Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

Recovery mode

Now that I’m back from RWA Nationals in Washington D.C., I’m in full recovery mode. I’m sure the 2000 other women who attended are feeling much the same thing. If you’ve never attended a conference, and especially a conference of this size, you’re probably wondering just what recovery mode entails so I’m going to share some insights with you.

Call for submissions: Angels and Demons anthology

Angels for whom heaven is not enough. Demons searching for redemption in a mortal’s arms. Seraphim, nephilim, heaven’s warriors or creatures from the pits of hell—love could be waiting for them all.
Samhain Publishing invites you to step into the light or embrace the forces of darkness with stories of angels and demons from any mythology. Will your angels be wicked and your demons be wanton? Only you can decide on which side of heaven or hell they’ll fall.

Samhain Publishing is seeking submissions for their Spring 2010 demons and angels themed anthology. Stories can be of any genre or heat level, and submissions are open to M/F, M/M, or multiples thereof, but all submissions must feature either an angel or demon theme (or both!) as integral to the story. Submissions should be 20,000 to 30,000 words in length.

Samhain wine extravaganza at RWA Nationals

It’s all about the party! Samhain Publishing is thrilled to announce our plans to host an informal meet & greet at the RWA National Conference in Washington D.C. Attendees from all walks of the industry are invited to join us to mingle with favorite Samhain authors, chat with our editors, learn more about digital publishing and opportunities at Samhain, or just to drink really great wine. The event will be held Friday, July 17 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the conference hotel in Angela James’ suite. To receive the suite location, please enter your info into the widget below and it will be sent to you via text message Wednesday July 15th. Please note this is the same suite the Rogue Digital seminar will be held in so you only need to sign up for alerts on one event. (if you are reading this other than on Angela’s blog and cannot see widget, please visit there to enter your info into widget: http://nicemommy-evileditor.com/blog/?p=2506)

Please help us spread the word and reach out to RWA attendees this year in Washington D.C. See you all there!

All questions can be directed to the comments section of this post (http://nicemommy-evileditor.com/blog/?p=2506)

Tell me more, tell me more...does it sell very well?

In trying to decide on a topic for today’s post, I put up a plea for topic ideas on Twitter. I actually got some really great ideas—oddly enough it appears that someone suggesting to me to write about why Amazon is stripping rankings is how #amazonfail started yesterday on Twitter—and am going to save some of them for future use (I always say that and then forget to check my “future use” file when it’s time. But I will remember next time. I’m sure). Since it’s Easter Sunday (yes, I’m a procrastinator, but in my defense I’ve been traveling/visiting family for the past week) I needed a topic that didn’t take amazing powers of critical thinking. I got a fantastic recommendation from author Jill Myles who mentioned that it’s always interesting to know what genres are/aren’t selling well.

I suppose publishers don’t always like to talk about what genres are or aren’t selling well because we’re afraid that authors will take that as a signal to only write and submit a few particular genres, and not to write others. As a publisher of a variety of romance genres, as well as fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy all with romantic elements, we especially don’t want this to happen. Or maybe publishers are afraid it shows weakness to say something doesn’t sell as well as something else? I suppose. But I also think that authors sometimes feel that this is a topic shrouded in secrecy so let’s bring it out in the open and chat about it.

First, I’m going to talk about Samhain in particular and epublishing very in general. It’s important to note that what I say is from our particular experience only and can’t necessarily be taken as gospel for the industry as a whole. I know you’re all savvy enough for that to be stating the obvious, but I do like my disclaimers and just can’t seem to quit them.

Erotic Romance: We’ll start with the obvious. For the purpose of this post, I’m going to put all of erotic romance together and say it sells very well for us. I think it’s clear that in the past 5 years it has sold quite well for many digital publishers, as evidenced by the number of new erotic romance epublishers that spring up monthly, by the traditional publishers’ search for erotic romance books and authors and subsequent flooding of the market, and by the emergence of sexier sex scenes and greater sexual tension even in non-erotic romances.

Still, I can hear you out there saying to yourself “sure, but exactly what KINDS of erotic romance sell well?” Okay, I’ll let you in on the secret…it depends. If you’re going to pin me down, I’ll say ménages (and more) are usually hot sellers as long as we’re talking about the male/female/male or more males and one female trope. Also selling well are erotic m/m, and erotic romance with BDSM. However, “straight” m/f erotic romances will also fly off our figurative shelves in the hands of a skillful author such as Lorelei James or Maya Banks, who combines high sexual tension with engaging characters and plot. Actually, you can pretty much just say this about any genre I talk about today. Anything I say about a genre not selling well can be negated by the right author, the right promotion, the right story and the right planetary alignments.

But what about erotica? Erotica, which is most definitely NOT the same as erotic romance and is a different genre, doesn’t sell as well. Maybe because, while readers enjoy some spicy sensuality in their reading, they want to know it will all turn out happily in the end and there’s no guarantee of that in erotica?

Moving on from all that sexin’, let’s talk about other genres within romance. Our trends still show that paranormal romance is a hot seller. Readers are still interested in reading about vampires, but there is even greater interest in different shifters: werewolves, cats, dragons and all the variety of unusual shifters you can find. Other forms of paranormal like demons, succubus, angels, etc also continue to do well and unique concepts are eagerly scooped up by readers.

Several genres are a hit and a miss in for us in digital at this time including inspirational, some historical periods (pretty much anything happening after 1900), and books—even erotic romance—featuring female/female as a central theme. Even if it’s female/female/male. Despite some readers asking us why we don’t publish more f/f, many authors don’t write it and readers, at least ours, aren’t buying it. It continues to be very much a niche genre, and a much, much smaller niche genre than male/male books.

Despite a number of readers saying they want more contemporaries that are non-romance, non-suspense, non-paranormal, those readers also don’t always show their buying power. An author can do well in those genres with good promotion, backlist or a well-known name, but sometimes even that isn’t enough to make a fantastic contemporary sell. It can be frustrating for both author and editor!

What am I missing? Futuristic romances do pretty well for us. Many of the editors are huge fans of the genre and we’re always wishing for more submissions in this genre (send to angie@samhainpublishing.com thanks ;) ) but it’s definitely a specialized one to write due to the world building needed. On the other hand, time travel submissions seem to always be around and they rarely sell well. And it’s not something we often get a request for, from readers.

Two genres/themes that readers are always requesting more of and that sell well are interracial and male/male books. Books labeled in these areas seem to fly off our figurative shelves.

I made this point above but I want to highlight it again: everything I’m saying here can vary according to author, writing style, writing skill (yes, some authors are more skilled than others. I’m sorry, maybe you didn’t expect me to say it, but there it is, the elephant in every corner), promotional efforts (no, I’m sorry the books don’t sell themselves and yes you do need promo—from yourself, your publisher—in the form of reviews and word of mouth even—and from your readers), and even name brand/backlist.

Backlist is something I talk about often in conjunction with sales, but I think some authors might underestimate the power of it. I’m going to use Samhain’s romantic suspense author Linda Winfree as an example. Her first book with Samhain had numbers lower than she and her editor expected, and which I know her editor hoped would be higher because she was so impressed with Linda’s writing and storytelling. But as Linda published each successive book in her series, not only did her new release numbers go up as word of mouth spread among readers about her books, but her backlist books also saw increased numbers of sales with each new release. This is something that, watching the sales numbers on My Bookstore and More, I see quite often with a variety of authors in a variety of genres. I hate to say it but…”Build it and they will come” applies here.

So there you go, some of the genres demystified. Tell me what I missed or what you’d like to know more of. Questions are welcome!

Samhain Survey

In a blog post elsewhere in the blog-o-sphere, Teddy Pig lamented that epublishers don’t publish a top ten bestseller list for the year. I accepted his “challenge” and at the beginning of 2009, Samhain will be publishing their 2008 bestseller list. But I wanted to make it a fun event, and do some other reader-driven lists, so I put together a quick (only five questions) survey for Samhain customers to choose their favorite books and covers. Please take a moment to fill it out and help us compile some “best of” lists to publish with our bestseller list of 2008.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=cx0Pt6VHI_2fJ4m5lSThk8Qg_3d_3d

Call for Submissions: I'm too sexy for my shape!

I’m too sexy for my shape!

Bad boys and wild girls. Cats, wolves, dragons and hamsters (just kidding about the hamsters…really). We’re looking for the best of your shifters, no holds barred. Show us your sexy, your untamed and all the growls, purrs and squeaking hamster wheels (still kidding about this part) you think we can handle.

Samhain Publishing is seeking submissions for their as-yet-untitled Summer 2009 shapeshifter anthology. Stories can be of any genre or heat level—make them fun, make them sexy, make them burn right off the pages but whatever you do, they must feature a shifter theme as integral to the story. M/m or same-sex submissions welcome and anticipated.

Submissions should be 20,000 to 30,000 words in length. This anthology is open to all authors previously published with Samhain and authors aspiring to publish with Samhain. Submissions must be new material, previously published material will not be considered.

Chosen manuscripts will be published as separate ebooks under their individual titles in Summer 2009 but will be combined in print titles for Spring 2010 print release.

To submit a manuscript for consideration, please include:

The full manuscript (of 20,000 to 30,000 words) with a comprehensive 2-5 page synopsis. Please include a letter of introduction/query letter. Full manuscripts are required for this as it’s a special project.

Important! When sending your manuscript/synopsis please name them: SS_Title_full/synopsis. For instance, if you’re writing a book called Hot Hamster Love (which we sincerely hope you’re not because that title is ours, darn it!), you’d name your manuscript SS_HotHamsterLove_full and your synopsis SS_HotHamsterLove_synopsis.

Following this naming convention insures that your manuscript/synopsis don’t get lost in the mess of files and submissions we save to our computers, and helps us keep them separate from normal submissions. And keeps them neat and tidy on the ebook reader! It’s harder when you have 50 files called “Synopsis” to know which to look at.

Submissions are open until March 1st, 2009 and final decision will be made by March 23rd,2009.

Send your submission to editor@samhainpublishing.com

Please put Sexy Shifters Anthology Submission in the subject line. Query letters can be addressed to Angela James.

Contest: You choose the blurb

We have two blurbs* for one book, Close Encounters by B.H. Dark. The authors, the blurb writer and I like them both. So I’m asking you guys, the readers, which one would be more likely to get you to buy the book? I’ll choose a winner from all the commenters to get a free download of their choice from Samhain, as well as an electronic ARC of this book when it’s ready for review (probably not until August or September).

*please note, these blurbs are not finals, but we don’t want to polish either until we choose one!

In space, nobody can hear you cream.

BLURB ONE :

Imagine. One day, you’re singing “Danke Schoen” to screaming girls in Vegas. Or having dinner with the man you think you want to marry. Or going to a high-society charity ball in a virginal white dress. Or hanging out with your dog and fixing cars.

And then, all of a sudden, you’re transported into a blue tube filled with these chemicals that make you want to have sex with somebody you’ve never met before.

And then you’re not in a tube anymore; you’re in a dungeon, or a Wild West whorehouse, or a soap opera hot tub, or a seventies disco, or Regency England. And you still want to have sex with this stranger. Over, and over, and over again.

The whole thing feels like some sort of weird X-rated movie. And actually, you’re right. Because you’ve been abducted by aliens who are using you to form an intergalactic porn empire. What would you do? Relax and enjoy the ride? Try to escape?

Or maybe even fall in love?

If the tube’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’…

_Warning:
This book contains voyeuristic aliens, hologram cowboy orgies, big dildoes, disco, and gratuitous use of the word “baby”._

BLURB TWO:

In space, nobody can hear you cream.

Odilia is a nice planet. The sky is purple, the grass is yellow, the property prices aren’t that bad. But reproduction is painful, solitary, and asexual. Which is why the Odilians find the recently discovered “X-rated” disks from Earth so fascinating.

The Odilians’ plan is simple: abduct four Earthlings, plop them in a variety of titillating holographic scenarios, and help things along with a special mixture of chemicals and pheromones. Then market the results as reality entertainment—for vast profits.

The four chosen humans are strangers to each other, but not to life’s disappointments. Leandros, a lounge singer who’s never committed to anything longer than an Elvis medley. Eve, a interior designer who’s living a life much more beige than bold. Beau, a laid-back car mechanic who wants more from life than oil changes. And Cassandra, an innocent debutante who’s learned most of her sexual know-how from self-help books.

The Odilians put them in a blue tube, pump in the juice…and sit back to watch the show. But with all their plans and calculations, they never factored in the one thing that could spell failure for their money-making scheme.

The power of human emotion.

_Warning:
This book contains voyeuristic aliens, hologram cowboy orgies, big dildoes, disco, and gratuitous use of the word “baby”._

Bloggy Giveaway winner!

Thanks to everyone for visiting Samhain Publishing. If you didn’t win, please browse our books and give one a try!

The winner of the Starbucks gift card and two print books of her choice is CherieJ. Congratulations, Cherie!

Bloggy Giveaways! Win books and a Starbucks gift card

Welcome to those of you finding your way here from the Bloggy Giveaways.

As part of the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival, we’re offering the winner’s choice of two of our print books:http://samhainpublishing.com/print and a $25 gift card to Starbucks.

To enter, go to our main website (first tab at the top left that says “Samhain Home”) and browse the books. In the comments, tell us what cover most caught your attention. It cannot be one of the five or six covers on the home page listed as new releases. Sorry, we’re going to make you work just a little for your prize and we want you to browse the site! All other entries will be deleted.

Make sure you leave a valid email address so we can contact you to collect your prize. Entry is open to those in the US and Canada for the books and Starbucks gift card. If you are an international reader and win, we will substitute an extra print book (for a total of three books) in lieu of the Starbucks gift card. Prizes unclaimed after one week are forfeited and a new winner will be drawn.

Contest closes Saturday, April 26th around noon and we’ll draw a winner on Sunday the 27th.

If you’re new to the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival, make sure you visit the main page where last I looked there were over 300 giveaways posted!

**Note, when leaving a comment here, the blog first takes you to a preview screen, and then you have to hit submit again, so make sure you post your comment and don’t leave it on the preview screen.

Who needs sleep?

If you’ve never been to a Romantic Times conference before, the one thing you might not know that everyone packs is bags under their eyes. RT is a frantic pace of morning until late (late) night activities, dancing, drinking, and talking with friends. In the morning and into the afternoon there are mixers, Club RT, workshops and more to attend.

In the evening it’s parties, sitting in the bar with friends, and hanging out in your room with your roommate until the early hours of the morning catching up on life and gossip.

One thing there’s not much of is sleep. Most of us have good intentions. I repeat to myself every day, “I’m going to go to bed no later than midnight. I’m going to lay down in the afternoon. I will not run my body on only five hours of sleep a night.”

Ask me how that’s working out for me.

Today I’m setting this post up early. I’ve been up since 7:30, after going to bed around 2am. I have a full schedule—Samhain Publisher’s spotlight in the morning, lunch with an author, a stint at the ARe Club RT table, an Interracial Panel and then dinner with the other Samhain admin tonight.

Not much time for napping in there. But everyone who’s ever attended RT knows one thing—there are simply too many people to see, too much to talk about and too much to do to waste time on sleep. We have 51 other weeks out of the year to catch up on sleep. This week is for catching up on other things!

The good news (for me) is that I’m going home tomorrow. For most convention-goers, the craziness is only starting and lasts until Sunday when, by the time most of them board the airplane, they’ll be lucky if the airline doesn’t charge them for the extra weight of the baggage under their eyes.