Publishing Resources

  I hope that this will be a good resource for all you romance writers out there who are looking to publish.  It was really hard for me to find a listing like this, so I hope it helps someone.  I will list big houses first, then smaller houses, then e-publishers.  When submission guidelines are available I'll try to link to them.  Remember that length requirements are a guideline, they aren't set in stone.  If you want your publishing house listed, email me and I'll add it to the list.  

 Big Houses

    Simon and Schuster -- The publisher that handles Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught as well as many others.  Unfortunately, they also don't want anyone new.  If you have an agent, you could try it.  But this is the closest thing to submission guidelines that they have.

    Kensington Publishing Corp-- They produce several lines, including Zebra, Kensington and Pinnacle.  You will find submission guidelines for their romance lines on the main page.  They publish both historicals and contemporaries of varying length (70,000-100,000 words).

    Harlequin-- Probably one of the most recognizable names in romance.  They publish Mills & Boon, Harlequin, Silhouette, Mira, and Steeple Hill.  This page is interesting for readers and writers.  It has a lot of information, you can order books, enter contests, get your horoscope, and it has submission guidelines.  They have a wide range of lengths they accept (50,000-150,000).

   Time Warner-- This is a BIG house.  It is virtually impossible to find their submission guidelines (it took me FOREVER!!)  They say that they aren't taking unagented submissions, but they do offer guidelines for their romance lines, so you could still try them.  They have stricter requirements for length (90,000-110,000).

    Avon Books-- Another recognizable name in romance.  They have a whole page dedicated to romance submission guidelines, but you need to connect through the page I have linked to.  Go in there and there's an easily findable link to submissions.  They usually publish romances of about 100,000 words.

    Dorchester Publishing-- Their website is really cool looking and easy to maneuver.  They offer reading webs, a bookshop, and a place for fans to leave messages.  They publish Leisure Books and Lovespell.  There is a link to submission guidelines on the main page.  The guidelines page includes a section in the middle for non-romance books, but if you scroll all the way through the page there are more romance guidelines below.  Make sure you read them all, you might find something that matches your idea or manuscript.  Most of the romances are lengths of 90,000-100,000 words.

    Random House, Inc-- They publish most of their romances under the Ballantine, Bantam, Delacorte, Doubleday, and Dell names.  They have a page for submission guidelines, but they don't really want unagented submissions.  They ask that unagented authors send them a query letter.  they give a number of 100,000 words as a usual length.

    Harper Collins Publishers-- They sell a variety of books, but they aren't taking unagented submissions.

    Penguin Putnam Incorporated-- Penguin publishes a variety of lines, the most well-known of which are the Jove and Berkley romance lines.  You can find their submission guidelines in their About Us section, under Frequently Asked Questions.  However, they aren't taking any unagented submissions.

  Smaller/Independent Publishers

 Smaller publishers are often less intimidating, and you will probably get a quicker response from them.  However, many of them only publish a few books a year so they may not be able to take your manuscript.  Also, lots of them don't offer advances, or the advances are much smaller.  You may be more responsible for marketing yourself when you publish through these guys.   

    Avalon Books -- This press is recognized by RWA.  They produce more wholesome/religious romances.  Here are their guidelines. 

    Lionhearted Publishing-- A smaller and newer house.  They have an interesting offer for readers on their main page.  They publish both on paper and e-publish.  Here is a link to their submission guidelines.  They publish all types of romance from historical to sci-fi in varying lengths (65,000-120,000). 

   Neighborhood Press Publishing-- Their page offers contests and a magazine.  It's a very small site, and submission guidelines are easy to find.  They don't specify a word count limit. 
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Neighborhood Press has just had several complaints lodged against it officially to the RWA.  If you are a member of RWA, you can receive a copy of these complaints by email.  My personal experience with this publisher has not been good.  Over five months ago I submitted to them and they still have not sent back my manuscript, even after several attempts to contact them regarding its status.

    Laughing Owl Publishing, Inc.-- A very simple site with little fan fare.  The submission guidelines are fairly easy to find, although they aren't genre-specific and they have a VERY strict word count guideline of 92,000-97,000.

    Madeira Books-- Another very simple site.  They only want a synopsis and query letter on their submission guidelines page. 

    Ponder Publishing-- A small publisher, they have links to several books that they published.  I looked for manuscript submission guidelines, but there weren't any links on the page.  I emailed them, but instead of sending a response they sent me their newsletter, called Ponderings.  It's a nice newsletter, and they have a contest for unpublished full-length romance, but they don't have guidelines there, either.  I doubt if they are looking for any new manuscripts if they aren't giving out any guidelines, although the contest could be interesting to some of you!

    Barbour Publishing-- A publisher with a Christian flare.  They don't have a link to submission guidelines either.  They will email you a copy if you request it.

    Genesis Press-- A really cool press which specializes in African-American, Hispanic, and interracial romances!  They are also branching out now into other types of fiction and non-fiction.  There is a page for submission guidelines for all genres that they publish.

    Regency Press-- This is a really unique press, they specialize only in Regency period novels.  England's Regency period stretched from 1811-1820, so it is very specific.  They have submission guidelines posted, which they insist that you follow or your script WILL BE REJECTED!  Read carefully here, people!  They also have a short story contest.  The best short stories will be published in an anthology to be released in November of 2000. 

     Bamboo Grove Publishers-- This press really only resurrects older books.  I asked for submission guidelines and they aren't accepting any manuscripts..

     Turnstone Press-- This is a Canadian press that publishes poetry, non-fiction, and fiction.  If you are a Canadian author, here are their submission guidelines.  

 E-Publishers

 E-publishing is the wave of the future, but it hasn't quite caught on yet.  As a result, these publishers are looking for authors who may be willing to take more risks.  Often they offer no advance, but they will give you a higher percentage on royalties (up to 50%!).  This means you take the same risk that they do and you collect the same return.  they are also good for people with very short or very long manuscripts, because their length guidelines are often much more flexible.  I am still researching this form of publishing, when I learn more I will try to post more info on the site.

    Dreams Unlimited-- If you have a whimsical romance this may be the publisher for you.  They publish mostly sci-fi/fantasy romance, although they are adding an historical line.  They also publish erotica and they looking for people to write gay and lesbian romance.  The guidelines are very simple to find, so I won't link to them.  They publish from 30,000 words and up. ALL NEW: Dreams Unlimited is expanding into traditional historical and contemporary!  They have also begun to pay out advances! Check out their site for more information on their new imprints and categories!! *UPDATED*

    Hardshell Word Factory-- This is a really cute site.  The graphics are really funny and sweet.  They also offer pros and cons to e-publishing on the same page as their submission guidelines.  Their length guidelines are between 40,000-120,000.

    The Reading Edge-- This site seems really friendly.  They offer information on e-books and e-publishing on their site.  You can even submit via email at their submissions page, which is easy to find so I won't link to it.

    Domhan Books-- The site contains tips for writers.  They have a submission guidelines page, with good advice for authors.  Submissions should be 40,000-140,000 words. 
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Association of Electronic Publishers received a grievance against Domhan.  They had published books without gaining a contract from the author first and were failing to pay royalties due the authors.  Because of this Domhan was voted out of AEP.  Beware!

    Orpheus Romance-- This house actually pays an advance, which is very rare for an e-publisher.  The site is nicely laid out, and there are submission guidelines.

    Timeless Treasures-- This house publishes e-books and regular paper based books.  They also publish young adult fiction.  They also offer signed copies of their books.  They are very straight-forward about promotion and they have an email option for submission guidelines.

    Starlight Writer Publications -- I heard about this site through an author who is about to be published there.  It is a good place to look for information on what e-publishing can be!  This site has a sample contract, good info on their editors, and it's an easy site to navigate.  Right now they are publishing by invitation only, but they say they'll be opening submissions in February 2000, although they do have submission guidelines posted.  Right now you should query letter them.

DISCLAIMER: Jesse Petersen and The Passionate Pen website accept no liability in the validity and future of these publishers and any other publisher listed here past, present, or future.  This is a simple list meant to make searching for a publisher easier.  As with anything else, research your potential publishers well!  USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!  The opinions about these publishers and their websites are mine and mine alone, based on my own comfort level from visiting their site and my personal experiences in contacting these publishers.