Siren Publishing / Rapture Publishing / BookStrand

http://www.sirenbookstrand.com/submissions/ Siren's very specific guidelines for their imprints.

Does anybody know if Siren takes novellas written in first person POV? Their submission guidelines used to specifically state NO first person POV because, if I remember correctly, their readers didn't like it. I've just had another look and that restriction seems to have disappeared. I've got an MFMMM novella in first person I'm thinking of submitting, which is why I'm asking. Thanks.

Pisco Sour said:

Does anybody know if Siren takes novellas written in first person POV? Their submission guidelines used to specifically state NO first person POV because, if I remember correctly, their readers didn't like it. I've just had another look and that restriction seems to have disappeared. I've got an MFMMM novella in first person I'm thinking of submitting, which is why I'm asking. Thanks.

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I know they still prefer third person, but they have published first person in the past. You could always email them to ask their current opinion on it. They're quick to answer emails. That's been my experience.

brainstorm77 said:

I know they still prefer third person, but they have published first person in the past. You could always email them to ask their current opinion on it. They're quick to answer emails. That's been my experience.

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Thanks, Brainstorm77! I'll get plucky and send them an e-mail!

Okay, so I waited for a week or so, and they didn't answer. Maybe my e-mail got lost, but I didn't want to be pushy and re-send. I have another version of my novella in 3rd person, and now I'm wondering if it's too early to send in my Christmas novella (for 2015). It's M/F and has some explicit scenes but it's not erotic romance. Not sure if that sort of thing does well at Siren, but my main publisher doesn't take shorter works and I have Siren in mind for my upcoming, more erotic stuff. Ah well, here's to hoping.

Any advice re submitting a Christmas novella now, or waiting a few months, much appreciated. My reasoning for subbing now is that Siren doesn't accept simultaneous subs, and if they reject it then I'd be looking at other publishers from February or so.

Someone on one of my Siren FB Groups was asking about 1st person and the consensus was that Siren didn't take it anymore. Not sure how accurate that is...

I've published two books with Siren, both about 50k. The first one is under their Mainstream imprint, which requires at least one fully consummated sex scene, but the heat level isn't high enough to be considered erotic. When I submitted my second book, the acquisitions editor suggested adding more sexual content and moving it into the Siren Classic line, which is erotic romance, because Classic sells better than Mainstream. Anecdotally, I've heard that Mainstream doesn't do well sales wise. The big sellers tend to be menage, BDSM, and MM.

Generally, Siren is pretty fast to respond. On both submissions, I heard back within a week.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Jules! I was just filling in their long questionnaire and wondering which imprint to choose for my novella (circa 30K). It's M/F and there are two explicit sex scenes and lots of sexual tension, but I somehow don't think it's straight erotic romance. I'll call it 'siren classic', since it says to make your best guess, and see how that goes. Maybe it's too early to send Christmas stories but I'll give it a go. Thanks again!

I'd say it's too late to send a Christmas story for release this year. This is a link to their publishing calender to show you how far they are booked in advance with releases. http://www.sirenbookstrand.com/calendar/

Thanks Brainstorm77. I'm talking Christmas 2015, but I'll go back and edit! And thanks for the calender thingy. Gonna check it out after I muddle through their questionnaire. Not sure whether I should put my writing credits, or bio, or both, or nothing...since it says 'optional'.

Pisco Sour said:

Thanks Brainstorm77. I'm talking Christmas 2015, but I'll go back and edit! And thanks for the calender thingy. Gonna check it out after I muddle through their questionnaire. Not sure whether I should put my writing credits, or bio, or both, or nothing...since it says 'optional'.

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For a first submission I would note credits and a brief bio. They're great to work with. Very professional, they pay on time, and I work with a great editor. It sounds like your story fits into their 'Classic' line. Even if you sub under the wrong line they will correct it if they accept it. Good luck if you decided to sub.

Thanks! I think I'm going to take that plunge after the weekend. I want to give my novella one last read (on the Kindle this time) to check it for...stuff. LOL! I am happy with my main publisher, but I'm hoping to find a good house for my more erotic novels/novellas and Siren, by all accounts seems a good place. I've read a lot of their books (funny, I found them on my Kindle, downloaded from before I became a writer!) and I think it would be a good fit for my blushy books. LOL! Back to final read-through, and thank again for the advice on the submission! IF they reject it I'll be gutted!

ETA: I did the deed! I submitted to them and now I must wait and see. Thanks for all the advice.

I received an offer or publication!

YAY! I received an offer of publication today for my M/F novella, from Siren Bookstrand. There's no info about which imprint, but maybe they don't tell you until you accept and pop an e-mail back? I am chuffed, but I'm also reading more critically through this thread and seeing that M/F doesn't do that well at Siren. Hmmm...it's haaaaard to decide these things. I didn't sub to LooseId, Totally Bound or Liquid Silver bc the 'heat' content in this novella is probably a level 2 and they like level 4. Or whatever. I also wanted to get a foot into Siren bc I have some menage M/F/MM+ in the pipeline and I think Siren would be a good place.

I've skimmed through Siren's sample contract and five years seems a long time to commit. Does anybody know if they are open to negotiation on that score? What do they do besides put their books up on the Bookstrand site to promote their books/authors? I'm going to read the contract word for word tomorrow, think about it for a little while and answer next year. LOOOL! Sorry, couldn't resist. Happy 2015 everybody. I still think I deserve a little tipple to celebrate the offer! By all accounts Siren is a very professional outfit, whether M/F does as well as other pairings, or not, and I'm really happy they liked my story!

Congrats and welcome to Siren! They're terrific to work for. The editors listen to and work with the writers.

The menage sounds right up their alley. Siren likes multiples. Also if you have any paranormals or M/M. Those seem to do best in sales.

Pisco Sour said:

YAY! I received an offer of publication today for my M/F novella, from Siren Bookstrand. There's no info about which imprint, but maybe they don't tell you until you accept and pop an e-mail back? I am chuffed, but I'm also reading more critically through this thread and seeing that M/F doesn't do that well at Siren. Hmmm...it's haaaaard to decide these things. I didn't sub to LooseId, Totally Bound or Liquid Silver bc the 'heat' content in this novella is probably a level 2 and they like level 4. Or whatever. I also wanted to get a foot into Siren bc I have some menage M/F/MM+ in the pipeline and I think Siren would be a good place.

I've skimmed through Siren's sample contract and five years seems a long time to commit. Does anybody know if they are open to negotiation on that score? What do they do besides put their books up on the Bookstrand site to promote their books/authors? I'm going to read the contract word for word tomorrow, think about it for a little while and answer next year. LOOOL! Sorry, couldn't resist. Happy 2015 everybody. I still think I deserve a little tipple to celebrate the offer! By all accounts Siren is a very professional outfit, whether M/F does as well as other pairings, or not, and I'm really happy they liked my story!

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Congrats! Siren has been nothing but fantastic for me, so I hope you have the same great relationship with them.

My first and third books were M/F and yeah, they're my lowest sellers. But I still get a slight bump on them whenever I have a new ménage release and they help fill out my backlist.

As for the 5 year contract, that's actually reasonable since many (most?) publishers have at least a 5 year term. A few have 3 year and some even have lifetime, though personally I would never hand over lifetime rights.

Go celebrate and enjoy that awesome feeling an offer brings! Then come back and let us know what you decide after the New Year.

Pterofan said:

Congrats and welcome to Siren! They're terrific to work for. The editors listen to and work with the writers.

The menage sounds right up their alley. Siren likes multiples. Also if you have any paranormals or M/M. Those seem to do best in sales.

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Oh dear, doesn't sound good for me! LOL! I write M/F and intend to write a few M/F/MM+ (but with no male-on-male, 'cause I'm not sure I can write those pairings well.) I haven't signed anything yet, so it's all in the air at the moment.

MFM and MFMMM+++ also does well at Siren. Menage in general does well period.

*Deep Breaths*

Well, it's been a topsy-turvy start to 2015, and though I initially sent an e-mail accepting Siren's offer on 12/31 and received a generic 'welcome to Siren' with info on when the contract and edits would be sent to me, overnight I received family news which means I have now written to writhdraw my acceptance of their offer. They wanted to publish the novella in March and I simply won't be able to do the edits, plus work on edits for my already contracted book, and deal with travelling back and forth between my home country and here, juggling that with the kids, etc. I feel terrible, and very unprofessional to have accepted and then rescinded only 2 days later, but in my heart I know it's the right thing to do. Hopefully, since the contract hasn't gone out, or the edits (scheduled to be sent to me in 3 weeks or so), it won't be a huge hassle for them to strike me off their sheet. i'd rather make a clean break and not ask for a later release date, 'cause I don't want any more writing/editing obligations right now.

Feeling... but also strangely okay about it. I had niggles about the novella being M/F and perhaps not doing well at Siren, but I thought that might be the case no matter where it went since it's not hot, hot, hot. LOL. In any case, I'm going to shelve it for a while and then have a re-think once I'm 'normal' again. Thanks for all the info and support!

Pisco, my thoughts are with you as you deal with family issues.

Pisco, that is very sad news. I went through a similar experience a few years ago, and the publisher was very understanding, offering to extend the deadline a couple of months. Despite my efforts to finish the novel (contracted on a partial), the end result wasn't as successful as I had hoped. Maybe this was meant to happen. Concentrate on your family situation, and I hope you can find a better home for your novel in the near future.

Pico, did you already sign the contract for that story? Because you might need to be careful about selling it to another publisher if you did...

S.C. Wynne said:

Pico, did you already sign the contract for that story? Because you might need to be careful about selling it to another publisher if you did...

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No, I didn't even have time to receive the contract before writing to them re my sudden change so I'm hoping it isn't too much of a hassle for them. It was over the New Year holiday so I'm assuming they didn't work on anything to send me. All I want at this stage is to spend time with my mother and she's in another country. So, I'd rather make a clean cut with anything I haven't signed on for bc I'm the sort or person who frets and stresses about fulfilling obligations and I have rather a lot on my plate at the moment.

Re selling the story elsewhere, I have no idea what I'll do when the time comes to resume 'normal' life. In any case, all my writing projects except those I'm under contract to deliver are on hold, indefinitely.

BTW, thanks for the goodwishes everybody!

How long does Siren take from acceptance to publication?

It's been my experience 2-3 months.

It can sometimes be about one and a half month, though! Case in point: I submitted a novel to them about April 10th, and they're releasing it in late May (I believe in 1-2 days from this post.) It's anywhere between 6-10 weeks from acceptance to publication.

My last release was about 2 months from acceptance.