Lyrical Press Call For Submissions: Steampunk

Call For Submissions: Steampunk Lyrical Press welcomes authors to submit their brilliant blending of 19th Century steam power with science-fiction/fantasy. In a word – Steampunk. What’s Steampunk? You know that movie/comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? That’s Steampunk. It’s the perfect marriage of an era when steam power was in use and science-fiction/fantasy elements. It’s goggles, gears and corsets. It’s fun, adventure and excitement. Lyrical Press is accepting all forms of Steampunk, with a focus on romance and erotica. If you’re manically mad about mechanical masterpieces set during the Victorian age we’d love to hear from you. Sensuality level: All – with a focus on romance/erotica Length: 30,000 – 80,000 words Key Characteristic: 19th Century steam power blended with elements of science-fiction/fantasy Deadline: None Please follow Lyrical Press’ guidelines found here: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.lyricalpress.com/submissions when submitting. Send submissions to submissions @ lyricalpress (dot) com. Lyrical Press, Inc. is a New York based small press owned by the husband and wife team of Frank and Renee Rocco. Our goal is to provide authors with a reliable and pleasant home for their books and offer readers an eclectic mix of quality titles. LPI publishes in both electronic format and Print On Demand for select titles over 70,000 words. Lyrical Press Lyrical Press Blog Lyrical Press on Facebook

Wicked Thorn and Roses Cover Contest Award

I didn't win the Wicked Thorn and Roses Cover Contest, but I did receive this awesome award for being a finalist.

I do love my Dangerous Desires cover. Apparently other's like it, too, as I've received quite a few compliments on it. I'm thrilled I got an award, but the award really belongs to Renee Rocco, my publisher at Lyrical Press, as she did the artwork for my cover as well as many other wonderful LPI covers.

So, Thank you, Renee, for such a great design! And thanks to everyone who voted!

Happy Writing!

Lyrical Press Birthday Party!

Lyrical is one year old this month! Woo-hoo! Join us for 31 days of Ebook giveaways, chats, and more! Visit the Lycical Press Website and/or Blog for more info.

Hope you decide to join the fun!

Congratulations, and

Happy Birthday, Lyrical!

Lyrical Press Accepting Submissions for New Imprints

My publisher, Lyrical Press, Inc., is now accepting submissions for three new imprints: Allure, Elements and Vintage. Imprinted title payouts: $100 advance (50% upon receipt of signed contract, 50% upon remittance of approved final) + 40% of earned digital royalties. We will not review queries, partials or proposals. Only completed manuscripts will be considered. Required length for all three imprints is 60-80k ONLY. We will not consider works of less than 60k, or longer than 80k for elite imprints. (full submission details to follow imprint guidelines) Titles that do not fit specific imprint guidelines might still be considered for non-imprinted contract/release, but will not be eligible for advance. Questions regarding guidelines or other specifics should be directed to submissions@lyricalpress.com. Specific Imprint Guidelines:

Lyrical Allure

• Acquiring editor: Emma Wayne Porter
• Genre: erotic contemporary romance
• Length: 60-80k
• Key Characteristic: willful hero, capable heroine
• Key Characteristic: sexual tension and romantic conflict
• Requirement: HEA
• Sensuality Level: extremely hot

Editor's notes: Know your tropes. This line is focused on the buildup and resolution of sexual tension and romantic conflict. The thrill of anticipation is as key as the erotic payoff.We want willful heroes, and capable heroines. We do not want "perfect" or cardboard characters, nor do we want helpless, shrinking-violet heroines. We want compelling, fully developed contemporary characters with GMC and sizzling conflict brought to fulfilling resolution.

Lyrical Elements

• Acquiring editor(s): Renee Rocco a/o Emma Wayne Porter
• Genre: paranormal romance
• Length: 60-80k
• Key Characteristic: gripping and dangerous paranormal conflict
• Key Characteristic: romantic conflict
• Sensuality Level: any
• Requirement: HEA

Editor's notes: The paranormal conflict should be on an equal footing with the romantic conflict - there must be an imminent threat to the hero, heroine or both. We want to worry the will get them before the boy can get the girl. Know your lore. Know your characters. Make us believe the lore, make us care about the characters, and scare the crap out of us at will.

Lyrical Vintage

• Acquiring editor: Renee Rocco
• Genre: historical romance
• Length: 60-80k
• Key Characteristic: immersive historic setting
• Key Characteristic: romantic conflict
• Sensuality Level: any
• Requirement: HEA

Editor's notes: For now, Old West/Western is lumped in with all other historic eras. We want fully immersive, rich settings positively rotten with conflict of the times. No contemporaries in historic disguises - we want driven characters caught in authentic, seemingly insurmountable conflict, and we want our heart-wrenching HEA fulfillment.

For full submission procedures and guidelines please visit http://www.lyricalpress.com/imprint_submissions

Lyrical Press Looking For Copy Editors

Lyrical Press is currently looking for copy editors. For those of you interested in applying for copy editing positions, please direct your queries to Stephanie McGrath at employment@lyricalpress.com . You will be sent a .pdf chock full of info about the position and instructions on what you need to do next. We’re also looking for volunteer line editors. For more info, email Emma Wayne Porter at editor@lyricalpress.com or emmawayneporter@gmail.com. We've been growing amazingly fast. We have books slotted to December of 09' Awesome, isn't it? To learn more about Lyrical Press, Inc check out the links below. Happy Writing! Lyrical Press Links

• Lyrical Press
• Lyrical Press Blog
• Lyrical Press Forum
• Once Upon A Bookstore

This n' That

My publisher, Lyrical Press, has put together an awesome forum for author's and readers to chat and find out what's new. You'll be able to participate in drawings and contests and whatever else is happening. If you'd like to check it out (and register), you can do so by going here. Also, did I mention our Senior Editor, Emma Wayne Porter is participating in the PBW Blog(Paperback Writer) Virtual Workshop? Visit Emma's blog to participate in her SELF-EDITING BOOTCAMP. Oh, FYI, Lyrical Press is taking part in the huge week-long BITTEN BY BOOKS extravaganza, BLOGGY CARNIVAL. Lyrical Press will be giving away a total of $50.00 worth of gift certificates to LPI's store, Once Upon A Bookstore! We hope you'll play along for the chance to win gift certificates and other prizes from authors and publishers alike. The fun starts today (Monday, July 28th) so hurry and visit Bitten By Books blog for rules and to enter. Lyrical Press Lyrical Press Forum Once Upon A Bookstore Emma Wayne Porter Bitten By Books Paperback Writer Blog

A Little Bit of Everything

Here's an awesome contest. Answer the following question for a chance to win a Chapter Critique by Leisure author Emily Bryan. In whose POV does PLEASURING THE PIRATE start? For contest details and to enter, visit Emily's contest page. My friend Maria Zannini's fantasy romance, TOUCH OF FIRE is now available in digital format from Samhain. If you'd like to learn more about Maria and her debut novel, visit Maria's blog or website, links are on my sidebar, or visit Maya Reynold's blog and check out Maria's interview. Leave a comment and you'll be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a download of TOUCH OF FIRE. Congratulations on your release, Maria! On Monday, May 26th EPIC-eWorkshop Yahoo Group will be giving a short research workshop. Here's the workshop description: Research:Yes You Have To Do It And No It Isn't That Hard A short workshop on research. A necessary that really isn't evil. How to do it, where to do it, why to do it, and even when to do it. Go here to join EPIC-eWorkshop Yahoogroup. Here's a new author promotional Yahoo group I ran across recently: Infinite Possiblilites Yahoo Group: Are you an erotic or romance author? Any books published, reviews received? Perhaps you have an excerpt you'd like to share? Or maybe you're a reader who wants to check out some of the most amazing authors around? Infinite Possibilities wants to know about them. We are a Yahoo Group moderated by erotic/romance authors for erotic/romance authors. We're interested in helping each other get the promotions and publicity needed to succeed. So if you want to show off a hot excerpt or if you have a review, we want to see it. Reviews can come from any recognised source, we want to see them all, every author likes to show them off, don't we? So come and join us because, like you, writing hot stories is our second favourite pastime. Join us and who knows where it could lead – the Possibilities are Infinite. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Infinite_Possibilities Lyrical Press, now has an official podcast site. Please take a minute and check out our very first podcast. And don't forget to stop by the Lyrical Press Website and check out all our new releases!

Lyrical Press Call For Submissions: Pendora's Box

This is the first of two Lyrical Romance Collections in development. We're also planning non- or lighter-romantic element collections, but for today, we're focusing on Pandora. Pandora’s Box Special Project Pandora’s box was said to have contained all the evils in the world, as well as the world’s greatest gift: hope. Lost to all but Greek legend, the box has now been found...and opened. It may be opened by a main character, or someone else may have simply opened it by mistake. Either way, evil personified has now manifested on Earth. Submission guidelines:

• Submissions deadline: No deadline. This will be an ongoing, stand-alone title collection.
• Word count: minimum of 30,000 words
• Genre: Paranormal Romance
• Plot: an evil or evils have escaped from Pandora’s Box and must be returned in some form or fashion. You may use any evil including sins, diseases, famous or infamous murderers, etc.
• Conflict: Good vs evil, protagonist vs antagonist, but the main character(s) don't necessarily have to be the good guy(s)
• Ending: must be HEA or HEA-for-now.
• Sensuality Level: any (mainstream or erotica but erotica must focus on the plot)
• Time Period: any
• Prop that must be included: the box

These stories should have a sharp focus on the lore and legend of Pandora's Box, a well-rounded, well-developed cast, and a strong romantic element. Be sure you've edited to the best of your ability before submitting.

Please send submissions to submissions@lyricalpress.com. Include the words "Pandora" or "Pandora's Box" in the subject line. Permission to forward granted.

Questions may also be asked here on the blog, or sent to submissions@lyricalpress.com.

Lyrical Press Grand Opening!

Tomorrow (Monday, May 5th) is the Lyrical Press, Inc Grand Opening. And to celebrate, we're having a week-long party! Woo-hoo! That's right! All week long chat with LP authors and staff, read experts, win prizes, books, gift certificates and more! Sound like fun? I thought so. :) To join the celebration, all you have to do is sign up for the Lyrical Press Yahoo group. That's it! In addition to the LP official launch party (05/05/08) Lyrical Press authors will be chatting at the Joyfully Reviewed yahoo group and, from 7:00 am until noon, we'll be at Alternative Read. http://tjbook-list.blogspot.com/ Phew! That's a LOT of partying! Don't forget Lyrical Press is currently accepting submissions for all genres as well as for our new ghost story anthologies, TALES FROM THE SHADOWS. For more information visit the Lyrical Press website. While you're there, sign up for our monthly newsletter, THE LYRICAL PRESS. Find out what's new, read all about upcoming releases, and get to know our authors. And don't forget to check out Once Upon A Bookstore, our brand spanking new bookstore! Woo-hoo! May releases and $5 & $10 gift certificates are available for purchase (Note: June releases are up, but not available yet). Everyone at Lyrical is thrilled and excited about our launch party, as we've been patiently waiting for this day! We have lot's of fun things coming up, so come on over and join the fun - links are below! Lyrical Press Website Lyrical Press Blog Lyrical Press Yahoo Group Once Upon A Bookstore Joyfully Reviewed Alternative Read

Lyrical Press: Call For Submissions

LYRICAL PRESS GOES GHOST HUNTING… Scare us. We dare you. We’re planning two anthologies featuring classic ghost story themes. Be they dark, steamy, humorous, sentimental or downright creepy, we want your ghost stories. Tip Sheet:

• Suggested submission length: 20-25k
• Romantic elements preferred, but not required for either holiday-themed anthology.
• Holiday (Halloween or Christmas) theme preferred, but not necessarily required. If the story’s compelling enough, we won’t discriminate.
• Meta data: Straight-up, good old-fashioned “tales told ‘round the campfire”; folklore and ghost stories; Haunted houses, visitations, Dickens; Legends (but not necessarily myths); Rather more “Things that go bump in the night” than “Things that hump in the night”.
• Be sure you edit very carefully before submitting. (I'm not horribly forgiving, I'm finding) All submissions should be sent to: submissions AT lyricalpress DOT com, SUBJECT: Ghost Story
• See below for submission deadlines:

TALES FROM THE SHADOWS Release Date: October 20, 2008 Submission Deadline: June 1, 2008 Genre: Paranormal Sensuality Level: Any ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR Release Date: December 15, 2008 Submission Deadline: June 15, 2008 Genre: Paranormal Sensuality Level: Any Lyrical Press Questions? Send them to: editor AT lyricalpress DOT com Visit Lyrical's Anthology Submission page for more details Lyrical Press has a Yahoo Group! The Lyrical Press Yahhoo group is a place were you can interact with readers and all of the Lyrical authors and editors. To join, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lyricalpress/

Check Out the Contest(s) at Lyrical Press!

Renee Lyons, my publisher (I love saying that!) blogged over at Title Magic a couple of days ago. Renee talked about what a Lyrical Press author can expect when contracted with Lyrical Press, what LP is looking for, and about their upcoming contests. If you're interested, you can read Renee's blog post here. I blogged about Lyrical's American Title contest a couple of weeks ago. For those of you who missed it, here's a brief re-cap:

Lyrical Press is hosting a Best First Kiss Contest, and the winner will receive a contract with Lyrical Press, Inc! Visit the Lyrical Idol page to read the official contest rules.

Sound good? If that's not enough to get your creative juices flowing, Lyrical Press is putting together another contest! I don't know all the details, but I do know that Renee designed a Gothic/Medieval book cover, and I believe the contestants are to send in a story to go with the cover. As I mentioned, the official rules aren't posted on the website yet, so this info may change, but you can read about the contest in Renee's Title Magic blog post. If you'd like to see the book cover and get a head-start on your entry, here it is. :)

Happy Contesting!

Lyrical Press

Lyrical Idol Contest

Title Magic Blog

Woo-hoo! I Got the Call (or, rather, the email)! Yes!

I'm very excited to announce that my Historical Western Romance Novel, Dangerous Desires, has been accepted for publication by Lyrical Press, LLC! Woo-hoo! I'm a published author! Yes! I've been doing the Snoopy Dance all day. I'm walking on air. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am. We're still ironing out all the details, and I don't have a release date as of yet, but I do have a cover! Yes! Are you ready? Drum roll please... Isn't it gorgeous? Author Renee Lyons, aka Renee Rocco, my publisher, did the cover art. Isn't she great! I absolutely love it! In addition to author and publisher, Renee is a Cover Artist at Eternal Press and Cover Art Director at Dark Eden Press, so she knows her stuff. :) Thank you, Renee! I'm thrilled to be a part of Lyrical Press, and to have Frank and Renee Rocco represent my work. They're great people, and I'm blessed to have found them. Happy writing, everyone!

Lyrical Press Accepting Submissions & Best First Kiss Contest

Lyrical Press Grand Opening May 5, 2008 Lyrical Press, Inc. is now accepting submissions in all romance genres except Poetry and Young Adult. Although their main focus will be on books with a darker and more Gothic tone, all romance genres are welcome. All submissions must be sent via e-mail, as all of our work is done electronically. We are accepting submissions in all romance genres and heat levels, except for Poetry and Young Adult. We are also accepting previously published works if the author holds the exclusive rights. Should we accept your manuscript for publication, we will ask you to provide proof of rights and the book will go through the standard editing process. Our preferred word count is 30,000 or longer, but will publish shorter works with a word count of no less than 12,000. Your query should be sent in the body of your email, with a 2-5 page synopsis and completed manuscript as attachments. Send all submissions to: submissions@lyricalpress.com Warm Summer Myth - Summer Anthology We are now accepting submissions for our summer anthology, Warm Summer Myth. All submissions must be 20,000 - 30,000 words and have a summer setting with the theme being the Hero/Heroine as mythical creature - any mythical creature, so let your imagination fly. All submissions must state in the subject line of the email that it for the Warm Summer Myth Anthology. The deadline for submissions is March 1st 2008 Lyrical Idol - Season One Lyrical Press is hosting a Best First Kiss Contest! The winner will receive a contract with Lyrical Press, Inc! Visit the Lyrical Idol page site for official contest rules. Lyrical Press is offering both an electronic and printed monthly newsletter, Once Upon a Newsletter! Email your preference to publisher@lyricalpress.com. Please include your name along with your email or snail-mail address. Lyrical Press, Inc http://lyricalpress.com/index.html First Kiss Contest Rules http://lyricalpress.com/lyricalidol.html