Newsflash! Avon Seeking Submissions from Debut Authors

This information was posted to one of my writing lists today. Avon has decided to dedicate 2008 to finding debut authors! Take a look at their guidelines. How To Submit A Manuscript *Please note Avon's new submission policy To submit your romance or women's fiction (only), please query first. You must query by e-mail. When you do so, please put QUERY in the subject line. Due to the overwhelming amount of spam e-mail received, subject lines that have manuscript titles often do not reach the editors. Your query should be brief, no more than a two-page description of your book. Do not send chapters or a full synopsis at this time. Also, please not send attachments—THEY WILL NOT BE OPENED. You will receive a response—either a decline or a request for more material—in approximately one to two weeks. Please e-mail your query to: avonromance@harpercollins.com. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope big enough to contain your manuscript, in case we have to return it to you. We cannot reply to submission materials without a SASE. And be sure to keep a copy of your manuscript! Please send either a query letter, or the first three chapters (50-100 pp) and a 5-10 pp synopsis of the whole story –- not the complete manuscript. If we like that partial, we will ask to see the whole manuscript. Please do e-mail manuscript submissions or query letters. Send your manuscript to any of the following Avon editors: >CarrieFeron, Executive Editor >Lucia Macro, Executive Editor >Lyssa Keusch, Senior Editor >Micki Nuding, Editor Avon Books 10 E. 53rd St. New York, NY 10022 Because of the many submissions we receive, it takes four to six weeks to answer a query letter and three to six months to evaluate a manuscript. If you haven’t received a response after that time, please drop us a postcard listing your name, address, phone number, title of manuscript, whether it was partial or complete, when you originally sent it and to whom. We look forward to receiving your submission to Avon Books Good luck! *Info via the January, 2008 Romance Writers Report & Avon Website.

What I Read Today...

I received the new issue of Cynthia Sterling's Market Newsletter a couple of days ago. If you read the newsletter you'll know that every month since the RWA National Conference in July, Cindi's done a "spotlight" on a different publishing house. This month her spotlight is on St. Martin's Press. As I mentioned probably a hundred times already (and I'm sure, if you read my blog, you're getting pretty sick of reading about this), one of the reason's I'm so excited about the First Line Contest is because Bookends, LLC Agent Jessica Faust said in a recent post that a certain editor at St. Martin's Press would be interested in finding "a really good western historical" and a St. Martin's Press editor is the final First Line Contest judge. The thing is, Jessica didn't mention which editor that was, so, I could only guess. But...being that Hillary Teeman is a ST. Martin's Press editor and she's judging the First Line contest, I'd hoped that she was the mystery editor that Jessica referred to. But, I didn't know for sure. So, the question is, which St. Martin's Press editor is it? Good question, huh? Well, guess what? I found out who it is. This issue of Cindi Sterling's Market Newsletter kindly answered that question with her St. Martin's Press spotlight. Cindi reported that, and I quote, "BLANK (insert mystery editor here) said she'd be interested in finding a really good western historical." The bad news is, the editor in question is not Hillary Teeman (sniff, sniff). The good news is, I know who the mystery editor it is (*grin*). Wanna know who it is? Do ya, huh? Do you wanna know? Do ya wanna know who it is? Okay, I'll tell you who it is. Drum roll please... The St. Martin's Press editor who's looking for a really great western historical is...Jennifer Enderlin. Yes, that's right folks. It's Jennifer Enderlin. Mystery solved. Cindi also went on to say that: These editors will consider queries from unagented authors. Monique also prefers one chapter with the query letter, but she stressed this only applies to her. Jennifer wouldn’t mind “a few pages” of the first of the book with the query. Word count for manuscripts is ‘generally’ 100,000 words, but that’s not set in stone. Even first-time authors are offered multiple-book contracts from the beginning with St. Martin’s. You'll have to read the newsletter to find out more. You can subscribe by sending a blank email to cynthiasterling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Th, th, th, that's all folks...