Primarily, I'm looking for writers who are ready for publication. Do NOT send me the first draft of your novel. Other writers must have critiqued your work, you must have numerous beta readers read your manuscript, and you should have completed at least 5 or more complete revisions. Yes, 5 or more!
HEROINES: should be sassy, independent young women with an interesting profession or hobby. She can handle the stresses of today’s world and take care of herself. She should be smart, competent, passionate and likable…yet flawed. Yup, flawed. Either emotionally or physically flawed in some way. No Mary Sues.
HEROES: should be dynamic, courageous, realistic, and compassionate. Young men who treat the heroine as an equal, with respect for her intelligence and individuality, and gallantry. The hero should be a dashing character, someone the reader falls in love with along with the heroine.
Heroines in YA: the teenage protagonist(s) should centrally experience and grow by her dramatized choices, actions, and concerns, which drive the plot forward, and is narrated with relative immediacy to the teenage perspective. A kick-ass heroine who young readers can empathize with, and knows her mind. She is confident, assertive and responsible, and determined to uncover the truth, or solve the problem, or save the day. Obviously, I prefer a girl's POV in romance.
BTW, it should seem obvious, but thought I'd mention that teen novels have teenage protagonists, which sets them apart from adult fiction. It is all about VOICE. If you're still not sure if your MS is YA or Adult, please read this post: YA vs Adult Fiction
Full-length fiction: 75,000 to 100,000 words
Genres I'd like to see
I'd love to see some paranormal, urban fantasy, young adult, tween, and even horror or Gothic tales as long as it has romance. The darker and the more romantic--the better! All submissions must have strong romantic elements.
Please address query letters to: Sherry @ crescentmoonpress.com
In the subject line, please include the word query, MS title, and genre. In the body of your email paste your query and the first 10 pages of your MS following the formatting guidelines below. Your query SHOULD look like a professional letter. (see example on my blog HERE)
My Manuscript Submission Guidelines:
* Accepted formatting is 12-point Times Roman font, left justified
* 1" page margins all around, double-spaced
* 0.5 paragraph indents for all new paragraphs and no extra space between sentences.
* First page should contain word count, author contact information, and the title ONLY.
* The second page should have the header, which includes the author's last name, MS title, and the page number in the left-hand corner.
* All new chapters need to start on a new page, with the title of the chapter underlined and centered at the top and the actual text beginning halfway down the page.
* All of your documents must be saved with your last name first, a dash and then the MS title or heading. Example: “Soule – Crescent Moon” or “Soule - Crescent Moon – Synopsis.”
(Manuscript formatting example HERE)
More information on Sherry Soule's blog here.
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