PUB: Lyrical Press, Inc. | Publisher

Call for Submissions:

Meet Me at Dusk (Lyrical Press)

South African-based content editor Nerine Dorman sent to us this call for submissions for Meet Me at Dusk, a dark fantasy anthology to be published by Lyrical Press:

As Edgar Allan Poe once deep into darkness peered, to wonder, fear and doubt, he also dreamed dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. And Nietzsche, while warning against hunting monsters, was quite fond of that abyss which gazed back.

The light of our hearts' delight can only shine sweeter against a backdrop of despair. Darker stories swirl and fester in the midst of the mundane; mysterious creatures prowl at the edge of awareness to seduce and devour.

Conflicts bleed into our world, to snare unwary mortals; tantalize us with hints of magic and enigma beyond our ken. Love is lost and found, empires rise only to crumble, and few dare to step beyond the threshold.

Did you grow up reading Poe, Burroughs and Lovecraft? Do Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere and The Sandman graphic novels languish on your bookshelves next to Poppy Z Brite's Lost Souls and Storm Constantine's Wraetthu novels? Lyrical Press is looking for works of dark fantasy that explore the contrasts of modern urban living with that of the supernatural, expressed in a gritty tone redolent with pop culture references and noir elements.

See the submission guidelines atwww.lyricalpress.com/submissions and email nerine@lyricalpress.com with your query.

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Lyrical Press is actively acquiring all sub-genres of erotica and romance between 20,000 - 90,000 words.

General Submission Information:

  • Submit only full manuscript accompanied by a query and two-page synopsis. All other query types will be ignored.
  • Lyrical Press does not publish non-fiction of any sort. Non-fiction queries/submissions will be ignored.
  • Lyrical Press is closed to self-published and/or previously-published works. Such submissions will be ignored.
  • Lyrical Press does not publish non-romantic fiction, screenplays, young adult, inspirational, or poetry works. Submissions of these works will be ignored.
  • Submissions are usually passed into the review process once a week. If you do not receive confirmation of receipt within 14 days of submission, please resubmit the full manuscript and two-page synopsis.
  • Please inform Lyrical Press if the submitted manuscript is being offered elsewhere simultaneously, and keep the house informed of its status.
  • Lyrical Press is fairly quick in turnaround. If you have received notification of receipt but do not hear back from the house within six weeks of notification, please email Lyrical Press to inquire after your status.

Length Requirements:

Submission length: 20,000 - 100,00 words only.

Length terminology:

  • Short: 15,000 - 20,000
  • Novella: 20,001 - 35, 000 words
  • Short Novel: 35,001 - 60,000 words
  • Novel: 60,001 - 100,000 words

What Lyrical Press looking for:

All sub-genres of erotica and romance.

  • Erotica
  • iBDSM
  • Fantasy
  • Historical
  • Horror
  • Humor
  • Mystery
  • Paranormal
  • Science Fiction

Regarding objectionable content, Lyrical Press will not consider any work that glorifies, justifies or excuses the following subject matter:

  • Pedophilia
  • Rape
  • Incest
  • Bestiality
  • Necrophilia

Submission Procedures:

Lyrical Press will only consider completed works. No partials or proposals. There is no need to query first. Just send the full manuscript as prescribed below. Please include the following information in your cover email:

  • Legal name
  • Pen name
  • Contact phone
  • Working title (include series name and details if applicable)
  • Word count
  • Genre(s)
  • A short blurb (no more than three paragraphs, please)

Please attach the following to your email:

File Name Conventions:

  • Please name your book file BOOKTITLE_sub
  • Please name your synopsis file BOOKTITLE_syn

BOOK FORMATTING TIPS:

  • File type: .rtf or .doc only
  • 12pt black font (Times New Roman, Cambria or Georgia preferred)
  • Line spacing: 1.5 (or Multiple 1.25")
  • Margins: 1" all
  • One space between sentences, not two, please.
  • No double-spaces or extra returns between paragraphs
  • Use your word processing functions to indent new paragraphs. Do not tab or use the space bar.
  • Page-breaks between chapters
  • Do not use style elements or sections breaks

Please include a title page listing the following information:

  • Legal name
  • Pen name
  • Contact phone
  • Working title (include series name and details if applicable)
  • Word count
  • Genre(s)

Self-Editing tips:

A few pointers to help you help yourself before submitting.

  • Use spell check. (You'd be surprised how many don't.)
  • No bold, underlined or other special fonts except italic, used only where appropriate.
  • Point-of-view: We prefer first or third person. Limit point-of-view to essential characters. POV impossibilities a/o most head-hopping within scenes will make editors cry.
  • Punctuation: Again, keep it simple. Avoid clusters of emdashes a/o ellipses.
  • Repetitive word use: Check carefully for repeated words and phrases in proximity and throughout the work.
  • Unnecessary words: Common offenders are that, had, and, really, very, little, then, and then, just, about, against, so, all, but, like, and was/were.
  • Sentence structure: Generally speaking, it should be varied to avoid striking uncomfortable rhythms. Beware paragraphs with every sentence starting with articles a/o pronouns. Beware any overabundance of present progressive verb tense, possessive pronouns, -ly adverbs and prepositional phrases.
  • Dialogue tags: Sometimes, less really is more. Not every line needs a tag, and "said" and "asked" are just fine. Use a good mix of action a/o speaker attribution tags. Seek balance and clarity when distributing front, middle or end.
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