels and novellas. They publish historical, contemporary, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, erotic romance under the Loveswept imprint. Flirt publishes New Adult stories for college aged readers.  Many of the books have been New York Times bestsellers. They’re looking for books with which readers will forge an emotional connection. They publish six to eight new titles per month.

Loveswept pays quarterly royalties. Most authors earn out their advance in the first two months.  Loveswept and Flirt accept both agented and unagented manuscripts. You can find the guidelines for Loveswept and Flirt here.   Manuscripts can be 15,000 to 30,000 words for novellas and 40,000 to 60,000 words for novels.

In Ballantine Bantam Dell, they publish two to three print romances a month.

Ballantine Bantam Dell wants agented manuscripts.

Shauna mentioned she’s looking for sports books – soccer, football, hockey, baseball, etc. She also loves contemporary western stories with cowboys.

All authors at Bantam Ballantine Dell, whether in print or digital, have a dedicated publicity team and a dedicated promotion team. They do lots of online promotions with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media platforms. They do blog tours, reader events, and are always coming up with new ways to promote titles.

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Less Than Three Press is a small publisher of novels and novellas focusing on LGBTQ characters. They are seeking stories for a Villain anthology to be edited by senior editor Tan-ni Fan. Titled Villains, Inc. the anthology will feature gay, lesbian and trans romance stories in an sub-genre. Stories should be between 10,000 and 20,000 words. Payment is $200. The deadline for submissions is December 31. For more information, go here.

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Cleis Press is seeking submissions for an upcoming erotic romance anthology, Rogue Hearts, to be edited by romance author Delilah Devlin. Delilah is looking for stories that feature “rogues with a heart of gold.” Stories should be between 2500 and 5000 words. Payment is $50 and the deadline for submisssion is September 15, 2014. Find all the details here. 

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Pelican Book Group is seeking submissions of inspirational romance novellas for its Harbourlight Imprint. Pelican will publish three novellas for its Easter Lilies series, to be released at Easter in 2015. Stories should be between 15,000 and 25,000 words, and  may be historical or contemporary romance. The heroes and heroines should be between ages 25 and 35, and Easter Lily symbolism must play a role in the story. In addition, each story must use as its basis the scripture verse Solomon 2:14. The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2014. For all the details, go here.

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I have a new Facebook Author Page. If you want to keep up with news about  my books, speaking engagements, workshops, etc. please like the page at https://www.facebook.com/CindyMyersauthor or click here. Thanks!

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As always, feel free to share the information in this newsletter with others — repost, reprint, retweet, etc. Please give me credit as the source, and include a link to the blog. If you want to know more about me and my books, visit my websites Here or Here.

 

 

 

Spotlight on Pocket Books, Weird Western Anthology and more

“Writers write about what obsesses them. You draw those cards. I lost my mother when I was 14. My daughter died at the age of 6. I lost my faith as a Catholic. When I’m writing, the darkness is always there. I go where the pain is.”  Anne Rice

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This week I continue my recap of Publisher Spotlights from the Romance Writers of America annual convention with a look at Pocket Books. Executive Editor Lauren McKenna and Senior Editor Micki Nuding presented the spotlight. Pocket publishes romance in all formats — mass market paper, trade paper, hardback and digital. The Pocket Star imprint is their digital first imprint. Pocket Star is open to a wide variety of stories, including cross-genre books and books that don’t fit into an easily defineable niche. This is the place for “books we can take a risk on.” Pocket Star is open to manuscripts from 60,000 to 100,000 words.

The editors spent a little time talking about the types of manuscripts that do best at Pocket. Erotica remains popular and they’re always looking for more erotica and erotic romance. Urban fantasy is not as popular as it once was and the market for historical romance has slowed, although they are still open to Regency, Victorian and Scottish historical romance, and romance set in the American West with cowboys.

Micki Nuding likes historical romance in particular, and she loves books with humor. She gravitates toward “alpha heroes, fierce conflict, strong heroines.”

Lauren McKenna says she likes anything that is “dark, weird, twisted or strange.” She wants books with strong emotion. “If you can make me cry, I’ll back it,” she says. She likes strong heroes and snarky heroines, loves animals, but isn’t so crazy about books with kids. She would love to see “a thriller about a virus in a submarine.”

Pocket also publishes women’s fiction in their Gallery imprint. Here, they like to push the boundaries, with issue-oriented books and bigger, sweeping romances, both historical and contemporary.

They closed the session by talking about the importance of self-promotion for authors. They suggest starting even before you are published to develop a relationship with bloggers and online communities. When you are published, tweet quotes from you book, or pictures with quotes attached that other people will share.

Pocket only accepts agented manuscripts. You can read more about other editors at Pocket, and their interests, here.

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Author Cynthia Ward will be editing a Weird Western Anthology, to be published by WolfSinger Publications. She’s looking for stories set on the western frontier that feature people of color, Native Americans, GLBTQ characters, women, other minorities, and all the people who helped settle the west, but who were never the stars of movies and books in the past. She’s looking for stories between 1,000 and 10,000 words. Payment is $5 per story, plus a share of royalties from the anthology. She will open for submissions December 1, 2014 and close on December 31, 2014. Do not submit before December 1. She has detailed guidelines detailing the types of stories she’d like to see — and things she doesn’t want to see, so be sure to check them out here. 

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DAW Books, an imprint of the Penguin Group Publishers devoted to science fiction and fantasy, accepts submissions from both agented and unagented authors. They accept submissions of manuscripts 80,000 words and up. They only accept submissions via snail mail, and request a three-month exclusive period to review your work. Find all the guidelines here. 

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I have a new Facebook Author Page. If you’d like to keep up with my book news, please like my page at http://www.facebook.com/CindyMyersauthor

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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. Reprint, repost, retweet, etc. Please give me credit as the source, and include a link to this blog. If you’d like to find out more about me, visit my websites here or here.

 

 

Spotlight on Avon Books, Carina editors wish list and more

“Keep writing. Keep doing it and doing it. Even in the moments when it’s so hurtful to think about writing.”   Heather Armstrong

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This week I’m continuing my look at Publisher Spotlights from the RWA National Convention with a summary of the Spotlight on Avon Books. The Spotlight was presented by Editorial Director Erika Tsang, Excutive Editor Lucia Macro, Director of Marketing Sean Michaels and Director of Publicity, Pam Jaffe.

Avon publishes romance under the Avon print imprint and as digital first originals under the Avon Impulse bannet. Erico spoke about the Avon Impluse program. All Avon Impulse titles publish first as ebooks, then as print-on-demand trade paperbacks. Impulse authors that show strong sales may be moved into the print program. In addition to publishing new authors, Impulse publishes novellas and other stories from established Avon print authors. Impulse pays 25 percent royalties on the first 10,000 books sold, and 50 percent royalties after that. Thirty-eight percent of Impulse authors sell more than 10,000 copies. They pay royalties once a month and the turnaround for Impulse titles is eight weeks from purchase to published.

Sean talked about how Avon markets both print and ebooks. Each book has its own marketing plan. AvonRomance.com is a full service platform where authors can set up blogs. The site hosts monthly sweepstakes, blog tours, quizzes, posts excerpts and pulls in readers in a variety of ways. Avon participates in ebook merchandising efforts to get their titles featured on Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com and Apple. They do Facebook and Twitter marketing and produce a monthly reader newsletter, From the Heart, which you can sign up for at Avonnewsletter.com.

Pam spoke about Publicity. The Avon Addicts street team consists of 100 members, chosen out of 2200 applicants, who get the word out about Avon authors. The Avon/Morrow team employs 20 publicists who arrange author events, interviews, reviews, blog tours, promos, chats, quizzes and magazine features. Avon has a digital learning channel for authors and publishes the Digital Dish newsletter for authors.

Avon takes both agented and unagented submissions. Authors submit on the Avon Website. All submissions are considered for both Avon Romance and Avon Impulse. Each editor takes the inbox for a week. Response time on submissions is usually 6-8 weeks.

Avon publishes storeis from 25,000 to 90,ooo words. The editors each spoke a little about their particular interests. They also handed out ‘trading cards” that spoke about the editors’ interest. Below I’ve summarized their comments at the spotlight and information from these cards:

Executive Editor Lucia Macro: She loves both historical and contemporary romance, though historical romances are harder to sell these days. High concept really helps a manuscript stand out. She loves “smart, sexy dialogue” and strong emotion in her books.  She loves super-sexy contemporaris and would love a “super, sports guy hero.”

Editorial Director Erika Tsang: She loves paranormal romance. She especially likes romance with strong heroes she can fall in love with, whether they are bad boys or smart, let’s-save-the-world types.

Executive Editor Carrie Feron: She looks for a distinctive voice in the manuscripts that come to her. She wants “complex heroines, flawed but powerful heroes, and big love stories.”

Assistant Editor Chelsey Emmelhainz: She’s looking for romantic suspence, especially with unconventional heroes and heroines who kick butt. She looks for “writing that takes my breath away.” She also likes hot contemporaries with gritty story-lines and hard-edged heroes (no sweet, small towns for her.)

Editor Amanda Bergeron loves contemporary series, whether they feature small towns, big families or sports teams. She’s also interested in New Adult stories, from sweet to super dark. She’s also like to see some really romantic romantic suspense, and a historical western.

Senior Editor May Chen says send you her weepers. She loves emotional, small-town set stories — if they feature cowboys, that’s a bonus! She likes very sexy stories, too.

Editor Tessa Woodward loves sweeping love storeis and “dark and dirty” heroes. She’s interested in historical romances, too — send her your governness stories. She’d also like to see New Adult manuscripts.

Editorial Assistant Nicole Fischer wants super-sexy bad boys (she loves tattoos) in her sexy contemporary or New Adult romance. She likes romantic suspense with strong female characters and men in uniform and character driven Regency romance (especially if you have a series.)

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SilkWords publishes short, interactive romances that combine romance and elements of gaming. The reader guides the story by choosing different paths for the characters to follow. Each story is written with decisions points at key moments in the story. The decisions should impact the story in a significant way, and take the story in a new direction.  The company is looking for manuscripts of 15,000 to 20,000 words. Payment is $500 plus $3 per subscription generated by your work. Submit your opening, which includes the first decision points, plus a list of all the decision points in the story. Check out detailed guidelines (and read samples) here.

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Carina Press has posted a new Editor Wish List. Carina publishes ebook original fiction, both romance and non-romance books. Some of the highlights of what the editors are looking for:

Editorial Director Angela James: A dark erotic thriller, contempoary crack (her term for highly-dramatic, highly sensual, somewhat over-the-top contemporary romance.) sports romances that break the mold, a cowboy Space Opera (think Firefly), or a super-sexy contemporary romance.

Editor Kerri Buckley: mysteries with humor — dry or sarcastic wit welcome, psychological thrillers, contemporary and historical romance set in Eastern Europe, romantic suspense with kickass heroines, a contemporary series focused on Army wives.

Freelance Editor Rhonda Helms: New Adult, LGBTQ Romance, romantic comedies, genre blends, multicultural romance, sci-fi and/or futuristic romance, a regency or Victorian romance or Western featuring People of Color, a sexy gothic.

Freelance Editor Deborah Nemeth: high stakes conflict and flawed, passionate characters. Antiheroes. Adrenaline fueled romantic suspense; male/male stories, especially New Adult; Regency, Victorian, Edwardian and Tudor historical romance; stories of political and palace intrigue; all kinds of mystery and crime fiction.

Freelance Editor Mallory Braus: three-dimensional, believable characters; New Adult, especially with quirky characters; historical romance — World War II or prior; a romantic suspense set among the Amish;  historical mystery with a gritty, urban, turn of the century setting; quirky, funny characters; cozy mysteries; gritty thrillers.

Freelance Editor Alissa Davis: erotic romance with great dirty dialogue, romances with geeky heroines and heroes, male-male new Adult, sports romance — soccer, football, hockey and baseball, marriage of convenience stories, medical romance.

Freelance Editor Jeff Seymour: Spicy, intense, romantic suspense; a male-male steampunk romance; characters with unusual takes on traditional archetypes.

Freelance Editor Melissa Johnson: contemporary romance with both strong internal and external conflicts, a fantasy/science fiction romance that combines elements of history and futuristic imaginings, and a traditional Regency rake story with devastating misunderstandings.

Freelance Editor Tina Burns: new adult, romantic comedities, LGBTQ stories, and different historical romances — Gothic, wild west, psychics or alternate history.

Read the entire list here.

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As always, feel free to share this information with others. Please give me credit as the source and if you repost or reprint, include a link to this blog. To learn more about me and the books I write, visit my websites here or here.