Yes, the rumors are true. Entangled Publishing’s love of all things romance, the success of our Indulgence line, and the excitement buzzing around our Dead Sexy romantic suspense line coming in June have prompted us to expand our category offerings. We’re getting ready to launch three more imprints this summer with amazing titles we know you’ll love.
Because the core EP group has such a clear vision for where we see these imprints going, Liz Pelletier, Stacy Abrams, and Heather Howland have each channeled their excitement into something more productive by agreeing to head up one of the lines. And, oh, what lines they’ll be!
Liz, Stacy, and Heather have all stopped by the blog today to talk about the lines and share what they’re looking for. They’ve also left instructions for how to submit your manuscripts for consideration. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments or to send an email directly to the submission addresses listed below.
We can’t wait to see what you’re working on!
Bliss is our brand new sweet romance line. These stories aren’t quite as steamy as an Indulgence or Brazen, but have a strong trope, romantic arc, and will leave readers feeling content. Stacy Abrams is guiding this line.
Q: What are the guiding principles of the Bliss line?
Stacy: Bliss is all about satisfying romances with happily ever afters. Focus is on the romantic relationship, on the characters’ growth and their journeys toward each other. Supporting characters are important, too—family members, children, etc.—but their roles are to help the main characters along their way, not to have their own storylines. Bliss will still have sexy scenes, but the language used will be less overt than our other lines and will focus more on the sexual tension and build toward the two characters coming together. Though many Bliss books may take place in small towns or feature a desire for simplicity in life, these aren’t quiet stories—they’re all about people just like you, finding each other in a contemporary world!
Q: What will set Bliss apart from competitors’ sweet romance lines?
Stacy: A focus on today’s modern couples—there’s nothing old-fashioned about these stories. The women should be confident, strong, and independent, and the men should know what they want, too. We want these books to be feisty, funny, or snarky, as well as have a serious emotionality that resonates with our readers. Just because we call the line “sweet” doesn’t mean we want maudlin! The Bliss line will also feature very updated, modern covers that follow from our Indulgence design, but with a look all their own.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
Stacy: The Bliss line is the perfect fit for authors of younger fiction looking to enter into the adult romance world, or for anyone who wants to write a romance they can share with their mother! Bliss books are essentially the literary equivalent of romantic comedy movies: fun, fast-paced, and with a satisfying happily ever after.
Submission guidelines for Bliss:
- Dynamic storytelling that brings readers into a compelling world
- Engaging, fast-paced dialogue
- Romance as the primary plot—secondary characters can reinforce the hero and heroine’s journey, but shouldn’t overshadow their story
- Familial elements
- Must include a trope at its heart. Favorite tropes include friends to lovers, past love returns, left-behind loves, one-night stands, accidental pregnancy.
- Dedicated, prolific authors who want to write numerous books a year are a plus
- Stories should be closed door to non-explicit sexual language
- Authors with voices we love: Cindi Myers and Linda Warren
- Manuscripts must be between 50,000–70,000 words
- We accept both agented and unagented submissions
To submit a manuscript for consideration, paste the following into an email:
- A one-page query letter containing your genre, title, word count, a brief blurb about the book, and any pertinent writing credentials.
- The first three (3) double-spaced chapters
- Where we can find you on the web (links will do)
- Please let us know if the manuscript is complete.
- We respond to queries within 30 days.
- Established authors may be contracted on proposal.
Send your email to Stacy Abrams at bliss-submissions(at)entangledpublishing(dot)com
Full submission guidelines may be found on the Bliss submission page.
Covet, our paranormal category imprint, launches this summer with Liz Pelletier at the helm. Liz plans on building a line which focuses less on the world building of a single title paranormal romance series and more along the lines of an accessible category romance with paranormal elements.
Q: What are the guiding principles of the Covet line?
Liz: Covet is seeking contemporary stories with a paranormal twist. Stories need a romantic trope and an alpha hero at their core, with paranormal elements woven into the storyline. For example, a story could have the best friends to lovers trope and the best friend happens to be a vampire. The paranormal element is secondary to the trope and shouldn’t eclipse their growing relationship.
Covet will cater to everything from Greek gods, to witches, to vampires, open door and closed door sex scenes, funny and dark. Voices like Erin McCarthy, Shelly Laurenston, Gena Showalter, and Nalini Singh are good examples of the kind of exciting, fast-paced voices that will appeal most to Covet readers.
Q: What will set Covet apart from competitors’ paranormal romance lines?
Liz: Stories with a minimum of world building and strong category tropes at their heart are perfect for Covet. We want to use as much of the small word count as possible building out the romantic story between the hero and heroine, layering in believable conflict, as well as the paranormal aspects of the story. Often the paranormal element will be the basis for the conflict, such as a vampire who doesn’t trust himself around human females, but it can also be used to simply spice up the storyline with more fantasy elements which readers crave.
Submission guidelines for Covet:
Specifically, we want:
- Quality, fast-paced storytelling with engaging dialogue and fresh voices.
- Active story lines. A minimum of narrative sequel.
- Stories focused on the heroine and hero falling in love; their trope is the main focus. The paranormal element should be the secondary focus.
- Bold authors who aren’t afraid to push creative boundaries.
- Prolific authors who can write three to four books a year are a plus.
- Stories can be closed door to very hot with explicit language, but we do not want erotica.
- Manuscripts must be 60-70K words in length.
- We accept both agented and unagented submissions, though agented submissions receive first priority in the slush pile.
To submit a manuscript for consideration, paste the following into an email:
- A one-page query letter containing your genre, title, word count, a brief blurb about the book, and any pertinent writing credentials.
- The first three (3) double-spaced chapters.
- Where we can find you on the web (links will do).
- Established authors are welcome to query with a standard proposal package of three chapters, a synopsis, and a query.
- Please let us know if the manuscript is complete.
Send your email to covet-submissions(at)entangledpublishing(dot)com
Full submission guidelines may be found on the Covet submission page.
Brazen, our sexy category romance line, is the naughty little sister of our Indulgence imprint. Editorial Director Heather Howland will be acquiring stories that are just as trope- and relationship-focused as those found on our other category lines, but explore more of the sexual tension between the hero and heroine. Whether they’re witty and playful, or lush and intense, Brazen books are always fast-paced, dialogue-heavy, and above all, sexy. Unleash your inner vixen. We know you want to.
Q: What are the guiding principles of the Brazen line?
Heather: All Brazen stories must have:
- Proven category tropes such as mistaken identity, one-night-stand, older brother’s best friend, enemies to lovers, bait and switch, reunited lovers, matchmaker, sexy protectors, opposites attract, revenge, boardroom romance, etc.
- Sexy alpha heroes paired with spunky and/or sweet heroines who come into their own by book’s end. Heroes on this line can be anything from tortured protectors to bad-boy athletes to high-powered corporate billionaires. We enjoy variety!
- Mind-blowing sexual tension. We want stories that focus on the hero and heroine’s physical relationship as it pertains to their developing romance.
- High heat level. We do not consider erotica, but detailed sex scenes and erotic elements organic to the characters’ sexual tastes are musts.
- Category-length word count. Manuscripts should be roughly 45-60K words in length.
Q: What will set Brazen apart from competitors’ sexy romance lines?
Heather: Sexy romance sells, but sexy romance with an alpha hero and a strong trope (or two or three!) at the center of the story sell better. Brazen will give readers exactly what they’re looking for, in the satisfying category length they love.
Authors with voices we enjoy: Sarah Mayberry, Cari Quinn, Maya Banks, Rhonda Nelson, Jill Shalvis, and Jo Leigh.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
Heather: I love miniseries. I’m currently pulling together several stories revolving around the “wrong bed” mistaken identity trope (no cheating allowed!), as well as a string of “one night stand” stories. If you’re interested in participating in either, please query us at the address below.
Additionally, I would love to see submissions that lend themselves to follow-up stories about secondary characters. If you’ve written an “older brother’s best friend” book, for example, count on me asking for the older brother’s story next. I’d also love to see a series that revolves around teams of protector-types as they find love (and really hot sexual chemistry!) with the women they’re assigned to protect.
Submission guidelines for Brazen:
To submit a manuscript for consideration, paste the following into an email:
- A one-page query letter containing your genre, title, word count, a brief blurb about the book, and any pertinent writing credentials.
- The first three (3) double-spaced chapters
- Where we can find you on the web (links will do)
- Please let us know if the manuscript is complete.
- We respond to queries within 30 days.
- Established authors may be contracted on proposal.
Send your email to Heather Howland at brazen-submissions(at)entangledpublishing(dot)com
Full submission guidelines may be found on the Brazen submission page.
About Author
I have a two novel series – it seems to fit Bliss, but it is in a city setting, not a small town. Would you still be interested?