As far as markets, in the broad scheme, this is what's hot right now:
M/F/M or M/M/F menage- just in case this is confusing, m/f/m is a threesome where the men do the the girl, not each other. As opposed to m/m/f where the men do each other and the woman. This is really hot right now.
M/M- this is hot, though it is a niche market. That said, it's definitely gaining momentum, coming in the top five most popular themes, from what I've been able to glean.
Kick a** female heroines- Warner and Brava are both looking for these with paranormal bent and erotic elements.
BDSM- this seems to always be popular as well as what I call quasi-forced D/s (Dominance/submission). By that I mean, a strong heroine who only submits to the alpha(s) in her story.
Psychic Phenomena- This seems to be gaining a following, as a unique twist on the 'old' magic element.
And as ever, vamps/werewolves/other shapeshifters. These are the best selling of all romance subgenres/themes.
www.loose-id.com -E book publisher who takes just about all types of erotica, including GBL. They recently lowered their min. word count to 20K, but they are known for novel length. From everything I can find out, they are one of EC's stongest competitors in the market. NO STRAIGHT HISTORICALS, meaning if its historical it better have a paranormal element. Submission under the 'Loose Id' tab at the top of the page. They pay 35% of cover price(gross). They have one or two books out in print, but focus is on e-publishing.
Notable authors who have/do publish with Loose Id- Mary Janice Davidson, Angela Knight, Lena Austin, Kate Douglas, Michele Bardsley, and our very own Emily Veinglory
www.changelingpress.com - Another e-pub. Only takes 30K and under. NO CONTEMPORARIES and everything must have a paranormal bent of some kind or another. GBL accepted and appreciated. Submission guidelines under the 'Write For Us' section on the bottom left-hand side of the page. They pay 35% of cover price and as far as I can find. They have one book in print "A Changeling For All Seasons" though their focus is on e-books.
Notable authors: Angela Knight, Judy Mays, Kate Hill, Kate Douglas, Michele Bardsley, Lena Austin
Silks Vault- The accept from under 20K to over 80K, and they have been pushing interracial of late. Another erotica e-pub, with specific guidelines for how they want it written:
http://www.silksvault.com/home.html You'll need to click on the 'submissions' button. They pay 40% of retail on all downloads and are looking to go into print.
Ellora's Cave(EC)-
http://www.ellorascave.com I'm listing them, but not posting anything other than their website. It is my understanding that the turn around time on submissions is nine months to a year, which IMO is outrageous for e-books. They are, at my last check, the only RWA certified e-publisher and according to Jaid Black they posted profits over a million last year. However, I have also heard complaints form authors about the company, though I can't substantiate them. If you get in with them, its fantastic for you, so I have to list them.
I want to point out that most of the notable authors are authors that have been published by major houses. I am by no means trying to imply that they are better than the multitude of talented authors that publish with these companies and others like them.
