HARPER IMPULSE TAKING SUBMISSIONS

Harper Collins have a new brand called 'Harper Impulse' who will focus on Romance and they calling for Submissions e.g. novels, short stories, novellas etc so pass this on to your writer friends. 

This is what they say:

HarperCollins are launching a brand new romance imprint, and we are giving you the opportunity to submit your novel, novellas and short stories to us for consideration.

We are looking for new authors with fresh voices, strong storytelling abilities, original ideas and compelling storylines. So, if you believe your manuscript has these qualities, then we want to read it!

Successful manuscripts will be edited, designed, marketed and published digitally by HarperCollins under a new imprint. HarperCollins, Publisher of the Year 2012, has a long tradition of publishing high quality fiction by authors.

We’re seeking all kinds of adult and new adult romantic fiction for digital publication, but particularly contemporary, historical, new adult and erotic fiction as well as short form content.

If you have a manuscript to submit, follow these easy guidelines and move one step closer to making your dreams come true …

How To Submit A Manuscript To submit, e-mail us at romance@harpercollins.co.uk with your completed manuscript and the following information:

Your contact details

Genre

Approx length

A short synopsis

A little about you...

Submissions Guidelines

How long does my book need to be? We are looking for novels of any length!

Can I submit a manuscript that I am still working on? No. Please only submit full-length manuscripts that are completed and polished.

What font/margin/size should I use? Your manuscript needs to be double-spaced, readable, and submitted in MS Word format.

Can I submit more than one manuscript? Yes, you can send in more than one manuscript but you will need to submit each separately. If your work is a trilogy or series, please only submit the first manuscript.

Can I submit someone else’s material? No. The manuscript must be your own original work. If your manuscript is accepted, you will be asked to sign a declaration stating that it is all your own work.

Will you accept a manuscript even if the subgenre isn’t listed? Yes, we will consider other subgenres

I’m an agent. Should I use this to submit my client’s manuscript? Agents should pitch and submit projects in the usual fashion.

Can I submit if my manuscript is under consideration with another publisher? Yes. But please be upfront with us.

Do you accept manuscripts that have been previously published, including self-published? Yes, we will consider work that has been previously published if the author has retained full volume rights or had full volume rights revert to them. Please provide the publication details.

I have submitted my book to HarperCollins in the past and it has been declined. Can I resubmit? Yes. But it might be best to submit something fresh.

Which editor should I address my submission to? There is no need to specify an editor.

Will I be notified when my manuscript is submitted? Yes, you will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your submission. Please check your junk email filter for this automated email. If you do not receive an automatic response, please email us at romance@harpercollins.co.uk with the title and date of your submission.

How long will you take to respond? Due to the volume of submissions, we will only be able to contact you if your project is the right fit. If you have not received a response in three months time, unfortunately your project wasn’t right for our current list.

Will there be any feedback? We can’t guarantee feedback but we will try!

Will you publish my book into print? This is a digital first imprint – so whilst there is no guarantee there is a possibility that submissions will be published in print as well.

Does submission guarantee publication? No.  Once submitted, our editorial team will review your manuscript to determine if it is the right fit for our list.  If it is, we will contact you and you will be required to sign our standard publishing agreement before we proceed further.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarperImpulse

Email address: romance@harpercollins.co.uk

More info here.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/harperimpulse/how-to-submit-a-manuscript/518241241547417

And here.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/harperimpulse/submission-guidelines/518241354880739

I have created this checklist to ensure nothing is missed... get editing and good luck!

REVIEW LIST

I am receiving a lot of requests from authors, agents and publicists to review books. Please email airambooksie@gmail.com I can add you to my list but be warned if I don't like the book, I won't finish it and I won't write a shitty review. I will give feedback to the author but not post a review. 

I only post the reviews of books I like or have potential to improve with the help of a professional publisher as I review Indie Authors too. 

I have a review coming up for Fifty Shades of Grey as I promised Erica and being there from the beginning of Fanfiction.net where FSOG was 'Master of the Universe'... I am finally getting around to it. 

Also a review of an Indie Author who is about to self publish a collection of Short Stories and poems which are ideal for coffee breaks. 

I didn't get to submit my work to Harper Voyager during the call for submissions the October as I had my operation but they sent me a message when I came out of hosptial wishing me a speedy recovery and told me to concentrate on getting well as they will look at my Wattpad account instead. Thank you Harper Team!

WHICH WRITING SITE DO I RECOMMEND?

I have been using on-line writing sites since late 2009, anything from fanfiction.net, Authonomy, Booksie, Mibba, Webook, Quizilla and most recently Wattpad. People have been asking me which I would recommend and why... here goes nothing. This is my opinion, based on my personal experiences. 

Booksie and The Next Big Writer are one in the same as they are run by the same person. Big writer is a 'paid' service 'not free' like Booksie. I was fortunate to receive a publishing offer from them in relation to KISMET but declined as I would like a more established publisher. The offer was made due to the books popularity on the site so it is well worth you using them.

 Having said that, Booksie falls way behind its competitors, as it fails to keep up to date. It has been over a year since they had issues with uploading images, this is still not resolved and the server has lost work, reads, comments etc which they couldn't retrieve. It has really fell behind these past two years and I fear that it will just disappear off the internet at some point and writers who have work on there will be freaking out, so I have recommended to all my friends to save their work, if not on their computer then use Google+ or something similar. Don't expect help from the helpdesk as 'Booksie Guy' as he calls himself goes awol all the time. His attitude to users has made my jaw drop and was a huge reason I rarely use the site now. 

  

Authonomy is a great site but when I used it two years ago it was full of 'literacy snobs' who took great delight in telling me in over worded flowery comments that I am not a professional writer and never will be. I never professed to be and reminded them that they weren't either.

It was a bit of culture shock as I was used to other sites like Booksie where people either commented to say they liked your work or don't bother. I found people on this site a bit too short and curt in their critique and over keen with the red pen and 'CAPS LOCK'. If I had stayed on the site I would never have continued writing as they had me convinced I was totally shit and had no chance of developing my skills, let alone someone wanting to read my 'made up stories'. 

If there is a 'typo' in your work, they claim you have no editing skills or because you didn't describe a tree over the space of four paragraphs you are nor descriptive. If I wanted to write about a tree for a few paragraphs I would be writing a gardening book not a pirate series and since when are there trees in the sea? Not forgetting the comments berating me for writing a historical piece of fiction using modern day colloquialisms intermingled with historical essence, which is apparently against the writers guild law... who? 

The fact that is it marked as 'Very draft novel' was no safeguard to the sting in the tail of most wordsmiths on there, who are just waiting on Harper Collins to give them a book deal, as Harper give feedback to competition winners. I was told in no uncertain terms via comments from users that I would never win the feedback from them.

Within my first month on there, they were proven wrong. I had some brilliant feedback on the first book in the Pirate series 'Stowaway' from an 'Editor at Harper Collins'. She said it was a truly original piece and stopped her from reading other work, she didn't care it was draft as she had seen far worse submitted as finished pieces. She was drawn to my work after reading a negative comment from a 'jumped up twat' who berated every ones work in the hope of raising his own profile. I hadn't won feedback but I was being given it as she liked my story. She told me I had a gift for storytelling, it was refreshing to read, emotional and readers could relate to my characters even though they were from another time. I was to carry on as she would like to read the finished piece someday. It spurred me on and I left the site to save my pride getting battered by over inflated egos. 

In hindsight I was far too amateur for Authonomy, and looking back two years later, I am grateful to that lady from Harper (Julie, Janet or Jessica, sorry I can't remember the name) for telling me to continue with my hobby and ignore the literacy snobs as publishing and writing changes everyday along with peoples taste. Today one pirate book has turned into a four book series which is loved by all who read it, even in draft form. I had forgotten about her email until recently when Harper Voyager called for submissions and a 'professional author' told me about it. The lady at Harper probably doesn't even work there now and I can't find the email as I closed my account. >:O( but I know one day she will read the finished item and think 'ahhhh the pirate girl good on her for retreating, coming back stronger and proving them wrong'.

The other sites I mentioned like Quizilla just didn't grab me as a user, they were very teen or not offering me anything new. 








Mibba for instance was poorly managed and they even removed the close account button as everyone was leaving. You have to put a job on the helpdesk asking them to close your account! 





WeBook was just not suitable and I kept forgetting I had it. I wasn't getting any feedback or reads so decided to jack it in.

FanFiction.net was the site where I read 'Master of the Universe' which is now 'Fifty Shades of Grey', along side lots of other Twilight fan fiction. I found it as I wanted more Twilight and there wasn't any so I read about Fan Fiction and checked it out. There are some very talented fan fiction writers out there. it was very basic as a site, cut and paste and looks like a forum. I didn't stay on for long but I got to read, comment and chat back and forth via comments with people like Erica James about writing so when I see them getting a publishing deal I raise a glass of wine with pride as I know the journey they had getting there. They also remember me and are now nagging me to get a publishing deal. 


 I had initially joined in late 2010 but my work is 'Adult' and as such was not supported, which mean no reads or comments and defeated the objective. I started using Wattpad again in March 2012, as fans advised me it developed an RRated category where you could post your work. That is true but it is still not searchable or available to the public. RRated work is not allowed to enter the Watty Awards (their book awards and charts as only PG13 and below can enter). Any chapters that are considered too risqué are marked private by Wattpad and not the user, people have to become a fan to read your 'private work' as Wattpad have put a padlock on it.  Literally a little gold padlock appears on it. :O(

Life as an 'Adult' writer is not easy on Wattpad but their users base is mainly age 13 and up, no one wants to corrupt young minds... well I don't. There have been petitions to ask for the work to be searchable as users D.O.B. is used to create an account so it was suggested they could use that as a way to allow over 18's to access mature content but Wattpad are a Canadian based company and apparently Canadian law means that is not going to happen. Many writers either edit it down to PG13 or leave it RRated and get less reads. Wattpad have implemented a 'mature' button with it is no good unless you know the name of the book or author you are looking for, otherwise it comes up blank. I am sure they will improve it but for now RRated writers are at a disadvantage from others, not searchable, work marked private so people have to be fans to read it, can't enter awards and there is no other recognition for RRated writers on there.

Being an RRated writer isn't so bad.... I've still had more reads, votes and comments on Wattpad since March than I have in two or three years on the other sites. It is far more advanced and is like Facebook for writers. The team behind it are lovely, human and have a great moral compass which was lacking on other sites where I was concerned that young users were accessing material which I found shocking. Wattpad have wonderful user engagement and even arrange meetups around the world so readers and writers can meet each other and them. They have over 5 million users, 2.5 billion minutes are used on Wattpad a month which proves they are the worlds largest community for sharing and discovering stories.

As such I recommend Wattpad for all round general writing from G to PG13, Poetry, Short Stories and Novels. There are so many talented people on there making book covers, book trailers, let alone the readers and writers who make it worthwhile logging on everyday to escape into a world of imagination. You can even share between facebook, twitter etc and the helpdesk actually 'help' which is a godsend. 

If you are an adult writer e.g. Erotica I would recommend Booksie as Wattpad don't allow pornographic content. 

I hope this has helped and I will do a follow up piece of Wattpad to show why I chose it but this should help get you creating a free account. Why use Wattpad? It is a brilliant writing site, since March 2012 my work has received 732,317 reads, 11,065 votes, 2,446 comments, 1,388 fans! What you waiting for.... http://www.wattpad.com

MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN - FAN PAGE

I have set up a fan page for Marriage Made In Heaven (MMIH) on Facebook. This is due to an influx in comments and readers pleading for the sequel, plus I have decided to try to edit it read for submission to Harper Collins on 1st October. It is not going to be perfect but hey it is short notice!

This is a story with Angels, Demons, Human, Soul Scavengers, Harpee's etc.

A young woman called Liberty, engaged to be married starts to have reoccurring nightmares where she is being sacrificed. They are so vivid that she can recall every detail from being tied to the altar to falling into a grave. They always seem to happen around her birthday and each year they get a little bit longer and more terrifying. Until one year when she meets a handsome stranger at a night club the nightmares become reality.

A world she assumed was fantasy became all too real and she discovered that things really do go bump in the night. Injured during a rescue she lies dying surrounded by the angels and inadvertently completes a marriage ceremony with her guardian angel Ethan.

Marriage between angels and humans is taboo! She no longer just has to worry about dying, she has to worry about his father and the scavenger who has come to steal her soul! No one can tell her why she so important to the demons or how the hell she can get out of this marriage!

She learns very quickly that not all Angels are 'fluffy winged do gooders'... and why for the love of god did someone not tell her how powerful the 'call to consummate' is! (Adult content)

If you want to join the group here is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/203285419803728/

I also have Fan Pages for:

Pirate Series https://www.facebook.com/groups/471105882901810/

Kismet https://www.facebook.com/groups/344902798921007/

Love is in the Heir https://www.facebook.com/groups/237461133041983/

SEXY NEW PAPERBACK - THE DARK HEROINE - ABIGAIL GIBBS

Harper Voyager Books - Show off Paperback of The Dark Heroine By Abigail Gibbs
Sexy Book Alert!!! The dark edge of these pages match it contents. 

Kaspar may sound like a friendly Ghost but far from it. He bites... literally! 

A shimmering silver sticker to entice the reader with promises of naughty business!

Face it, it will look so pretty in your book collection.

The cover art is understated, two tone with an appropriate splash of 'blood red' that will make you look cool wherever you chose to read it. 

Plus you are supporting a young writer embarking on a career. 

The writer may be young but her writing isn't. Like this rose... her writing has colour, depth, character, velvety tones to seduce a reader and yes there are a couple of pricks in it but that's life... or in this case death. He's a sexy prick!

Download The Dark Heroine on e-book now, at the introductory price of only £1.99 (price rising to £2.99 on Monday, September 24th 2012)

Amazon.co.uk

Waterstones.com

Apple iBookstore

Or if you are after one of the gorgeous paperback editions with the sprayed edges, they will be a high street (WH Smith and Waterstones) exclusive from 11 October 2012.*

*The paperback will of course be available to buy wherever books are sold, but sprayed edges editions will only be available through WH Smiths and Waterstones in-store.

HARPER VOYAGER CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 1-14th OCTOBER 2012

http://harpervoyagerbooks.com/2012/09/12/call-for-submissions-harper-voyager-announces-global-digital-publishing-opportunity-2/

Fans have suggested that I submit some of my books during this call but I don't think they are 'polished' enough. Here is what Harper Voyager are calling for if you are interested in submitting your own:

Call for Submissions: Harper Voyager Announces Global Digital Publishing Opportunity

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Yes, it’s true! We are delighted to announce an exciting joint venture that will offer talented aspiring writers the chance to join our global science fiction and fantasy imprint.

The submission portal, www.harpervoyagersubmissions.com, will be open from the 1^st to the 14^th of October 2012. The manuscripts will then be read and those most suited to the global Harper Voyager list will be selected jointly by editors in the USA, UK and Australia.  Accepted submissions will benefit from the full publishing process: accepted manuscripts will be edited; and the finished titles will receive online marketing and sales support in World English markets.

Voyager will be seeking an array of adult and young adult speculative fiction for digital publication, but particularly novels written in the epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, dystopia and supernatural genres. Submission guidelines and key information can be found atwww.harpervoyagersubmissions.com.

The submissions and digital publications are a joint, global effort by Harper Voyager, spearheaded by Deputy Publishing Director Emma Coode in the United Kingdom, Associate Publisher Deonie Fiford in Australia, and Executive Editor Diana Gill in the United States. The three editors note that: “No other publishing company has done a coordinated submission period for unagented authors across three continents, and all of us at Harper Voyager and at HarperCollins Publishers are absolutely thrilled to be launching this huge opportunity. We look forward to discovering and digitally publishing many new exciting voices globally at Harper Voyager.”

Please check our guidelines at www.harpervoyagersubmissions.com, prepare your manuscripts (revise and polish!), and get ready to submit between 1 October 2012 and 14 October 2012!

Harper Voyager Digital Submissions Press Release

Harper Voyager Guidelines for Digital Submission – Accepting Manuscripts from October 1st – October 14th, 2012!

Keen to become a Harper Voyager author? Here’s your chance to join the imprint that publishes some of the biggest names in fantastic fiction—George R. R. Martin, Kim Harrison, Raymond E. Feist, Robin Hobb, Richard Kadrey, Sara Douglass, Peter V. Brett and Kylie Chan—to name but a few.

For the first time in over a decade, Harper Voyager are opening the doors to unsolicited submissions in order to seek new authors with fresh voices, strong storytelling abilities, original ideas and compelling storylines. So, if you believe your manuscript has these qualities, then we want to read it!

We’re seeking all kinds of adult and young adult speculative fiction for digital publication, but particularly epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, dystopia and supernatural. For more idea of the type of books we love to read and publish, check out our authors and their titles atwww.harpervoyagerbooks.com

Submissions for digital originals will be open for a limited two-week period from 1^st to the 14^th of October, 2012.

So, follow these easy guidelines and move one step closer to making your dreams come true …

How To Submit A Manuscript

To submit, go to www.harpervoyagersubmissions.com and follow the instructions to fill out the form and upload your manuscript.

Due to time constraints, we will not be able to respond to every query. If you do not receive a response after three months, unfortunately that means your story is not right for us this time.

Submissions FAQ

How long does my book need to be?
We are looking for full-length manuscripts only. A full-length manuscript needs to be more than 70,000 words, and ideally we are looking for manuscripts between 80,000–120,000 words.

Can I submit a manuscript that I am still working on?
No. Please only submit full-length manuscripts that are completed and polished.

What font/margin/size should I use?
Your formatting choices are up to you. As long as your manuscript is double-spaced and readable, it’s acceptable. We prefer Word or RTF, and legible, sans-serif fonts.

Can I submit more than one manuscript?
Yes, you can enter more than one manuscript but you will need to fill out the form at www.harpervoyagersubmissions.com for each submission separately. If your work is a trilogy or series, please only submit the first manuscript.

Can I submit someone else’s material?
No. The manuscript must be your own original work.

Will you accept a manuscript even if the subgenre isn’t listed?
Yes, on the submission form, choose “other” and write in your subgenre.

I’m an agent. Should I use this to submit my client’s manuscript?
No, this submission form is for authors only. Agents should pitch and submit projects in the usual fashion.

Can I submit if my manuscript is under consideration with another publisher? 
No. Manuscripts that are being considered by other publishers are not eligible for submission.

Do you accept manuscripts that have been previously published, including self-published?
Yes, we will consider work that has been previously published if the author has retained full volume rights or had full volume rights revert to them. Please provide the publication details.

I have submitted my book to Harper Voyager in the past and it has been declined. Can I resubmit?
If a manuscript has previously been submitted and declined for Harper Voyager, please do not resubmit unless it has been extensively rewritten. You are welcome to submit other works, however.

Which editor should I address my submission to?
There is no need to specify an editor. Your submission will be read by the global Voyager team in Australia, UK and US.

Will I be notified when my manuscript is submitted?
Yes, you will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your submission. Please check your junk email filter for this automated email. If you do not receive an automatic response, please email us atvoyagersubmissions@harpercollins.com with the title and date of your submission.

How long will you take to respond?
Due to the volume of submissions, we will only be able to contact you if your project is the right fit. If you have not received a response in three months time, unfortunately your project wasn’t right for our current list.

Will there be any feedback?
Unfortunately due to the volume of submissions we will not be able to provide individual feedback or comments on submissions.

Can I submit my manuscript after the deadline?
We will be accepting submissions between 1^st to the 14^th of October, 2012. Unfortunately at the moment we cannot accept any late or early submissions outside of these times.

Will you publish my book into print?
We are looking primarily for e-only titles. There is the possibility that submissions will be published in print as well.

Frequently Asked Questions about Harper Voyager Digital 

Why is Harper Voyager embarking upon a digital publishing program? Why now?
We believe the timing is perfect for Harper Voyager to publish digitally. We’ve already been publishing digital originals from our existing Harper Voyager authors, and are thrilled to expand this wider to welcome new authors and voices to Harper Voyager. The growth of eReaders and e-books have created an exciting new opportunity that allows us to begin increasing the number and diversity of our speculative fiction list. And speculative fiction readers are the most savvy early adopters so we’re keen to provide our readers with the best ebooks possible.

How is the Harper Voyager digital list different from Harper Voyager Books? 
Harper Voyager has a long history of publishing fantastic speculative fiction, including authors like Robin Hobb, Ray Feist, George R.R. Martin, Kim Harrison, Kylie Chan, Richard Kadrey, Fiona McIntosh, Peter Brett and Sara Douglass: our editorial staff and sales/marketing/publicity force are highly respected, and Harper Voyager authors benefit from those existing talents, platforms, and relationships.

The Voyager digital list is growing from our existing publishing program. We’re always looking for ways to grow our authors in a marketplace rife with new opportunity. We see the digital list as a fantastic opportunity to find exciting new writers and reach more readers than ever before.

Our enthusiastic editorial team acquires content for both our print and digital lists and are passionate genre fans. The Harper Voyager digital lists offer similar benefits to authors as the print list: each Harper Voyager e-book will receive a distinctive cover treatment. Authors will receive the benefit of editorial structural and copyediting advice from experienced editors. During the publication cycle, the books will receive support from Harper Voyager’s marketing and publicity professionals; and the e-books will benefit from our proven, strong relationships with all e-book channels and online retailers.

How many titles per month will you release? 
Currently, we are looking to acquire enough content to release a new Harper Voyager digital title each month.

Where will Harper Voyager’s digital titles be sold? Will Harper Voyager e-books be distributed globally?
Every Harper Voyager digital contract will include World English language distribution, so we can deliver these e-books everywhere around the world where English-language novels are sold.

Our Harper Voyager e-books will be available at every e-retailer, and readers will be able to download them onto every portable reading device and platform sold today … and tomorrow, too.

What is the submission process? Where can I find the Submission Guidelines? 
All non-agented manuscripts should be submitted atwww.harpervoyagersubmissions.com. Please note the detailed instructions on submission guidelines before sending your documents electronically.

You can find our submission guidelines atwww.harpervoyagersubmissions.com as well.

What types of submissions is Harper Voyager interested in? 
Voyager is looking for authors with a fresh voice, strong storytelling abilities, original ideas and a compelling storyline. If you believe your manuscript has these qualities, then we want to see it!

We’re actively seeking speculative fiction genres, especially epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, dystopia, supernatural and YA.

Can existing Harper Voyager authors also submit to Harper Voyager digital? 
Of course!

If a debut author is published under the Harper Voyager digital imprint; is there a chance to be published in print as well? 
Yes, there is the possibility that submissions will be published in print as well.

Will my work be copyrighted? 
Each title receives individual copyright, retained by the author, as is the norm for all Harper Voyager titles.

Is Harper Voyager publishing fiction only? 
Yes, we are only looking for speculative fiction manuscripts.

Will manuscripts be edited and copyedited before publishing? 
Yes. Just as with our print titles, each Harper Voyager digital project will be assigned to an individual Voyager editor, and will go through a comprehensive content and copyediting process.

Will Harper Voyager titles benefit from Voyager Publicity and Marketing? 
Yes. We will support our digital Harper Voyager titles with comprehensive publicity/marketing campaigns, marketing each title, using the digital landscape to strongly support this fantastic line of digital-first publications.

Is Digital Harper Voyager a Custom/Vanity Publisher? 
No. In acquiring for Harper Voyager digital, we carefully curate submissions and edit accepted manuscripts in the same fashion as all of our Harper Voyager titles. The digital list will benefit from Voyager’s editorial, marketing, publicity and sales platforms. And getting all these services at no cost to the author is the benefit of publishing with Harper Voyager.

Our digital original submission period is only open from 1 October through 14 October, 2012, so visit www.harpervoyagersubmissions.com and move one step closer to your Voyager dreams.

REVIEW THIS PUBLISHERS EMAIL TO WRITER

A writer friend of mine asked for my advice on this email she received from a publisher. Should she send them a submission or not? 

My advice was 'No'. What do you think?

Thank you so much for requesting to find out more about (Name removed)  If you have not submitted your manuscript for review yet, then that’s the first thing you should do in this process!  Once we have had a chance to review it, you will be contacted with more info and detail about the process.  Please submit your text as an attachment to me at (email removed) and we will get it reviewed for possible publication.

(Name removed) is the only full-royalty mainline publisher (we are not a self publisher in any way) still considering unsolicited submissions let alone placing resources in an unknown or first-time author's work.

(Name removed) does not charge a fee for publishing and absorbs all the cost of production and distribution of a book (nearly $30,000 per title).  However, we do require any author who signs with us to have full-time professional book marketing and publicist representation. (Outside professional publicists cost anywhere from $18,000 - $120,000 per year.)

If you are currently not working with a publicist then you do have the option to work with our publicity firm that we have on retainer for the life of your contract. They charge $20,000 per year, but we will absorb the cost for that as well. You are simply required to pay a one-time initial set-up fee for this publicist of $3,990. All of that information will be explained to you thoroughly if in fact your book is accepted for publication, but do let us know if you have any questions at this time.

If you are under 18, we must have a signed document on file from your parents stating that they allow you to pursue publication with (Name removed).  Once the document is on file, any future business will be transacted through the parent.

If you have any specific questions about submitting your manuscript, please email me anytime!!

I look forward to receiving your manuscript for review and I will be in touch with you in much more detail at that time. Thank you so much! We are excited to be in the process with you!!!!

Book Review - The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire

As a follow on from my previous post where I introduced you all to Abigail Gibbs... 
http://airambooksie.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/publishing-deal-for-wattpad-writer.html

Here is a quick review. 

The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire... is a story where a young girl goes out with her mates for a night on the town in order to drown her sorrows. She sits by the fountain to rest her sore feet, curse at her high heels and pine over the cheating ex boyfriend. In the meantime her mates go get some chips or a kebab around the corner... typical weekend for a girl of her age. Only problem is that whilst sitting there she witnesses something she shouldn't and having drank a fair bit she doesn't quite believe her eyes. She thinks it another weekend where a bunch of pissed up morons have a scrap in Trafalgar Square, it happens. She tries to stay in the shadows and silent so as not to get caught up in it, a bit like when a drunk guy comes up to you at the end of a night swaying all over the place like a drunk Elvis and wants to serenade/seduce you... it never ends well. She soon realises that throats being ripped out, bodies strewn everywhere is not a punch up and that the pale guys drinking the blood are not anaemic! Has her drink been spiked? No... the only spikes are those in the dead men's hands. 

She is kidnapped by Vampires! Cool already... right. 

Why she was not killed, is not only a confusion to her, but also to the heartless Vamp who just proved that he has no qualms in committing mass murder, in fact he finds it a delightful hobby. A bit like a football hooligan out on the beer with his mates! He has no idea why he didn't just break her neck or drained her but something stopped him. It plays on his mind as he locks her up in his family mansion. Yup, he's rich! He lords his power over her and although she pretends to have balls of steel and a mouth so sharp it puts his fangs to shame, she is still not killed. 

Eventually she become a political prisoner as they discover who her father is. Kaspar drives her insane like a boy pulling your pig tails at school, he delights in tormenting her. Throw in the next hot vamp with a heart of gold. We have a triangle. The 'love to hate you' of Kaspar is the exact opposite of the relationship Fabian has with Violet. In the meantime, Kaspar the 'manwhore' is off poking more than his fangs into whatever he can lay his hands on. 

Come forward in time and the book has you willing the serial killing, kidnapper, to win her heart and not the smushy guy.... wait is that even rational? This book has given me a medical disorder... Stolkholm Syndrome. (Does this mean I get a week off work?)

Sex plays a big part in this book, as does blood lust... which takes me to the part where 'you' the reader may want him to win her heart, but he doesn't. Yeah he wants to seduce her and drain her blood like every other girl with tits and a pulse (pulse optional), but he doesn't give a flying 'hoo har' about her. Lust is a big part of being a vamp. The countless sleepless nights of him proving that, noisily, through the bedroom walls with various conquests only annoy Violet even more to the point where she sets about planning to sabotage his 'lust life'.

The book has politics, a history, dimensions, ballroom dancing, costumes, sex, blood, cars, and characters galore who are each as individual as the next. You get to hear the inner dialogue of the character all the time, dependant on which point of view the writer is using. There are not many writers who like to chop and change POV for their characters, as writing in first and second can be confusing for reader.  As such, a writer may naturally back away and stick to one tried and tested method. However, the author of this novel achieves the switch quite successfully, yes there was the odd moment where I had to stop and take my bearings, as the switch was too quick for me to realise, but they were few and far between. It may also have been my own fault for trying to race ahead to the next 'face off' between the characters.  

You slip between 'Violet' and 'Kaspar' view point, from chapter to chapter quite easily, it gives the story a wider scope and there is also a reason for this writing choice towards the end of the book. How many novels are written where an author receives a request from readers to give the male perspective? Loads! If you are a looking for escapism into a book that is fun, young adult and fiction, then this is a good choice. 

I've only given you a taster of what the book contains in the first few chapters. The author is very descriptive, sometimes overly, but nothing I couldn't speed read through. I got sick of Kaspar calling Violet 'girly' I would have ripped my own throat open just to escape that if I were his hostage, but young adults will love that term of endearment.  

I would recommend this book for mature teens and up, as even grown women like me who just want to escape into a book and have a good perv at a vamp will love it. The author may be young but her writing is not. Well done Girly. (Damn... get out of my mind Kaspar... did I mention they are physic?)

If I could match a song to this book.... 

Getting ready to publish - KISMET

Those of you who follow me on FB, Twitter and Wattpad etc will know that I am in the process of editing KISMET ready for publishing. 

Having received several publishing offers for KISMET I decided to go down the Self Publishing route as I didn't feel that the offers were of a high enough standard. Plus they were unable to offer me anything I am not already doing for myself. 

I have been asked to share an offer so people can gauge what 'an offer' looks like and why I refused. * Please note this is not the worst offer I have received but it is a good example of what I look for and the reason for turning down the offer. At this point I had already asked this publisher what they could offer me that I can't do for myself via Create a Space etc.... this was their reply.

An offer: 

(publisher name removed) is a rapidly growing full fledged publishers of ebooks. We concentrate on publishing the best of the books and the most popular that we find across the Internet. You can indeed choose to publish by yourself via CreateSpace or one of the other publishing services, but we bring a lot to the table. When you sign with us, we bring a team of professionals who have experience creating and marketing paperback and ebooks. You are no longer working alone to achieve success. Every book we publish receives the following, free of charge (we do not charge authors for any publishing services).

• Professional cover and interior design
• Full book editing
• Marketing support before and after launch.

I'm interested in Kismet to start. If you are interested in discussing this further, can you send me your latest draft of Kismet. We will read it over and decide from there. In the meantime, we're happy to answer any further questions you have.

Full book editing:

I am more than capable of editing my own work and have loyal fans who check it for typos whilst getting a sneak peak. Plus the publishers site was only a free web template they were populating and was littered in typos and poor formatting so my faith in their eagle eye was shattered. The last thing I want is to publish a book, charge the reader and find out it has typos... I know loads do e.g. Harry Potter but I want to be as perfect, professional and polished as possible. 

Professional Cover and Interior Design:

I design my own cover art, not the best but compared to what was on their site... god it was appalling and made me feel sorry for the authors to have such amateur cover art on their work. It was never going to jump off the shelf at a reader screaming 'read me', instead it would make them grimace and reach for their sunglasses as they were either very garish or bland. Plus as previously mentioned the site was poorly formatted so 'interior design' and attention to detail was not their strong point.

Marketing and Support before and after the launch:

I'd never heard of the books or authors on their sites so that goes to show how well their marketing and promotion techniques fair. I researched the authors and was still none the wiser. They later offered to help me get into the Amazon book charts and reviewed on Goodreads etc. I can get myself on to Amazon at the click of a button and I am already on Goodreads. 

On-line Popularity:

They pointed out that they were making the offer based on my on-line popularity and had stated in the initial email that I had received over a million reads on-line and had a loyal fan base. Yes, that is my hard work for the past three years so why should I let you jump on the band wagon? If I had a £1 for each of those reads I wouldn't be eating beans on toast for dinner again and panicking about where the money is going to come from to pay the rent next month... so I will publish myself :O)

Free service: 

Some publishers seemed to think that their biggest selling point is that they were not going to charge for their services. Now remember nothing comes for free! You are signing a contract to give them 50-50 on all sales etc. They are getting half of what you earn!

Research:

Check out every offer. Not only their history or success as a publisher (as highlighted above) but include their financial history. You can check that out through Companies House etc. You will soon discover if they have owned several other companies, declared themselves bankrupt, bad debter or if they have just failed to do their returns. 

Publisher in your own Country:

It is often advised that you should sign with a publisher in your own country. However, reading is worldwide, the internet is possibly beaming your books to aliens ;o) and whilst it is ideal to have someone close I don't think it is a deal breaker. I know a few writing friends who have signed outside of their country and it hasn't been a problem as they use email, skype etc to hold any meetings.

Sending them the full draft novel:

They asked me to send them the latest draft of KISMET for them to review. My work is on-line and they are apparently expressing an offer of interest based on that. I would have assume they had read it. (Nope they just looked at the popularity and made the offer). They now want me to email them a copy so basically they have a word document they can do with as they please... I'll let another author tell you the response to this offer! 

My choice to self publish:

Having had far too many of these offers in my email box, and fans wanting to own a copy of KISMET, I decided to ask writing buddies if I should take the plunge and self publish. Here is one reply which also has some advice for anyone else looking into it. 

so I decided to take a month out and just edit. 

Editing:

I lasted two weeks out of the month before my eyeballs went on strike and document blindness became a disability. I took a few days off and came back fresh. I'm still not as far ahead as I hoped to be as I find myself wanting to rewrite large sections. Adding flesh to the bones is a task that can sometimes take 3 days for one chapter. What I decided to do was ask fans to fill out a questionnaire and give feedback which they have embraced and in the meantime I am still editing but will use this feedback to review the book before I hit publish on Amazon.

Fan Questionnaire:

1  How did you discover this story and what made you read it?
2.    What was your experience?
3.    Are there any scenes you would like embellished?
4.    Any back story you would like filled for the publication?
5.    Favourite character/s?
6.    Favourite scene/s?
7.    Favourite quote/s?
8.    Most shocking moment/s?
9.    Cutest moment/s?
10.  Sexiest moment/s?
11.  Anything else about this story you would like other readers to know about?
12.  How many stars would you give it out of 5 in a book review and why?
Write a recommendation: 

I will be using the recommendation later for something very cool. I am also posting their replies on Wattpad and dedicating it to them so it appears on their profile. As such there other sections of the questionnaire which asks 'about you', if they a writer (they can share their links), a reader (who are their favourites), how did they discover Wattpad (how do they find the service) and what they enjoy about my reading etc. It is a very cute project which allows me to 'give back' to fans before I remove my work due to publication. They have been absolutely 'Fan'tastic in the past few years and are looking forward to owning this novel so I best get back to it!

How to become a publisher:

All you need to do to become a publisher is chose a name, open up a business account at the bank and register as a limited company. It is very simple. That is what I suspect a large number of new publishers have be doing. They then scour on-line for fresh talent and offer to publish them which means they put their work on Amazon or Smashwords but obtain 50% of their profit etc. 

I've set up my own company called MLC Publishing... I checked it out via Companies House and it was available. I designed my own logo in two minutes flat and set up a bank account ready for publishing KISMET. Job done. Time taken one day. Cost £20. 

So lets see how I get on from here! Eeeeek it's getting nearer to being a reality. 

I will say one thing though editing is slimming I've lost 9lb in two weeks. (Not that you can tell but hey!)