Entangled Publishing has garnered a reputation in the publishing industry as a trailblazer. Well, we’re at it again! Today we’re announcing the official creation of Teen Crave and Teen Crush, two groundbreaking imprints to add to our catalog of category romance imprints.
Long-time Entangled team member Stacy Abrams will helm Teen Crave and Teen Crush as Editorial Director. She currently oversees Entangled’s single-title teen lines, and was previously over the Bliss category romance line. “Stacy has vast experience working with teen novels, as well as spearheading our Bliss category imprint, so having her as Editorial Director over Teen Crave and Teen Crush is a natural fit,” says Entangled publisher Liz Pelletier.
“What excites me most about the idea of a teen category romance imprint,” Abrams says, “is that there’s currently nothing else like it in the marketplace. It’s filling a hole for a varied number of readers. Fans of Entangled read our category romances, but they also read our YAs. Why not bring the two together in a book that provides the irresistible feeling of first love and heightened emotions of being a teen, combined with the shorter length, tried-and-true tropes, and satisfying happily-ever-after of a category romance?”
Entangled, as a company, has always been about forging new paths. “Many publishers have teen imprints and successful young adult books, but they are all single-title and marketed individually,” says Abrams. “Teen Crave and Teen Crush will follow the specifics of category romance, which allows readers to become invested in the brand. They know what they’ll get with each Crave or Crush title.”
Teen fiction, as a genre, has been trending toward romance since the days of Twilight. In the Twilight series, Stephanie Meyer used the successful tropes of forbidden love and virgin heroine. Entangled is taking what readers have clearly indicated they want, boiling the stories down to be more concentrated, shorter books which hold a powerful emotional punch. “I think teen readers will be particularly excited to be introduced to the world of category romance,” says Abrams. “The genre of teen romance has grown exponentially in recent years, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a popular book these days that doesn’t have a fairly centralized romance.”
Teen Crave and Teen Crush are category length romance novels geared toward young adult readers will, but will also appeal to adult romance readers looking for the sweeter side of romance. “Entangled knows romance, and we also know teen novels,” Abrams says. “We’re sure teen readers are going to love the combination just as much. And adults will too! These lines will have incredible crossover potential, stemming from the trend we’ve been watching of YA becoming more and more mainstream with adults.” True to the parameters of category romance, the two teen category lines will include the tried and true tropes of the genre, successful storylines, and the quintessential happily ever after readers look for.
Teen Crave will feature alternate reality stories including paranormal, dystopian, biopunk, cyberpunk, fantasy and sci-fi. Teen Crush offers readers contemporary romance. Both imprints will be less sexy than the adult category romance sister imprints Entangled offers. Sex is allowed, as it is in most YA fiction, but it will not be front and center on the page, instead fading to black. The heat level of the books will range from sweet to suggestive. “Teen Crave and Teen Crush are really about the romance and the emotion,” says Abrams. “Sexual tension exists, but the stories and how they’re written will be appropriate to the reader.”
Teen Crush will launch in Winter 2014 with Jody Gehrman’s The Truth about Jack, a Cyrano De Bergerac story about mistaken identity.
Both imprints are open for submissions. Follow the imprints on Twitter at @CrushCraveEP
Crave, one of Entangled’s first teen category romance imprints, is all about engaging, irresistible first-love stories set during the characters’ teen years—with an out-of-this-world, trope-driven bend. Did you love Twilight but wish it were focused solely on Bella and Edward’s romance? Crave is for you.
We are looking for teen romances that follow the traditional category romance format. From funny to emotional, flirty to dark, here at Crave, we know that the teen years are rife with heart-stopping feelings and never-ending drama. And whether set in outer space, a dystopian future, or a world where paranormal creatures are real, our teen category romances will leave you grinning…and craving more.
Specifically, we are looking for:
- Sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, dystopian, steampunk, biopunk, and cyberpunk romances featuring characters that are 16-18 years old.
- Stories that are 45-60k words in length. We will consider novellas if they are tied to an existing Crave series or are a prequel to another Entangled series.
- Trope-driven stories with at least one strong primary trope and two more secondary tropes. Think boy/girl next door, ugly duckling, opposites attract, wrong side of the tracks, best friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, mistaken identity, etc.
- Stories must follow the traditional category story arc focused on the romance. High conflict and high tension are a must!
- Dual point of view. Third-person point of view is preferred, but we will consider first-person POV on a case-by-case basis.
- M/F, M/M, and F/F are all welcome, and we’d love to see diverse characters.
- Sex is allowed in the stories, but nothing graphic. Heat level can range from sweet to suggestive.
- Tone can be anything from light and funny to heavy and dark, though we particularly love stories that can be both.
- Crave-esque authors we love: Jennifer L. Armentrout, Stephenie Meyer, Maggie Stiefvater, Melissa Landers, Tahereh Mafi, Gail Carriger, Marissa Meyer
- Pop culture teen romances we love: Buffy/Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Damon/Elena (The Vampire Diaries), Scott/Allison (Teen Wolf), Clark/Lana (Smallville), Liz/Max (Roswell)
- We accept both agented and unagented submissions.
Crush, one of Entangled’s first teen category romance imprints, is all about engaging, irresistible first-love stories set during the characters’ teen years. We specialize in heart-stopping feelings and never-ending drama, ranging from funny to emotional, flirty to dark.
Whether set in the halls of a high school, beach resort, or studying abroad, and whether it features a girl falling for her brother’s best friend next door, a forbidden summer camp romance, or a nerd pretending to date the star quarterback, our teen category romances will leave you grinning…and in love with your next book crush!
Specifically, we are looking for:
- Contemporary, modern romances featuring characters that are 16-18 years old.
- Stories that are 45-60k words in length. We will consider novellas if they are tied to an existing Crave series or are a prequel to another Entangled series.
- Trope-driven stories with at least one strong primary trope and two more secondary tropes. Think boy/girl next door, ugly duckling, opposites attract, wrong side of the tracks, best friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, mistaken identity, etc.
- Stories must follow the traditional category story arc focused on the romance. High conflict and high tension are a must!
- Dual point of view. Third-person point of view is preferred, but we will consider first-person POV on a case-by-case basis.
- M/F, M/M, and F/F are all welcome, and we’d love to see diverse characters.
- Sex is allowed in the stories, but nothing graphic. Heat level can range from sweet to suggestive.
- Tone can be anything from light and funny to heavy and dark, though we particularly love stories that can be both.
- Crush-esque authors we love: Jennifer Echols, Simone Elkeles, Mandy Hubbard, Katie McGarry, Miranda Kenneally, Elizabeth Scott, Susane Colasanti
- Pop culture teen romances we love: Pacey/Joey (Dawson’s Creek), Kat/Patrick (10 Things I Hate About You), Kurt/Blaine (Glee),Hannah/Caleb (Pretty Little Liars), Baby/Johnny (Dirty Dancing), Lloyd/Diane (Say Anything), Laney/Zack (She’s All That), Logan/Veronica (Veronica Mars)
- We accept both agented and unagented submissions.
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