What we want:
Dreamspinner Press is seeking gay male romance stories in all genres. While works do not need to be graphic, they must contain homosexual romance of an erotic nature and focus on the interaction between two or more male characters. We encourage tales that cross genres; for example, a science-fiction mystery or romantic fantasy. Stories can stand alone or be part of a well-developed series.
ROMANCE – Modern or historical love stories with strong characters.
SCIENCE FICTION – Science fiction, urban fantasy worlds, futuristic, time travel, and alternate reality stories.
FANTASY – Dragons, elves, fairies, and knights in shining armor.
WESTERNS – Cowboys, ranchers, rodeo riders, and Native Americans.
MILITARY/PARAMILITARY/MERCENARY – Political thrillers, espionage, and in-the-field stories.
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE – Provincial country detectives, fast-paced thrillers, or hard-boiled PI’s.
PARANORMAL – Scare us with your vampires, zombies, and things that go bump in the night.
HOLIDAY STORIES – Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Christmas.
Important note:
As of July 1, 2010, Dreamspinner Press no longer accepts simultaneous submissions. Thank you for your consideration.
Please submit the following:
In the body of the email:
- Your legal name, pseudonym if applicable, and contact e-mail.
- Working Title (series name if applicable.
- Genre and manuscript length.
- General story description in two paragraphs.
- Writing credentials.
Attach to the email the following:
- A short but complete story summary.
- A partial which includes the first twenty-five percent of your manuscript to the nearest scene break. *Editors may request more of the story during review and a complete manuscript will be required before a contract is offered. If you have published with us in the past, please submit the full manuscript.
- If the story is less than 30,000 words in length, please include the entire story.
Formatting Your Submission
- Please follow these simple formatting guidelines. Our editors will thank you.
- Submissions will be accepted in .docx, .doc, .rtf, and .txt formats.
- Standard 12 pt Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, .5 indent for the first line of each paragraph. 1.5 line spaces between lines. No tabs or spacing to indent, please! Page numbers in the upper right corner, author name in the upper left corner with the title of the work following. Example: Stephen King / The Shining
- Send your submission to: submissions@dreamspinnerpress.com. The word Submission must be in the subject line.
- All submissions must be spellchecked and edited for U.S. grammar and spelling. Regional words and slang are accepted when appropriate.
While all types of relationships (m/f, f/f, m/m/f, f/f/m) are acceptable in secondary pairings or as part of the development of a character, the main characters should end in a m/m or m/m/m relationship.
Length standards:
- Novel: 60,000 words and up
- Long Novella: 30-59,999 words
- Novella: 15-29,999 words
- Short Fiction: under 15,000 words
What you can expect from us:
- Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted at any time.
- We will acknowledge all submissions by email in 5-7 days.
- Submissions will be read by an editor and you will have a response in 6-8 weeks.
- All accepted works will need to be provided to us as an electronic file.
- Electronic contracts are exchanged via email.
- For novel length work, we pay a negotiated advance (25% is paid when the contract is signed and 75% is paid upon approval of the final proof) and 25% of net royalties thereafter. Novella length stories earn 33% royalties and Short Stories earn 50% royalties. Short stories and novellas for anthologies are purchased for a flat amount based on the length of the work. Copyright remains with the author. Exceptions are made for an anthology of shorter fiction by a single author in which case the novel length guidelines apply.
- We are accepting short fiction and novella submissions for a limited time.
