Submissions FAQs
WE ARE OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
Please read full submissions guidelines (below the FAQ) BEFORE submitting...
We do NOT accept currently published books. This includes with another publisher and/or self-published. Your book cannot be available for sale anywhere on the web.
Submissions email: extasybooks@gmail.com
WE ARE OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
We are a full-service royalty paying eBook Publisher, which includes: Editing, Final line editing, and proofreading, Cover art, ISBN number, and Digital publishing; print and audio are a possibility, but not guaranteed. Our standard contract is three years and for worldwide English digital rights that hold print and/or audio until we opt to release those particular rights after a set time. For ebooks, we pay 40% royalties received from sales monthly on the home site, and split quarterly on third parties; all paid via PayPal.
We do NOT accept manuscripts (MS) with blatant/obvious grammar and editing issues. Manuscripts should be critiqued and polished prior to submitting.
We do NOT accept currently published books; anywhere on the web is considered published. This includes with another publisher and/or self-published. Your book cannot be available anywhere on the web.
We do NOT accept simultaneous submissions; this means sent to more than just us.
We do NOT accept porn; this is sex for the sake of sex or a series of sex scenes; we want a complete story.
We do NOT accept autobiographies, biographies, or any stories based on real lives.
We do NOT accept underage sex (sex with/around minors; minors are under 18). Please note, students in high school are most likely underage and therefore cannot have sex on the page in a book.
We do NOT accept incest in any form; this includes stepsiblings—especially those who keep calling each other brother/sister/cousin/etc.
We do NOT accept molestation/cruelty/abuse of children, animals or unwilling participants.
We do NOT accept rape; even if the participant starts to enjoy it after a few strokes, any resistance can be and often is considered rape.
We do NOT accept BDSM that results in actual physical damage.
We do NOT accept bestiality: shifters are not animals but are intelligent beings.
We do NOT accept necrophilia: vampires are not dead bodies but are living thinking beings.
We do NOT accept strangulation/suffocation as part of the sex act (includes self-inflicted or otherwise).
We do NOT accept golden showers/any act containing the use of feces.
We do NOT accept rape or incest fantasies because we do not accept rape or incest; see above.
*** FAQ ***
Q. Do I need an agent to submit to eXtasy or Devine?
A. No, you do not.
Q. What is your turnaround response time for submissions?
A. A careful reading of all submissions takes time, but we will endeavor to respond within four weeks. If, after four weeks, you haven’t received a response, please email us.
Q. You rejected my work, would you be interested in seeing a re-write?
A. This will be discussed at time of rejection. If we feel that the story has potential, then we will say so and offer you the chance to resubmit once you have re-written it. We will not consider work—whatever the potential—if it is poorly written, has spelling and grammatical mistakes or other writing flaws (POV slips or purple prose, or whatever) because this work will require substantial editing and we do not have the time to teach you the craft. If you want to write professionally, you have to learn the craft. Editors in every top publishing house do not rewrite books, they edit books.
We at eXtasy and Devine are proud of the reputation we have earned for the quality of both our novels and shorter works. This doesn't happen by accident.
Q. What is the minimum word count for a new author to submit for the first time?
A. 15,000 words.
Q. Do you accept simultaneous submissions?
A. No.
Q. What is the required heat level?
A. Please look at our flame clarification. Two flames or less would be suitable for Devine where we also publish YA books; neither of which have sex. eXtasy is anything three flames and up.
Q. Can I use my own cover art?
A. No. We work with highly trained, professional artists to create a cover that reflects your genre/theme in order to best sell your book.
Q. Will my book be edited?
A. Your book will be assigned to an editor. Once the two of you are satisfied, you will receive a galley for a final look-see. Once satisfied with that, a proofreader will do a final scan.
Q. How long before my story is published?
A. We cannot give you a set timeframe. Each author and work are unique. Some work may require more editing than others, or there may be ‘glitches’ in the process beyond our control. No author favoritism will influence the process. Simply put, depending on the length of the manuscript, the intensity of editing, turn in of all required information and information forms, 120 days from contract to release is a general guideline.
Q. I have a book that has been previously published. Can I submit it to eXtasy or Devine?
A. Yes, provided that you hold all the rights to the story. We will need proof of this at the time of submitting the proposal. We would also like to know why you want a second chance with this book. e.g., did you find that it didn’t sell well (if so, why?—e.g., was it submitted to the ‘wrong’ publisher and promoted in the wrong market. How would you promote it differently?) Did the publisher go out of business? Works that have been accepted for a specific market may not find a home in eXtasy without substantial rewriting. It might be easier to write a new book. However, if you feel that the book is worth the effort and a second chance, then we will consider it via the usual submission process, but the editor-in-chief will scrutinize the work even more closely than a ‘new’ work.
Q. What marketing and promotional strategy does the company have in place to promote my book and me (the author)?
A. eXtasy has many strategies to promote the company as a whole and the author and his/her work on release day from internet magazines and newsletters to attendances at conferences and fairs where eXtasy and Devine's books would be at ‘home’. We will work with an author to help maximize the work and the author’s exposure in the mainstream.
We do not schedule personal appearances nor provide funds for such or for author attendance to a convention or similar function. We expect authors to have their own strategies and networks to promote themselves and their work. If there is a relevant conference or event in their hometown an author can afford to attend, we encourage an author to make an appearance. Libraries, bookshops, etc. are other venues for marketing and promotion.
Remember: what comes out of a venture is equal to what is put in; put nothing in and expect nothing. The publisher is already investing cold, hard cash by paying for the cover and editing before the book is even released.
Q. Do you offer advances?
A. No, and there is no exception.
Q. How will I be paid?
A. This is detailed in the contract, but it’s basically monthly from home site sales; quarterly from third-party sales, and only via PayPal.
Q. At eXtasy and Devine, what is the publishing process?
A. The amount of work needed in edits will be dealt with on an individual basis dependent on the author and the condition of the manuscript submitted, but here is the basic structure: Upon receipt of your full manuscript and query letter, it is sent to an acquisition editor to read.
If the Acquisition Editor (AE) thinks the story has potential, the AE will inform the editor-in-chief (EIC). This usually takes about four weeks.
If rejected, the AE will send constructive feedback in the rejection email to the author.
If there is promise in the story but more work is required to bring the manuscript to a standard that we can then start work on the edit, a revise and resubmit will be requested by the AE along with feedback as to what further revision is required.
If accepted, and after the author follows the AE's instructions, the AE will notify the EIC, who will then send a contract via Adobe EchoSign followed by the house style sheet and two information forms; these forms gather specific details regarding author, book and cover and will need to be returned quickly. This usually only takes two to three days.
After the author has e-signed the contract, the work will then be sent to a line editor who will work closely with the author to polish the work to the highest standard. This usually takes about 60 days depending on surrounding circumstances and complexity of the edit needed.
After the edits are complete, a galley (PDF) will be prepared and sent to the author for final reading, specifically for typos. This is NOT the time to do more re-writing. This is at the author’s pace.
Author and assigned cover artist will work together to produce cover art that complements the book. Please note, eXtasy and Devine reserve the right to have final say on the cover.
After the galley is finished and accepted, the work will be sent to the Asst EIC for final proofreading who may make further suggestions or accept the work as presented. This takes about 30 days depending on surrounding circumstances.
After the final proofreading, the work will be passed on to the formatter who will prepare the work into its publishing formats. This usually takes 30 days depending on surrounding circumstances.
The book will then be given a release day, the cover will be posted on the website, the book will be made available for preorder via home site. The author will be sent a PDF and alerted to their release day.
One week after release on our site books will be listed with Amazon and on all remaining third party sellers after release on our site.
As you can see the process is both long and involved. Books aren’t written overnight, and aren’t published overnight, at least not in this company. Quality control is the overriding consideration in every step for every book.
Q. How many books will eXtasy or Devine publish a month?
A. That depends on the number of works submitted and the publishing process as detailed above. At this point eXtasy does not plan to publish more than thirty-six books a month, but this may increase in the future. At Devine, we currently publish up to four books a month.
Q. I have read the submission guidelines, I am still not certain what sort of books you are seeking. Can you name any authors I can read to get inspiration?
A. If you aren’t familiar enough with any of the genres or sub-genres listed, then the chances are that you don’t know enough about these concepts to write a book that eXtasy or Devine would accept. We aren’t asking for run-of-the-mill stories with window-dressing.
If you aren’t certain about a story idea, you can email us with an outline and we can advise whether it’s something you can pursue with us (without intention to buy sight unseen, of course!), or if we wouldn’t be interested.
We do NOT want formula, be it romance or otherwise and yes, we do take non-romance.
Q. Anything else you could suggest to a writer who would like to be published with eXtasy and Devine?
A. Forget the tried-and-true formula. Yes, every commercial fiction has formula—i.e., reader expectations. eXtasy and Devine books must have strong plots, strong characters, and fantastic worlds. Tell your story in a unique, compassionate, compelling style with characters who are strong and vulnerable and we might be interested. Push the boundaries, but do not tread into the not-accepted list!
We are NOT interested in reading works that have descriptive violence, and/or raunchy sex (porn); stories that contain such have little to offer the discerning reader who forms the readership of eXtasy and Devine. If you want this sort of work—to either read or write—there are other publishers you can pursue.
Q. What is eXtasy looking for?
A. We look for solid plots, well-developed settings and characters that are three-dimensional. We want originality and professional-level storytelling. History should be well-researched and totally fictional worlds in fantasy and science fiction must be visualized clearly. Get your facts straight.
We accept submissions in all the sub-genres: romance, sensual romance, YA, BDSM, GLBT, interracial, African/American, Science Fiction, Gay, Lesbian, and any and all combinations thereof. We embrace the unusual and original and are interested in all heat levels. If it's outside the box, feel free to send it as long as it does not violate the do-not-accept list.
What we don't want are stories that are essentially a thin plot stringing sex scenes together or characters whose motivations and personalities are shallow and stereotypical. While the purpose of all erotica is to arouse the reader, eXtasy books provides excellent entertainment for the reader as well. In other words, the sex is an asset to the book, not the other way around. Sensuality is vital—we expect your characters to use all five of their senses. There not only has to be a reason for the sex, we want to know how they feel about it as well. And there's no need to keep a tally in your head; the amount of sex should be appropriate to the story. We don't require a specific number of scenes per story or by a certain page. We'd rather a lot of tension and one big scene than sex for sex's sake.
We also aren't interested in works that are little more than new versions of old stories. A novella in the spirit of The Story of O is one thing; a novella that's little more than a thinly disguised rewrite is another, and won't make it past the first read. Creativity is not only desired but required.
Extensive use of vocabulary is a must, and reliance on standard romance clichés is discouraged. You needn't use raw Anglo-Saxon to describe the sexual organs, but substitutions should evoke a sexual frisson, not a giggle. Graphic descriptions of genitalia should also be avoided. Remember, the most important sexual organ is the brain, so keep the focus on characters' feelings, thoughts, and sensations. Make the language appropriate to the setting. Show, don't tell.
Keep the sex original and different. Nothing loses a reader's interest faster than having characters do the same thing over and over with only minor variations. Nor, contrary to popular belief, need all sex scenes end in a climax. Interruptions can lead to anticipation, and in the case of erotica, waiting can be half the fun. Sexual tension is perfectly acceptable.
Thank you for checking us out, and we look forward to hearing from you!
Submit to: extasybooks@gmail.com
*** Full Submission Guidelines ***
Approximate required word count:
Sizzlers: 12,000 - words and up
Novellas: 20,000 - words and up
Full novels/anthologies: 50,000 words and up
No simultaneous submissions.
eXtasy replies within four weeks to a query or submission so you're not left hanging. It is a waste of our valuable time for us to read a submission, only to hear, "Thank you, but we have already signed with another publisher."
If you submit and we accept based on good faith that you read our guidelines and we later find something in your manuscript is on the above do-not-accept list, we will cancel your contract; such is our legal right and is stated in the contract. In other words, if something on our do-not-submit list is in your manuscript, write it out before submitting or do not submit to us.
We expect all submissions to be professionally prepared and as free of mechanical errors in punctuation, spelling, and grammar as possible. We will also not accept any submission that is clearly an unrevised first draft. Editors are here to help you polish your work, not fix it for you—that's your job. A manuscript submission is like a job interview. You wouldn't go to one of those wearing dirty jeans and a torn t-shirt. Don't send your "baby" out looking that way, either.
Do NOT rely on your spell checker; read your story aloud, have a computer do so if you wish, but read it aloud; you’ll be surprised what you miss.
Manuscripts should be prepared as follows:
Please use MS Word, Word Perfect or another word processor that is NOT a freebie as free word processor programs are not as compatible as claimed.
Please submit all works in RTF, DOC or DOCX Word format.
Margins: 1" (inch) top, bottom, left, right.
Single line spacing.
Tabs set at 0.2"
Plain text only, no fancy formatting.
Times New Roman 12 point font or a similar true type font.
No headers, footers, or page numbers
Include the full/complete manuscript, synopsis, and cover letter with author credits.
Manuscripts email should contain on page 1:
Author name
Author’s real legal name
Snail mail address
Phone number
Email address
Website or blog link (if available)
Genre
Manuscripts should contain on page 2:
Title (try to avoid punctuation and special characters as such do not translate well when importing sales information on some third party sites)
Series name
Book sequence number (if applicable)
Word count
Genre
Heat level as measured by our house levels (this is on the flame ratings page).
Relationships of the main characters, such as hetero M/F, GLBT - M/M, F/F, ménage, M/F/M, M/M/F, F/F/M, etc.
A blurb or summary of the story. We do not need a synopsis.
An author bio
No headers, footers, or page numbers
In an effort to eliminate those who simply toss manuscripts at publishers that do not fit the house and due to receiving several submissions in just the past few days alone that do not fit our house in any way, the EIC is implementing a very simple rule to weed out those who do not take the time to read submission guidelines before submitting: if you submit to us and do not tell us you read our submission guidelines on this page, we will automatically reject your submission without even reading it.
*** A Few Things To Note Before Submitting To Us ***
This is our list in the order of top-to-bottom genre sellers:
male/male (best-selling)
male/female/male
male/female
male/male/female
female/female (lowest selling)
The only exception to this is those who have a following; note that a following takes years of interaction and hard work to build, it will not happen overnight.
Be Aware That:
Only bestsellers with a following make mega bucks in this industry; a following takes years and hard work to build.
No one becomes a bestselling author overnight; this is a delusional dream that will not happen. If you are under that misguided perception, wake up.
If you have not invested in a paid-for word processor (that program you write in such as MS Word, Word Perfect or equivalent); you need to. Free word processors cause formatting problems and limited use.
If you do not have an understanding of MS Word, Word Perfect or equivalent, and track changes; you need to. Again, free word processors cause formatting problems and limited use.
This is a professional career, not a hobby; if you want to write for fun, you are in the wrong business.
Writing is a business to be taken seriously, not a hobby.
All companies have the goal of making money/profit; companies that do not make a profit die.
If you do not want to invest in your work by promoting and connecting on social media, getting published is not for you.
If you do not want to work with the editor or explain to the EIC what the editing issue is, getting published is not for you.
If you are not willing to be edited because you think you do not need to be edited, do not submit to us.
If you are not willing to work with the realization that covers are not easy, getting published is not for you.
No two publishers are alike; what works for one does not always work for another.
Publishers talk, just like authors.
There are bad publishers and there are bad authors; it’s the same in any industry.
How you behave and react to something in public/on the internet will follow you for life and can damage your reputation.
Once you post something on the web it is out there for life; deletions take a court order demanding a company to remove it and that does not stop someone from having copied it the instant you posted it and keeping it alive for all to see.
Our submission guidelines are there for a reason. Readers do not like certain things and come to us because of our no-no list as it assures them they will not find those unpleasant things in our books.
Once again, we do NOT like nor allow:
We do NOT accept manuscripts (MS) with blatant/obvious grammar and editing issues. Manuscripts should be critiqued and polished prior to submitting.
We do NOT accept currently published books; anywhere on the web is considered published. This includes with another publisher and/or self-published. Your book cannot be available anywhere on the web.
We do NOT accept simultaneous submissions; this means sent to more than just us.
We do NOT accept porn; this is sex for the sake of sex or a series of sex scenes; we want a complete story.
We do NOT accept autobiographies, biographies, or any stories based on real lives.
We do NOT accept underage sex (sex with/around minors; minors are under 18). Please note, students in high school are most likely underage and therefore cannot have sex on the page in a book. We do NOT accept incest in any form. If those having sex, even kissing, share a blood relative such as a parent, that is incest and do not accept it. As for step-siblings, please don’t; especially if you are going to keep impressing that they call each other brother/sister/cousin, etc.
We do NOT accept molestation/abuse/cruelty of children, animals or unwilling participants.
We do NOT accept Rape. If one participant objects, it IS rape and it is NOT allowed. We do not care if the participant starts to enjoy it after a few strokes, any resistance can be and often is considered rape and it is pushing beyond the boundaries. Most readers are going to be upset/offended.
We do NOT accept BDSM that results in actual physical damage.
We do NOT accept Bestiality. Bestiality is sexual activity between a human being and an animal. Note, shifters are not animals but are intelligent beings. Animals refer to an animal that does not have the thought capability equal to or better than a typical human.
We do NOT accept necrophilia; NOTE: vampires are not dead bodies but are living thinking beings.
We do NOT accept strangulation/suffocation as part of the sex act (includes self-inflicted or otherwise).
We do NOT accept Golden Showers/any act containing the use of feces.
We do NOT do rape/incest fantasies. Please do not sub them.
We do NOT do hate messages to any race, gender, religion, or sexuality.