Markets for romantic comedies, interactive romance and how you could win a house.

“I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.” —Ray Bradbury

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Only three weeks until the release of A Change in Altitude. Book Three of my Eureka, Colordo series continues the stories of the quirky characters in the Colorado mountains, but can also be read as a stand-alone novel.  

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Silkwords is a newer romance publisher (established 2013) that combines romance novels with gaming. Silkwords novels are interactive — readers can choose different paths in the story that lead to different endings. Readers pay a monthly subscription fee to the service. The editors are actively seeking submissions. Stories should be 15,000 to 20,000 words and at several points in the stories, readers should have the opportunity to make a significant choice — between two partners, two locations, two jobs, etc. Stories may be romance or erotica. Romances should have a happily ever after or happy for now ending. Payment is $500 plus $3 per subscription the story generates. Find all the details here.

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Want to win a house, free and clear? The Write a House program awards emerging writers with a 900-square foot house completed with basement, one or two bedrooms, bathroom and front and back yard. The house is completely renovated. And it’s in Detroit. Write a House is now accepting applications from writers from across the country. You must agree to live in the house at least 75% of the time and interact with the Detroit literary community. You must pay yearly taxes of approximately $2000. You must be a part-time or full-time writer with a low to moderate income and you must submit a sample of your writing. Find all the details here.

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Entangled Bliss is on the hunt for new authors. The editors would love to see your small-town set romantic comedy — either sexy or sweet. They love contemporary, everyday heroes and modern heroines. Manuscripts should be 50,000 to 65,000 words. Get all the details here. 

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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 the blog. Thanks!  Cindi. Find out more about me at http://www.cindimyers.com or http://www.cindymyersbooks.com

 

 

 

Spotlight on Pocket Books, Free Writing Seminar and more

“Write your first draft with your heart. Re-write with your head.” ~ From the movie Finding Forrester

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This week I’m continuing my look at the publisher spotlights from the Romance Writers of America convention in Atlanta with a summary of the Spotlight on Pocket and Gallery Books. The spotlight was presented by  Abbie Ziedel, Senior Editor of Pocket and Gallery Books; Miki Nuding, Senior Editor; and Lauren McKenna, Executive Editor of Pocket and Gallery Books and Editorial Director of Pocket Star.

Pocket Books is the mass market paperback division of the company. Gallery Books handles trade paper and hardcover releases, while Pocket Star is their e-original line, which publishes erotica, YA, urban fantasy, horror, choose-your-own adventure, as well as contemporary and historical romance.
They love hot alpha men — brave, protective, decisive and ready to love their woman. These editors are looking for stories with larger-than life heroes, and a heroine who is his equal. They want books with sizzling sexual tension. They like contemporary, historical, paranormal, erotica, romantic suspense, new adult and women’s fiction.

Abby spoke about XOXOAfterDark.com, Pocket’s revamp of the old Pocket After Dark website. The site is designed to be more user friendly. They offer a new free novel to read each week that you can read on your smartphone, tablet or online, available for 30 days.  Lauren said, “There’s really not much we don’t publishr” in Pocket Star. They have been more adventurous in Pocket Star, publishing YA and urban fantasy, for example.

The editors spoke a little about things they each especially like in a story. Miki said. “If it’s sexy as hell and funny, you’ve got me.” and “The kind of flaw I like best in the hero is a virtue carried to the extreme.” As an example, she mentioned a hero who is over-protective, to the point where he might come across as bossy and over-bearing, until he realizes the error of his ways.

Lauren likes dark and brooding stories, with emotionally tortured characters. Abbie likes women’s fiction, and loves animal stories.

Pocket usually only takes agented submissions, though if you pitch at a conference or capture an editor’s interest through a contest, you may be invited to submit, even if you don’t have an agent.

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Jason Boog, a writer and editor of GalleyCat, has compiled a list of recent Tweets from editors and agents, talking about what they’re looking for right now from writers. You can find the list here. It’s interesting to see what’s on the radar of these publishing pros — heavy on YA and new adult, with some romance and fantasy/science fiction in the mix. If you see something you’re interested in knowing more about, sign up to follow that person’s Twitter feed.

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Masque Books is a new imprint from digital publisher Prime Books. Masque will focus on science fiction and fantasy and science fiction and fantasy romance. Acquisition Editor Natalie Luhrs is interested in novellas of 30,000 to 50,000 words, and novels of 50,000 to 120,000 words. Each novel should stand on its own, though Masque is open to connected books. They’re interested in all sub-genres of science fiction and fantasy, including space opera, alternative history, steampunk, dark fantasy, etc. On the romance side, all heat levels are welcome, from sweet to erotic, and they are open to straight and GLBT relationships. Masque pays a small advance and royalties of 50 percent of net receipts. Check out their submission guidelines here.

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The University of Iowa, known for it’s creative writing program, will host a free writing seminar online from September 16 to October 28, 2013. The course will consist of reading and writing contemporary fiction and will be led by Nate Brown, Deputy Director of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. “Students will receive brief written feedback on weekly exercises and fuller comments on a longer story or novel excerpt collected at the end of the course. ” Anyone is eligible to apply for the course, but participation will be limited to 15 people. The deadline to apply is September 6. You can find all the details here.

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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 and include a link to this blog. Thank you!

 

 

Free Book, New Publisher and More

“Character gives us qualities, but it is in actions – what we do – that we are happy or the reverse….All human happiness and misery take the form of action.”- Aristotle

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Attica Books Ltd. is a new digital first (Ebook) publisher that is looking for new authors. They set me the following Call for Submissions to share with my readers:

Dumped by your publisher? Looking for a home for your backlist? Or just not tempted by the Big Six’s one-sided contracts?

Attica Books is an independent ebook-first publisher founded by industry professionals who’ve both worked in the trade and published with several of the Big Six. We know how important proper editing, proof-reading and format checking are, and what a difference it can make to have your book in the hands of a publishing house which properly supports it. We’ve also, as authors, experienced orphaned books, constant changes of editor, miserable royalties and too many other tricks. We aim to offer you the first part without the second.

 Our trial phase is done and we’re looking in the first instance for submissions from previously published authors for lists in mystery, fantasy, and wit & whimsy – think for that last anything from Jane Austen to Terry Pratchett. If you’ve got underappreciated backlist in these genres, we’d like to see that too. Full details, and submission guidelines, on our website

Our royalties are 35% of net receipts to 5000 copies and 50% thereafter, paid quarterly, and based entirely on what we receive from retailers. No returns, no joint accounting: what comes in we split with authors. We want to make money from your books, yes, but we want *you* to make money from them, too.

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The wonderful Deni Dietz also has news to share this week:

Denise (Deni) Dietz is pleased to announce that she’s accepted the position of Senior Editor, working directly with Five Star Publishing, a division of Gale/Cengage/ Thorndike.

 

Acquiring: All Mystery sub-genres, including but not limited to Cozy, Hard-boiled, P.I., Traditional, Historical and Paranormal. 

Deni is looking for non-clichéd, well-written, character-driven novel. She says she wants to BE THERE, in the scene. For example, she doesn’t want to know that General Santa Anna was captured in 1836. She prefers to know that he was naked except for his underpants. 

Address:

Wordscan@shaw.ca

Five Star@Cengage.com

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As a special Christmas gift, Musa Publishing is giving away a number of free reads for the next couple of weeks. You can snag my free historical novella, The Christmas Quilt here. Look around the Musa site for other free stories and bonus deals. For instance, if your purchase all three books in my Titled Texans trilogy, you get my historical romantic comedy, Great Caesar’s Ghost, for free.

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Elise Howard, the former senior vice president and associate publisher for HarperCollins Children’s Books has been picked to head up Algonquin Books’ new YA ad middle grade fiction  line.  The new line, as yet unnamed, will launch late 2012, with as many as six titles. Algonquin currently publishes about 20 to 25 adult titles annually. Howard said that, at least initially, the focus will be more on YA, but that depends on the manuscripts she sees. She would love to find “a great memoir.”

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As always, feel free to copy this link and pass it along to others. You may reprint information from this newsletter — all I ask is that you give me credit and include a link to this blog. Thank you! Cindi Myers