It's a new year and our thoughts naturally turn to new submissions. Each Friday, we'll post a blog entry on what our submission editors would like to see in our inboxes.
The Editors' Evaluation
A submission is usually read and scrutinized a few times. We look again at the query letter, the synopsis, the excerpt. Rejecting someone’s hard work is never done lightly.
We will often accept a less-than-perfect manuscript, because in our opinion the edits will be within reasonable bounds and the potential for the story and the author is enough for us to take the risk. Sometimes it will be just below the level we can accept, because we are editors, not writing teachers.
It remains a risk. Some risks pay off, others don’t. The proof of the pudding is in the sales figures.
The next step is to write the evaluation for J.M. She has the final say and is the one to write the accept/reject letter to the author.
A reject doesn’t mean we hate you. It means the manuscript wasn’t ready to be published by JMS Books. Go back and work on it, then resubmit. We will be pleased and excited to give it another chance!
After Acceptance
On acceptance of a manuscript, J.M. will offer you a contract. Once the deal is done, she schedules the story.
J.M. does all the administrative and office work, as well as cover art and book layout, royalty calculations, and contract negotiations, so she doesn’t usually take on editing work. With her own writing, she has enough on her plate! We currently have eight editors. Each has their strong points, and work is distributed according to their skills and preferences. Every month, J.M. sends out an email with the next group of titles to be edited, and as long as a given title is still available, editors can choose the stories they want to work on.
Before sending the manuscript to the editor, J.M. applies a company-standard template to format the manuscript. From there, the process of revision begins.
In the meantime, the author has to write blurbs, think about cover art, and begin spreading the word on their social network. My story will soon be published by JMS Books!
Submit a story to us today!
March 8, 2013
From the Editor - Evaluation and Acceptance
March 6, 2013
The Lone Wolf by K.C. Grim
The Lone Wolf by K.C. Grim is now available in e-book format!
Bryson Gilroy never wanted to be a lone wolf, unmated, but coming out to his pack isn't an option. Alpha males and homosexuals just don’t mix. Even if his father is the current pack master and his twin brother will one day succeed as leader, it's still better to keep some things secret.
With each passing full moon, the werewolf inside Bryson becomes harder and harder to tame. If the beast gets free, it'll be impossible to pen back in. Control is an illusion and Bryson knows once he loses it, nothing will ever be the same.
The call of the moon is powerful, but Bryson need relief. A dark, secretive bar called the Iron Side is a place where anything goes, a place for anonymous satisfaction for men by men. Bryson’s plan is simple -- get in, get laid, and get out, but the plan changed once he saw the man of his dreams. He is, in a word, beautiful. Bryson never wanted someone so much.
Can Bryson have a one-night-stand with this handsome stranger and just walk away? Will he be able to to his life as a lone wolf knowing this man was still out there?
Read an excerpt or buy a copy today!
March 5, 2013
Out of Light and Into the Night by Wayne Mansfield
Out of Light and Into the Night by Wayne Mansfield is now available in e-book format!
Karl and Daniel are driving back to their small farm after celebrating Daniel’s birthday when they strike something in the road. Whatever it is lands on the roof of their pick-up truck. Not keen to find out what it might be, Karl floors the accelerator as Daniel leans out of the window. Despite the light from a full moon, nothing is seen on the road behind them.
When they arrive home, their relief is short-lived. As Karl turns into their driveway, Daniel disappears out the window of the truck.
Karl hurries after his lover, and manages to catch sight of a dark shape flying through the night sky. Dangling beneath it is his beloved Daniel. Before he can call for help, he's knocked off his feet. A minute later, he finds himself int he air, too, held securely in the grip of a nightmarish beast.
The best Karl can hope is both he and Daniel will survive the night, but that might be easier said than done.
Read an excerpt or buy a copy today!
March 3, 2013
Major League Shutout by Terry O'Reilly
Major League Shutout by Terry O'Reilly is now available in e-book format!
O.B. Benson knows that, as a gay baseball player, his only chance to keep from being shut out of the Major Leagues is to stay as far from the pubic eye as possible. His low profile is threatened when the team manager insists O.B. take part in a TV interview to help boost lagging fan support.
Avery Turner, TV reporter, is handsome, fit, and definitely pushes O.B.'s libido into high gear. He’s also out -- something O.B.'s situation doesn’t allow. And Avery believes in monogamous commitment -- something O.B. cannot identify with. But when Avery delivers a curveball to the catcher, O.B. doesn’t know how to handle it.
When O.B.'s interview is aired, he’s forced to evaluate his life of meaningless one night stands. Can O.B. and Avery work out their differences and build a winning team, or will O.B. strike out?
Read an excerpt or buy a copy today!
March 1, 2013
From the Editor - What We Look For
It's a new year and our thoughts naturally turn to new submissions. Each Friday, we'll post a blog entry on what our submission editors would like to see in our inboxes.
What We Look For
After we read the query letter and synopsis (and a chapter by chapter outline for longer stories, please!), we open the excerpt with great anticipation.
It may come as a shock, but we can usually tell within a few paragraphs if we have a winner or a loser. This is where language comes in. Spelling mistakes, poor grammar, and bad dialogue attribution within the first few paragraphs raise red flags galore.
We look at all the usual suspects:
- A big information dump right at the beginning? Boring!
- The main character should be named as soon as possible.
- Don’t overload the reader with minute description, or over-choreograph the action. Readers have good imaginations; let them use it.
- Show, don’t tell. This means show in dialogue, don't tell in prose.
- Pace. Keep the story moving forward briskly.
Even if the story itself is good and within the range of genres we know will sell, a poorly-written manuscript is a risk. Why? Very simple: if J.M. has to pay an editor to fix mistakes the author should do, or acquire beta-readers to do, the book costs her more to produce than it may earn.
Also, many authors don't want to make heavy edits after a story has been accepted. That's understandable, so we try to tell an author upfront what issues we see in a story before we extend the offer of a contract. Self-editing not only limits the amount of changes required prior to publication but will also present your best possible story and increase your chance of getting published.
Most of all it boils down to this: can the author tell a story successfully? Hopefully the answer is YES!
Submit a story to us today!