Who Cares What You Call It???!!!

At the end of the business yesterday, Publisher’s Weekly broke the news that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt was placing a temporary freeze on acquisitions.  No word on how long the freeze might be.

Today, the following piece appeared in Publisher’s Lunch:

No New Books. What’s Houghton Thinking?

It was less than a month ago that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt held an “open house” at their New York offices to celebrate the first combined list of the once separate trade lines, but now that welcome is firmly closed as the trade and reference division has “temporarily stopped acquiring manuscripts,” according to vp of communications Josef Blumenfeld.

As first reported by PW and followed by the WSJ and NYT, Blumenfeld struggled for metaphors to explain the policy: “We have a temporary freeze on. We are working on what we already have.” Or rather, “there is a freeze-lite” he said. “There is a way in so it is not a hard freeze but for right now, there is a temporary — call it a freeze if you want.” Or maybe they are keeping the pipes empty before they can freeze?: “We have turned off the spigot, but we have a very robust pipeline.”

Blumenfeld explains further: “The climate is difficult. It’s about cash outlays, and every outlay of cash in every industry is being scrutinized.” But is it about expenditures, or symbols? “In this case, it’s a symbol of doing things smarter; it’s not an indicator of the end of literature.”

They also suggest that the lite freeze on that spigot might leave room for a trickle, since, while saying they are not acquiring new projects, “there are still things being considered by the acquisition committee.” But now that it’s been made clear to agents they aren’t acquiring, there won’t be a lot of submissions coming in the door to consider. Which is the really scary part about saying out loud you aren’t acquiring.

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Who knows if this will morph into a new business trend or remain an anomaly.  It’s definitely a blaring red flag (as if past financial reports weren’t enough).

This alaming news reminded me of a commentary that played on NPR’s Marketplace last week.  Let ‘em all crumble, says writer Megan Hustad, we don’t need those major publishing conglomerates.  I must admit I was surprised by her views, but she gives us all in this industry some interesting concepts to chew on.  Take a look (or listen) and let me know what you think: Megan Hustad on NPR.

 

Call for Submissions – In the Life

How many times have you read an SM story and thought, “no bottom could ever survive that position” or “nylon rope doesn’t behave that way!”? I’m editing a BDSM erotic romance anthology for Ravenous Romance using stories by authors who are actually a part of the BDSM community. Think collaring/piercing ceremonies written by an author who understands the psychology behind such a moment or sessions with a singletail described with realistic detail.

Deadline: January 8, 2009, but please feel free to submit stories ahead of the deadline.

• I am particularly interested in stories centered on established and committed relationships (any type of pairing or polyamorous relationship is fine).
• No previously published stories.
• Stories should be approximately 2500 – 5000 words (flexible).

Submission Guidelines: Email submissions to mplperkinsagency at gmail dot com as a Word or RTF attachment with “IN THE LIFE ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION” in the subject line. Please include your name (and pseudonym if applicable), mailing address, email, title of the piece and word count as part of your document. The footer of each page should include your name and page number.

Please submit an author’s BIO with your work that could be used for publication. Given the nature of the anthology, make sure that that your BIO addresses your involvement in BDSM (do you present at regional organizations, have you personally been an SM player for 10 years? Etc.)

Compensation: $10 advance against ebook royalties AND a pro rata share of ebook and audiobook royalties. Royalties are 38% for the ebook and 15% for the audiobook.

For more information on the publisher, Ravenous Romance, check out www.ravenousromance.com and their blog at ravenousromance.blogspot.com. Further explanation of Ravenous contract terms can be found at http://ravenousromance.blogspot.com/2008/10/our-short-story-rights-and-contracts.html.

Any questions about this call can be sent to mplperkinsagency at gmail dot com.

Happy Writing!

 

For the Love of the Game

If you follow me on twitter or get emails from me, you’ll notice that sometimes I’m up working at ridiculous times of the day.  That’s not just because I’m a night owl.  

It takes a ridiculous amount of time to read manuscripts, make edits, and negotiate contracts.  Back when I was doing this part time, I had 5 clients max.  As an intern, my only responsibility was to go through the slush pile and pick out the gems.  

Now?  I’ve jumped to 30+ clients, all of whom are in the process of actively submitting work.  So gone are the days of working 9-5 (actually it was more like 10-6) and going home to leisurely make my way through the slush.  

These days, I’m up at 2am, giving that partial manuscript or submitted blog that caught my interest a thorough read. All after a day of contract negotiations and client communications that took twice or thrice the amount of time I had scheduled.  

And my god, I love it.  I can’t think of any other job/career I’d stay up for (and I’ve tried a few).

Just wanted to share the joy.

 

What I Want to Read: Shh….Don’t Tell Anyone

….but I’m not really a fan of romance.   Or so I thought before I started my agenting* work.

Then I remembered that I secretly watch Jerry Maguire EVERY time it’s on TV.  I still get teary eyed when the “You complete me” moment comes and I usually find myself silently mouthing, all breathy and full of emotion, “You had me at hello.”

You had me at hello.

Mr. Maguire was on this morning and it had me thinking about my favorite pieces of romantic fiction.  My absolute favorite? Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters.  Lesbian historical romance at its best.  I’ve got to work so no time to write a synopsis that will do justice to the novel, so I’ll just link away and trust that you’ll look it up.  I’d really like to see more queer historical romance in my inbox.

*It’s the internet, so yes, I can use agent as a verb.

 

NJ Romance Writers’ Conference

This weekend’s  NJ Romance Writers’ Conference was the first I’ve ever attended and despite a rocky start, I had a blast.  There was some communication mix-up that had the organizers thinking I might not attend, but once we got that all settled, they were so quick to bounce back, I was impressed.

Despite the mix-up, I had a steady stream of writers ready to pitch their stories to me during Saturday morning’s agent appointments.  I’ve spent 90% of my agent time interacting with writers via phone or email, so getting a live query was definitely a nice change of pace.  My two favorite pitches involved work that doesn’t fall within the genres that I usually represent but that, if the writing turns out to be strong, I’d love to take on.  I am very ready to expand my guidelines for the right project.  (Don’t get jealous, my beloved Erotica, you must have known that my eye would wander).  If you’re wondering, the right project tends to include strong females, not matter the age.  Both of my fave pitches from the conference had interesting, empowered women at the center of the story.

I walked away from the conference with some awesome goodies.  I got a plush white RWA towel, four free books and a mini-bottle of Woodbridge chardonnay.  These women know how to throw a conference.

Random bit of trivia: During lunch, I sat with a group of women who’ve been married for longer than I’ve been alive.  I asked for their secret (I definitely had something to learn, I can’t even commit to an exercise regimen) and walked away with this gold nugget: If you find something worth being committed to, you have to work everyday to maintain that commitment.  Who knew that romance writers from Rhode Island would remind me of lyrics from a Common song?  “Anything worth having you work at annually.” /digression

 

It’s All Political: Erotica for Change

Circlet Press is making a cool offer to inspire donations to the political cause of your choice.  Read below.

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Erotica For Change!

Please feel free to pass this message along to your erotica-loving friends/re-post:

Erotica for Change!

We at Circlet Press have always believed in the future and in working to build a world and society we want to live in.

Being purveyors of sex-positive, erotic fantasy and science fiction, the future we believe in is a grand one where people are not persecuted for their erotic lives, preferences, or fantasies, where people of all genders can marry and raise families, and where freedom of creative expression is a valued tenet.

But we know there is a lot going on out there with the failing economy, war in Iraq, and so on. So our biggest hope is that Circlet’s readers get active in the political process, whether you are for McCain/Palin, Obama/Biden, or Rosalind/Adama. And we’re encouraging you to put your money where your mouth is (no, no, not there, you kinky thing).

YOU are going to make a donation to your favorite political campaign or cause.
WE are going to thank you by sending you a book!

For complete details and instructions, see: http://www.circlet.com/?p=119

 

What I Like: Sexy is a State of Being

I’m not a huge fan of Halle Berry or her body of work, but this picture of her gracing the cover of Esquire stopped me dead in my tracks at the grocery store today.

Hmmm…let’s see.  How can I turn my blatant gawking into something related to my work as an agent….?

Well, her “speech” on being named Esquire’s 2008 Sexiest Woman Alive is forgettable.  But she gives us this gem:

“Sexy is not about wearing sexy clothes or shaking your booty until you damn near get hip dysplasia; it’s about knowing that sexiness is a state of mind — a comfortable state of being.”

For once, I agree with Ms. Berry.  Sexy is a state of being.   Sexy is being so comfortable with your sexuality that it can freely ooze into every aspect of your life. (How many times can I say “sexy” in one post?)

The erotica that I tend to represent works off of that definition of sexy.  I get turned off by stories where characters are ashamed of their desires.  Unsure I can take.  Shame, nope.  So no “coming of age” novels where Johnny hates himself for being gay and then learns to love himself.  Give me something like a new mom posing with a tie hanging between her breasts, looking straight into the camera, unapologetically hot.  Give me Halle Berry.

 

What I’m Reading (For Pleasure)

Here’s a glimpse into the type of work that gets me going.  I am currently in love with Sinclair Sexsmith’s blog Sugarbutch.  She’s a brillant erotica writer and also, in my opinion, a brillant gender theorist.  Her posts range from smart, brain-tingling erotica to thought-provoking essays on the butch/femme dynamic, being queer, and her developing definition of butch.  She also has a fun short story contest going where readers submit story ideas and she writes erotica based on the submitted concepts.

My favorite post thus far? Upon Leaving Mexico

My favorite Sugarbutch fantasy?  Finding a query from Sinclair in my inbox.

 

Call for Submissions from Cecilia Tan

Read below for an opportunity to have your story in a Ravenous Romance anthology.

Please DO NOT contact me with submissions for this anthology.  The contact information is included in the call.

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Writers, see below for a call for submissions from Cecilia Tan:

WICKED PLEASURES:
I am editing an anthology for the new ebook erotic romance house, Ravenous Romance.

I am looking for kinky erotic stories in the contemporary milieu (not sf/f, not historical, though I might sneak one or two in). Bondage, SM, dominance and submission games, pony training, power exchange, fetishes, spanking, this is what I need. I can take one or two queer or genderqueer stories, but the vast majority must be heterosexual. I’m fond of hot kinky stories that feature Established Relationships, but not every story needs that. I’m especially fond of stories that explore the inside of the submissive’s head, and female inner strength.

3000 – 6250 words is a good length, up to 10K words. I like longer stories where more plot and characterization can take place, I like stories I can sink my teeth into. Graphic sexuality a must, positive female characters, too. If the characters are interesting, the sex will be interesting. Stories will pay $1 per “page” (i.e. $1 per 250 words) in advance, plus a share of royalties. Submit your story by email to “ctan.editor” (at Gmail.com). Be sure your name, address, and email address are ON YOUR MANUSCRIPT. (You won’t believe how many attachments we get with no info on them at all.) No reprints. Original stories only.

DEADLINE: October 15th. Email submissions to my personal submissions address: ctan.editor(@)gmail.com.

Cecilia Tan, writer & editor
Mobile: (617) 290-9043

 

It’s All Political

Why am I an erotica agent?

Reason #1 (the simple one): I’m a 27 year old woman who has a passion for written porn.  Smart writing turns me on.  Add in a strong plot and deliciously explicit descriptions and I’m yours.  Your agent that is.  In many ways, I represent the typical market for contemporary erotica and I have a good eye for quality salable work.

Reason #2 (the more idealistic one): There’s a new sexual revolution brewing, and it’s so timely, so sensical, that many of us have barely noticed it.  My generation has learned from our gender outlaws, ethical sluts and sexperts; we’re creating sexually authentic lives for ourselves.  Better yet, we’re blogging about it in beautiful orgasm-inducing detail.  Google your kink of choice,  and you’ll find a blog about it, someone else adding their struggles and triumphs to our collective cultural/sexual history.  The thought that a mother turned lifestyle submissive and a queer femme Daddy can both find a voice for their personal stories makes me proud to be living in this age.  My work as an agent helps to ensure that these stories get heard (read) by as many people as possible.

This reason is why I have a strong bias towards sex bloggers turned authors and/or authors who live the lives they write about.

Reason #3: I get to make money reading porn.