Q. I sent a manuscript two months ago and haven't heard back. Is it rejected?
A. There may be periods of time when we are overwhelmed with submissions. If you have not heard from us after 60 days of submission we encourage you to e-mail us for a status report. We would not reject any manuscript without notifying the author first.

Q. I write erotica under a pen name and do not wish to associate my real name/identity with these works. Can you guarantee my privacy?
A. We can make no guarantees that your true identity will not be revealed, but we will do our best to make sure your association with Phaze is done only through your pen name.

Q. Are simultaneous submissions okay?
A. Yes, so long as you let us know when you submit to us. Should you accept another offer before we can make a decision, we would expect you to let us know immediately.

Q. Are works written in the first person POV considered?
A. Yes. In fact, one of our biggest sellers, Three Days in New York City, is a first-person novel. However, we will warn you that as first-person is a challenging POV to write in erotic romance, we are very selective of these submissions.

Q. Are works written in the second person POV considered?
A. Yes, though we have yet to publish such a work. As this is a challenging POV for the genre, the work would have to be exceptional for us to consider it.

Q. Are works written in a diary style considered?
A. See above.

Q. I and 3-4 other authors collaborated on an anthology and are looking for a publisher. Will you consider it?
A. Yes, so long as the anthology adheres to our guidelines. Also, should you submit a multi-author anthology, please confirm that all authors agree to the submission.

Q. I wrote an anthology of short stories, but only half the stories are erotic. Will you consider it?
A. We will consider it.

Q. I wrote a novel, but I do not want to submit it until I first receive a contract. Will you accept it based on the synopsis?
A. We very, very rarely contract works on spec. When we do, nine times out of ten it is with an in-house author. If you wish to submit a work to Phaze and are not already published with us, you will need to send the manuscript.

Q. I recently left my previous publisher / My previous publisher folded. Will Phaze consider previously published works?
A. Presently we will only consider reprints by in-house authors only.

Q. Your guidelines say you accept books over 90K, but I heard you are phasing out longer works. Will you still consider my longer work?
A. Yes. We are not automatically rejecting works over 90K, but please note that we are very selective in considering works of great length. You may submit your work, but know that it will go through a more rigorous evaluation process. Because of the time and expense involved in producing such a long work, we want to be sure it is of the highest quality, and we will take a number of other factors into consideration with longer works than we would with category/novel lengths.

Q. Why was my novel rejected?
A. Phaze reserves the right not to comment on rejected submissions. The decision to pass on a manuscript does not reflect personally on the author, and it may not necessarily reflect upon the quality of the work. Though it is not a requirement, we do encourage potential authors to purchase one or two of our titles to get a feel for what we like.

Q. You passed on my book but I revised it. Can I resubmit it to you?
A. Yes, you are welcome to do so, but there is no guarantee we will accept it the second time around.

Q. What genres do you accept?
A. Pretty much anything as long as it's romantic and explicitly erotic, or erotic and of quality for our Umbra line. Examples of 'pretty much anything' would be historical, futuristic, BDSM, science fiction, threesomes or more, interracial, vampire, etc., etc., etc. As long as it's well-written and falls within our guidelines, we'll read it.

Q. Is there a particular genre you wish to see more of than others?
A. Presently, we would love to see more quality submissions featuring BBW (big, beautiful women) and/or BHM (big handsome men), May/December romances involving older women and younger men (think Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher), interracial romances, historical settings, fantastic creatures like shifters and faeries, and romantic suspense. A combination of any of the aforementioned would be welcomed, too. At this time, however, we do not consider Phaze oversaturated with any particular genre - we will consider everything from contemporary to paranormal, fantasy to thriller.

Q. What will you not accept?
A. We are not interested in romance novels that lack explicit sex (or sex entirely), regardless of how well-written they are. As a publisher of erotic romance, we place great emphasis on the eroticism of the works we sell. There are many publishers available looking for "sweet" and mildly sensual romances, but that is not our current need.

Other things we will not consider:

While we do accept BDSM fiction, please note we will not consider works that scenes we define as excessively violent.

In short, if it turns our stomachs, it will not be accepted.

Q. My book is a May/December romance, but the man is older. Will Phaze consider it?
A. As long as both characters are of legal age, we will consider it.

Q. My book has a menage scene with two brothers/cousins. Will Phaze consider it?
A. As long as the related characters do not engage in any incestuous behavior, we will consider it.

Q. My book has sex scenes featuring a Catholic priest/nun. Will Phaze consider it?
A. No.

Q. I have written an erotic memoir. Will Phaze consider it?
A. Phaze is not considering non-fiction, confessionals, or how-to manuals.

Q. Do you consider poetry?
A. If you have written an anthology of short stories with poetry, we will consider it.

Q. I have written an historical romance where the hero/heroine is rather young. For the setting, this is considered appropriate given the low mortality rates, and people did marry as young as fourteen back then. Will Phaze consider it?
A. While we acknowledge such traditions of the past, Phaze will not consider works featuring sex with characters under the age of 18, regardless of the novel's setting and time period. All characters engaging in sexual acts must be depicted as being of the current legal age, no exceptions.

Q. I have written an historical romance where the hero/heroine are cousins. In this time period it wasn't uncommon for cousins to marry. Will Phaze consider it?
A. While we acknowledge such traditions of the past, Phaze will not consider works featuring sex between immediate blood relations, regardless of the novel's setting and time period. No exceptions. This includes first cousins and siblings, parents and children, and any combination of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, etc.

In some cases, we may receive a story where the hero/heroine are "kin," or very distant cousins. If the distance in relation is well established, we may consider such a story depending upon the context (setting and time) and development of the characters.

Q. I have written an erotic romance where the hero/heroine are step-siblings/half-siblings. In other words, they are not blood related. Will Phaze consider it?
A. More than likely, no. In the case of half-siblings, there would have to be some blood relation, and that is incest. Step-sibling romance tends to step out of our comfort zone. We would rather not receive such stories.

Q. I have written an erotic romance, but I am under the age of 18. Will Phaze consider it?
A. While we acknowledge some countries set their legal age at 16 or 17, we only acknowledge US law as far as publishing is concerned. Therefore, we will not consider erotic works by minors, even if you present parental consent. We publish only for adults, by adults. No exceptions.

Q. My novel is based upon characters from (TV SHOW or FILM). Will Phaze consider it?
A. No. Due to legal concerns, we will not consider anything that appears to be "fan fiction."

Q. My novel is based upon historical fact, featuring fictionalizations of real people. Will Phaze consider it?
A. We will consider such works under one condition: if the story doesn't take place at least one hundred years prior to the current year submitted, then any public figures portrayed in the book must be deceased. We call this the "James Ellroy Rule." Ellroy is known for his crime novels, which have featured public figures as characters. To date he does not fictionalize anyone living.

Q. My novel is based upon/a parody of (NOVEL). Will Phaze consider it?
A. We are aware a number of erotic romances borrow familiar themes in literature. In fact, Phaze currently has available works based upon mythology and popular fairy tales. We will continue to consider works that eroticize familiar tales only if the original story on which your submission is based is in the public domain. For example, we may consider an erotic version of a Dickens or Dumas story, but not of an Agatha Christie story using Hercule Poirot, which is still protected under copyright laws.

In the United States, all works copyrighted prior to 1923 are in the public domain.

Q. My hero/heroine is from another planet, so technically another species. Would that be considered bestiality?
A. Not as long as he's an intelligent, reasoning being.

Q. Where does Phaze draw the line between erotica and pornography?
A. By our definition, erotica is as much about the emotions, the relationship, as it is about the sex. Therefore every erotica story we publish is at its heart a romance story in some way or another. However, erotica is not necessarily bound by traditional romance roles. You may have more than two central characters, for instance. You can explore areas of sexuality not normally addressed in traditional romance.

Q. What if my story is sexually charged, but I don't feel comfortable writing about emotional stuff. I just like writing about sex.
A. Then Phaze isn't the publisher for you.

Q. I've written an erotic story, but don't feel comfortable using strong words for body parts. The language is tame but there is plenty of sex. Will Phaze consider it?
A. Yes, it we feel it is suitable for Phaze we will consider it.

Q. What is romantic erotica?
A. Romantic erotica is erotica with romance and a 'Happily Ever After' or 'Happily For Now' ending.

Q. What is women's erotica?
A. Women's erotica is erotica geared toward women. The main character is usually female. It's not romance, necessarily (or it would be classified as romantic erotica), though it can have romantic overtones, as in Robin Slick's Three Days in New York City or Iona Blair's Cassolette. Subject matter can come from any genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Vampire, etc. It can be fast and hard or slow and sensuous.  As an example, a story about a man stranded on a desert island inhabited by sex-starved women would not be women's erotica. Now if you make it a frustrated woman stranded on a desert island with a tribe of gorgeous rain dancers.... if handled well, it could be considered women's erotica. The language of women's erotica is usually more appropriate to 'chick lit' than Playboy (but of course there are exceptions).

Q. Your guidelines say two to four central characters. What does that mean? And what's a romantic unit?
A. A 'romantic unit' is the love relationship between at least two characters who remain the same throughout the story. Not one central character who indulges in a myriad of secondary characters. Or ten central characters who explore free love with no romantic unit.

Q. Do you accept gay erotica?
A. Yes.  We do accept M/M erotica, so long as it adheres to our overall submission guidelines.

Q. Do you accept yaoi/shounen-ai?
A. Yes. We will consider quality submissions of yaoi, so long as the characters are of age and the manuscript adheres to our guidelines. We are in the process of scouting submission readers and artists for this unique genre.

Q. Do you accept lesbian erotica?
A. Yes.  We do accept F/F erotica, so long as it adheres to our overall submission guidelines.

Q. You say 'explicit language.' Can I use traditional obscenities in my writing?
A. Yes.

Q. Are your books aimed more at the male or female readership?
A. Both, really, but our readership is 90% female.

Q. How often do you pay royalties?
A. We pay royalties quarterly.

Q. What are your size categories?

Q. What are your book ratings?

Our ratings system has recently been overhauled to better reflect the heat levels of our books. Stories are ranked on a scale of one to five novas, five being the hottest. Here's how they stack up:

Q. I have a story I want to submit, but it's under 5,000 words. Can you make an exception?
A. No.  Five thousand is our minimum. There are other publishers who will consider shorts of lesser length, but that is not in our future or interest.

Q. I have two stories that total 5,000 words and are related. Can I submit as one title?
A. Yes, we will consider such submissions.

Q. Are there separate formatting guidelines for shorter works?
A. No.  Same content, formatting, and supplemental material guidelines for all submitted manuscripts, regardless of length.

Q. I'm not sure how to format my manuscript.  I've read your guidelines, but I don't know how to double-space in my writing program.
A. Utilize the help feature in your writing program to figure it out, or ask a computer professional.

Q. Is it true you only have formatting guidelines to see if authors can follow directions?
A. No and yes.  We have formatting guideline because they make our job a tiny bit easier.  We read everything on our screens--we do not print manuscripts to review--so we need manuscripts to be uniform and easy on the eyes.  If we choose to contract a work, a properly formatted manuscript makes for more efficient editing.  And yes, an improperly formatted manuscript tells us that either A) the author didn't bother to read our guidelines, or B) the author doesn't know how to use his/her word processing software.  In either case, it's a huge red flag for us.   As of August 2006, we are absolutely serious about rejecting improperly formatted manuscripts without review.

Q. What is the minimum word count to be considered for print?
A. Ideally, we would like our print titles to be a minimum of 50K words. We have made exceptions in the past, only due to exceptional eBook sales, and may consider works of 40K and above depending upon the success of the author.

Q. You recently accepted my novel. Will it go into print?
A. While it is our goal to increase our inventory of print titles, we cannot guarantee that every novel length work will go to print. Various factors - sales, author promotion, etc. - will be taken into consideration before we make a decision.

Q. Does Phaze do print runs or POD?
A. At this time, we utilize POD for print, but are considering print runs. Our print editions are produced through Lightning Source, and are available through the major book distributors (Ingrams, etc.)

Q. Are Phaze print books returnable?
A. Yes. Unlike companies that utilize POD for subsidized or vanity publishing, Phaze does not charge authors to go into print, and offers bookstores a sound return policy.

Q. You recently accepted my story, and I have a sequel. Will you contract on spec?
A. Contracting on spec is left to the discretion of the publisher and is a matter between the publisher and author. However, if you have written a sequel to your work, Phaze retains right to first refusal as stated in our contract.

Q. You recently accepted my novella, and I have a sequel. If the sequel is accepted can they be bound together for a print title?
A. Yes, at this time we are planning the combination of some of our shorter one-author series titles for "omnibus" paperback editions. Please note, there is no guarantee that every series will go to print.

Q. You accepted one of my stories for a themed HeatSheet line. Will all the stories in that line be printed in an anthology?
A. While we are considering taking some of our themed lines to print, that may not happen for several months yet. Various factors, like the overall sales and promotion of the lines, are to be considered, as well as royalty considerations (multi-author anthologies can be a nightmare where pay is concerned). Also, a number of our themed HeatSheets are linked to other series (example: Leigh Ellwood's Jack of Hearts and Jack of Diamonds, Brio and Belegon's Mandy and Bruce stories), so more than likely those stories would be paired into their own collections. With some lines, the word count might not be high enough for print.

Q. Some publishers offer audio and foreign language options. Will Phaze do audio books and foreign language editions?
A. We are always considering different avenues for promotion and production, though there are no immediate plans for audio or foreign translations.

Q. You recently contracted/published my story. A company is interested in turning my story into a film. Who owns those rights?
A. You. Phaze will only license the rights to publish your work in eBook, trade paperback and hardcover editions (though we may not exploit all of those rights for the duration of your contact). The author will retain remaining subsidiary rights, including audio, film/TV/dramatic, foreign language translations, book club, etc.