Submitting to Phaze
See our Frequently Asked Questions for details on some guidelines.

Thank you for your interest in Phaze Books. We are looking for submissions for mid-2010 and beyond. General submission guidelines follow the special calls.

Special Call for M/M Steampunk Anthology - title TBA

Edited by: Leigh Ellwood
Projected release date: late 2010

Hey, all you steampunk enthusiasts, grab your goggles and get to writing! Phaze Books is planning an all M/M (and bi-M menage) steampunk collection for eBook publication in 2010. If you have a yen for 19th century history with a touch of good humor and technological innovation (and a whole lot of manlove!), we hope you'll send us your hottest steampunk erotic romance of 10K - 20K words. If you're not sure about the genre, check out this Wikipedia entry for steampunk to get an idea of the style of stories we're looking for. Think H.G. Wells or Wild Wild West, then turn up the steam factor with an incredible M/M or MMF/MMM match-up!

This call is open indefinitely until the spots are filled. Contributors will offer one-time electronic and print rights to their works and receive a one-time payment of $50 and contributors' copies (eBook and/or print, if the book goes to print).

To submit to this anthology, please follow the Phaze Books structural guidelines (below) and attach your RTF document to Leigh Ellwood, c/o Phaze Books at submissions @ phaze (dot) com. Please use STEAMPUNK ANTHOLOGY is your subject header.

Open Calls - Urban Phaze, Phaze Rocks, and Phaze Scores!

Urban Phaze:

So tell us, what is your favorite location for a passionate fantasy? Do you dream of slow, eternal kisses in Times Square on New Year's Eve, or would you like to snuggle with your lover in the dunes of a secluded Honolulu beach? Does the idea of doing it on the Eiffel Tower grab you, or maybe a tryst in an elegant suite overlooking the Chicago skyline?

You might say we like a bit of travel with our sex. We'd wouldn't mind christening each of the fifty states, and we hope you feel the same way.

Get on the Phaze map!

We are looking for steaming hot stories to include in this line - contemporary-set erotic romance (sub and cross-genres okay), set in a major metropolitan city. The entire tale must take place in that setting and feature somewhat significantly in the story.

So, take us someplace nice, and make sure we never want to leave! Duplicate city submissions are fine, because we plan to group city stories into print anthologies.

Please see our submissions guidelines for formatting and detailed dos and don'ts. When you submit in RTF format, please include Urban Phaze- [NAME OF CITY] in your subject line. Urban Phaze will remain an indefinite open call until we decide to close it. So get your pens and passports to work! Minimum word count: 10K

Phaze Rocks!

Turn it on, turn it up, and tune out everything else with hot stories of passion and romance...inspired by the music that touches our souls (and other places!) Each story is song unto itself, titled after a favorite Top 40 hit, metal ballad, or sultry country ditty.

Get on the Phaze Hot 100 charts!

We are looking for steaming hot stories to include in this line -all genres accepted - titled with a popular song. The story need not be based on the song title of your choice, though if you happen to find a favorite artist or band is your muse, we'll certainly take a look, or listen! So whether you're into classic rockers like the Beatles or Rolling Stones, savvy R&B vocalists like Outkast or Beyonce, or into the rocking hair bands of the 80s, let the music move you to write.

(Note: if you haven't figured it out, stories must be original. We like the fan fiction about rock bands, but we don't publish it.)

Please see our submissions guidelines for formatting and detailed dos and don'ts. When you submit in RTF format, please include Phaze Rocks in your subject line. Minimum word count: 10K.

Phaze Scores!

Got game? Get on the scoreboard! Phaze Books is looking for sizzling erotic romances set on the playing field. Whether your game is basketball or baseball, hockey or golf, if you have a love match to share we want to read it. The action doesn't have to take place entirely on the field, but each submission must have a sports setting. Minimum word count: 10K.

Please see our submissions guidelines for formatting and detailed dos and don'ts. When you submit in RTF format, please include Phaze Scores in your subject line.

STANDARD SUBMISSIONS TO PHAZE

We are looking for erotic, romantic works, between 10,000 and 80,000 words (we will consider works as high as 100K, though mainly from in-house authors) in every subgenre, including but not limited to:

• Contemporary and Romantic Comedy
• Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
• BDSM
• Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual
• Menage
• Interracial and Multicultural
• Paranormal and Urban Fantasy
• Steampunk and Cyberpunk
• Vampires, Werewolves and Shifters

We especially would like to see:

• Strong, passionate, intelligent characters
• Intense sensual tension and situations
• Well-defined, well-executed romantic plot that illustrates the mutual relationship between two to four central characters (the romantic unit) and which includes plenty of opportunity for erotic exploration and variety.
• Conflict to create the tension and move the plot
• Expressive language that is explicit, yet appropriate to the story

We do not want to see:

• Bestiality (By 'beast' we mean any non-intelligent, non-reasoning being)
• Pedophilia. None—Period.
• Necrophilia or anything close
• Bodily waste products
• Incest/Twincest
• Underage characters in sexual situations
• Serious injury, rape, or snuff portrayed in a positive light
• Hate literature and positive portrayal of negative stereotypes

Overall, the work must meet our publication criteria for high standards of excellence. The author must show true talent for telling a story, and telling it in an erotic, sensual way.

PUBLISHING RIGHTS

Your submission must have electronic (eBook) and print rights (paperback) available. If any of these rights are not available, please do not submit. Presently we will only consider original works by potential new authors. We are considering reprints only by in-house authors.

FORMATTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT

• Your manuscript must be in Microsoft Word or RTF (Rich/Revisable Text Format) document.
• WPS and other formats are NOT accepted. Please do not paste your work in the body of an e-mail.
• Use only Courier New or Times New Roman 10 point font.
• Double space your manuscript. Use your word processor's double spacing functionality, do not add hard returns inside the paragraph and do not add extra paragraph returns between paragraphs.
• Use italics for any text that is to be italicized--NEVER use bold and italics at the same time.
• Margins should be 1 inch all around.
• No embedded images. Many eBook formats do not support embedded images.
• For scene breaks, insert four asterisks with spaces (* * * *) on a line by itself, then begin your new paragraph on the next line.

SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT

We only accept electronic submissions as an e-mail cover letter with two file attachments. You must send all required information to be considered for publication. Partial submissions will be returned with a request to send a completed submission.

The Subject Line must be marked like this: Submission--title-of-novel. The Body of your e-mail cover letter must contain the following information:

• Your full (real) name.
• Your (good, reliable, and current) e-mail address.
• Your snail-mail address.
• Your phone number.
• The exact title of your book.
• The name you want on your book (pen name or real name).
• Approximate number of words (not number of pages).
• One short paragraph synopsis describing the novel.

Attach the complete manuscript as a separate Microsoft Word® or RTF-format file. File name must be title-of-your-novel.rtf (or .doc). Include nothing else in the file name. On the first page of your manuscript, at the top, you must have the following information:

• Your full (real) name.
• Your (good, reliable, and current) e-mail address.
• Your snail-mail address.
• Your phone number.
• The exact title of your book.
• The name you want on the book (pen name or real name).
• Approximate number of words (not number of pages).

Attach the following supporting material as a separate Microsoft Word® or RTF-format file.

• Synopsis describing what the novel is about (no limit, but should be concise and precise).
• Chapter-by-chapter outline. Tell us what happens in each chapter with a sentence or two.
• A short biography of you with notation of other published works, awards, etc.
• Your promotion/marketing plan for your book. Phaze does offer promotion services to authors, but authors are encourage to market themselves and their works.
• Sending your website link is also helpful if you have one (not required).

Note: We NEVER release ANY personal information to third parties. All information you provide is kept in-house for the processing of your submission.

You will be sent an acknowledgement when your submission is received, usually within 24 to 48 hours. The estimated time when you can expect an answer from us as to whether your novel has been accepted is usually within 120 days, however due to fluctuations in submissions, the time could be shorter or longer. If you have not heard from us after 120 days, please feel free to send an inquiry. Make sure to include your book title and other information in any queries so we can readily identify you.

Phaze Books is a traditional publisher. There are no costs to the author if your manuscript is accepted; we pay all the costs for ISBN, Books-in-Print registration, typesetting, artwork, cover design, editing, printing, production, sales, distribution, etc. You will be responsible for copyright costs ($30 plus two copies of your book) since you hold the copyright in your name. We have the forms and instructions available to help you get your work copyrighted. It is not necessary that your work be copyrighted prior to submission, but you should get your work copyrighted prior to publication.

We do not pay advances, but royalties are paid on the net amount of each sale concluded within each sale concluded within each month. The author receives a royalty statement outlining sales information, along with the royalty check.

Should you have any additional questions, please contact us at submissions (at) phaze (dot) com.