Ghostwoods Books Current Calls
We'd like to publish some serial thriller, sci fi, adventure, or fantasy novels.
Call posted: 15 May, 2013
Deadline: 15 July, 2013
We're interested in the concept of an ongoing serial, like the old-fashioned newspaper comic strips, but in prose form. Each episode should be around 8,000 to 10,000 words. Episodes should end on a significant cliff hanger that leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next. Each should be full of tension all the way through. Fantasy and sci fi should be plausible and internally consistent. Works with a slight literary bent but a foot firmly in genre are of special interest.
Writers who are accepted must commit to at least six episodes. Successful series (in terms of sales) may go on as long as their natural story cycle allows.
Terms of the contract will be negotiated individually with the author, but will be writer friendly.
Submit an overall idea synopsis of one or two pages together with the first episode as a single document with clear headings for the two parts. Submit here. Select call Serial Novel.
We'd like to publish some serial romantic suspense novels.
Call posted: 15 May 2013
Deadline: July 15, 2013
We're interested in the concept of an ongoing serial, like the old-fashioned newspaper comic strips, but in prose form. Each episode should be around 6,000 to 10,000 words. Episodes should end on a significant cliff hanger that leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next. Each should be full of tension all the way through. Romantic suspense can be contemporary or historical. Level of eroticism can vary from mild to very steamy. We'll consider both straight and LGBT works. The focus should be on the tension in the form of a mystery, adventure, or other intrigue. Works with a slight literary bent but a foot firmly in genre are of special interest.
Writers who are accepted must commit to at least six episodes. Successful series (in terms of sales) may go on as long as their natural story cycle allows.
Terms of the contract will be negotiated individually with the author, but will be writer friendly.
Submit an overall idea synopsis of one or two pages together with the first episode as a single document with clear headings for the two parts. Submit here. Select call Serial Novel.
We're putting together a Lovecraftian anthology, working title: Cthulhu Lives.
Editor: Salome Jones
Call posted: 19 January, 2013
Updated: 15 May, 2013
Deadline: July 1st.
Update: We are now offering a $50 advance against royalties for stories over 5,000 words for this anthology. Note: We pay using paypal at time of publication. We are still accepting shorter pieces and they may still earn eventual royalties.
We're looking for stories inspired by Lovecraft's mythos. Stories should be between 2000 and 8000 words. We're looking for between 10 and 15 stories. The call will close when we receive enough good stories to fill out a book of between 60 and 70,000 words.
Stories will be edited and may be sent back to the author for revision before publication.
Compensation: Authors whose work is accepted will receive a copy of the ebook which will be widely distributed. If sales of the ebook warrant it, we'll also offer this book in trade paperback. If a trade paperback becomes available, contributing authors will receive a physical copy of the book. When/if the book goes into profit, royalties will be paid to authors.
Submit stories here. Select call: Cthulhu Lives.
Call posted: 15 May, 2013
Deadline: 15 July, 2013
We're interested in the concept of an ongoing serial, like the old-fashioned newspaper comic strips, but in prose form. Each episode should be around 8,000 to 10,000 words. Episodes should end on a significant cliff hanger that leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next. Each should be full of tension all the way through. Fantasy and sci fi should be plausible and internally consistent. Works with a slight literary bent but a foot firmly in genre are of special interest.
Writers who are accepted must commit to at least six episodes. Successful series (in terms of sales) may go on as long as their natural story cycle allows.
Terms of the contract will be negotiated individually with the author, but will be writer friendly.
Submit an overall idea synopsis of one or two pages together with the first episode as a single document with clear headings for the two parts. Submit here. Select call Serial Novel.
We'd like to publish some serial romantic suspense novels.
Call posted: 15 May 2013
Deadline: July 15, 2013
We're interested in the concept of an ongoing serial, like the old-fashioned newspaper comic strips, but in prose form. Each episode should be around 6,000 to 10,000 words. Episodes should end on a significant cliff hanger that leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next. Each should be full of tension all the way through. Romantic suspense can be contemporary or historical. Level of eroticism can vary from mild to very steamy. We'll consider both straight and LGBT works. The focus should be on the tension in the form of a mystery, adventure, or other intrigue. Works with a slight literary bent but a foot firmly in genre are of special interest.
Writers who are accepted must commit to at least six episodes. Successful series (in terms of sales) may go on as long as their natural story cycle allows.
Terms of the contract will be negotiated individually with the author, but will be writer friendly.
Submit an overall idea synopsis of one or two pages together with the first episode as a single document with clear headings for the two parts. Submit here. Select call Serial Novel.
We're putting together a Lovecraftian anthology, working title: Cthulhu Lives.
Editor: Salome Jones
Call posted: 19 January, 2013
Updated: 15 May, 2013
Deadline: July 1st.
Update: We are now offering a $50 advance against royalties for stories over 5,000 words for this anthology. Note: We pay using paypal at time of publication. We are still accepting shorter pieces and they may still earn eventual royalties.
We're looking for stories inspired by Lovecraft's mythos. Stories should be between 2000 and 8000 words. We're looking for between 10 and 15 stories. The call will close when we receive enough good stories to fill out a book of between 60 and 70,000 words.
Stories will be edited and may be sent back to the author for revision before publication.
Compensation: Authors whose work is accepted will receive a copy of the ebook which will be widely distributed. If sales of the ebook warrant it, we'll also offer this book in trade paperback. If a trade paperback becomes available, contributing authors will receive a physical copy of the book. When/if the book goes into profit, royalties will be paid to authors.
Submit stories here. Select call: Cthulhu Lives.
We're putting together an anthology of dark, modern fairy tales, working title: From the Shadows.
Editor: Salome Jones
Call posted: 19 January, 2013
Updated" 15 May, 2013
Deadline: July 1st.
We're looking for stories that take the tropes of classic fairy tales and use them in a modern (or futuristic) setting. (For an example of something we'd love, see the A. S. Byatt story Cold. Excerpt here.) We're aiming for dark here, with magic, evil forest creatures or the like and somewhat heightened language, yet the stories should be very readable and engaging. Stories must be between 2000 and 6000 words long. We're shooting to fill a 60,000 word book with them. Submissions will end when we've received enough good, publishable stories to fill the volume. Accepted stories will be edited and authors may be asked to submit revisions before publication.
What we probably don't want: Retellings of standard fairy tales. While we like these, they're not what we're looking for here. Unless the story is flipped on its head in some meaningful way. Very well written stories that leave the reader thinking and utilize fantasy elements in an interesting way, for example to defamiliarize the reader with something a modern person would have become cynical about or inured to.
Compensation: Authors whose work is accepted will receive a copy of the ebook which will be widely distributed. If sales of the ebook warrant it, we'll also offer this book in trade paperback. If a trade paperback becomes available, contributing authors will receive a physical copy of the book. When/if the book goes into profit, royalties will be paid to authors. We hope/expect this to happen, but are holding the announcement until such time as we're sure the book will receive enough submissions to go ahead.
Submit stories here. Select call: From the Shadows.
Editor: Salome Jones
Call posted: 19 January, 2013
Updated" 15 May, 2013
Deadline: July 1st.
We're looking for stories that take the tropes of classic fairy tales and use them in a modern (or futuristic) setting. (For an example of something we'd love, see the A. S. Byatt story Cold. Excerpt here.) We're aiming for dark here, with magic, evil forest creatures or the like and somewhat heightened language, yet the stories should be very readable and engaging. Stories must be between 2000 and 6000 words long. We're shooting to fill a 60,000 word book with them. Submissions will end when we've received enough good, publishable stories to fill the volume. Accepted stories will be edited and authors may be asked to submit revisions before publication.
What we probably don't want: Retellings of standard fairy tales. While we like these, they're not what we're looking for here. Unless the story is flipped on its head in some meaningful way. Very well written stories that leave the reader thinking and utilize fantasy elements in an interesting way, for example to defamiliarize the reader with something a modern person would have become cynical about or inured to.
Compensation: Authors whose work is accepted will receive a copy of the ebook which will be widely distributed. If sales of the ebook warrant it, we'll also offer this book in trade paperback. If a trade paperback becomes available, contributing authors will receive a physical copy of the book. When/if the book goes into profit, royalties will be paid to authors. We hope/expect this to happen, but are holding the announcement until such time as we're sure the book will receive enough submissions to go ahead.
Submit stories here. Select call: From the Shadows.
The case for eBooks.
Despite what you may think, author’s royalties on printed books are generally pretty bad. They’re can be as low as $0.15 a copy, and even with horrible advances at just $3000 or below, books not on the A* list often don’t earn out their advance. It’s a complicated issue, but the sad truth is that everyone wants a big chunk of the sales price, and the author is right at the bottom of the pile. Unless they’re celebs, of course. But we’re not, and we assume you’re not, either.
Publishing eBooks gives a chance to cut out several stages of the feeding frenzy. Publication costs are also minimal, which helps reduce overheads. There are no print or shipping costs. Despite this, mainstream publishers have a tendency to grossly overprice electronic copies of their books, and it is really annoying readers.
Electronic publishers take between 15% and 50% of the cover price. This is pretty huge, but even in the worst cases — like Kobo — it still leaves a reasonable amount of money per sale, and that money is profit. That profit deserves to be split equally, because despite publishers’ opinions, writing a book is hard work that deserves a fair reward.
Publishing eBooks gives a chance to cut out several stages of the feeding frenzy. Publication costs are also minimal, which helps reduce overheads. There are no print or shipping costs. Despite this, mainstream publishers have a tendency to grossly overprice electronic copies of their books, and it is really annoying readers.
Electronic publishers take between 15% and 50% of the cover price. This is pretty huge, but even in the worst cases — like Kobo — it still leaves a reasonable amount of money per sale, and that money is profit. That profit deserves to be split equally, because despite publishers’ opinions, writing a book is hard work that deserves a fair reward.
The Ghostwoods Books approach.
We’re looking for top-quality novels and non-fiction works to publish, initially electronically, at a reader-friendly price, usually somewhere between $4.99 and $5.99. All books will be thoroughly developed and edited before publication, as you’d expect. They’ll be properly laid out, ISBN’ed, and given attractive covers. Then they’ll be listed with every useful eBook publisher out there. We may record them as audiobooks, too. We’ll back all this up with promotion and marketing, review copies, press releases, submission to all relevant major awards and competitions, and lots of info as to how you can also help promote your work effectively.
Ghostwoods Books will only publish genuinely good books. No ifs, no buts, no back-handers. Particularly in eBook publishing, it’s vital to build a reliable reputation. The Ghostwoods Books seal will guarantee a top-quality publication. That’s worth more than a whole pallette of bus-stop posters and corny marketing stunts.
As well as electronically publishing and promoting your work, we’ll also represent your book as literary agents to the mainstream publishing industry if you want us to — and yes, that includes handing over electronic rights. The time will come when we’re able to offer print contracts ourselves, but it won’t be for a while. In the mean time, we’ll help you get there with other people, in return for standard agents’ fees. Selling just 5000 copies of an eBook is enough to get publishers to take you very seriously indeed, so we’re in the unique place of being able to bolster our agenting efforts with meaningful hard numbers.
Because our business model relies on very low up-front costs to get started, the one down-side is that we’re not able to offer an advance against royalties. I know that sucks. Sorry. Normal agents wouldn’t pay any advance of course, nor publish electronically. To make up for it, we’re giving you a get-out clause.
Ghostwoods Books will only publish genuinely good books. No ifs, no buts, no back-handers. Particularly in eBook publishing, it’s vital to build a reliable reputation. The Ghostwoods Books seal will guarantee a top-quality publication. That’s worth more than a whole pallette of bus-stop posters and corny marketing stunts.
As well as electronically publishing and promoting your work, we’ll also represent your book as literary agents to the mainstream publishing industry if you want us to — and yes, that includes handing over electronic rights. The time will come when we’re able to offer print contracts ourselves, but it won’t be for a while. In the mean time, we’ll help you get there with other people, in return for standard agents’ fees. Selling just 5000 copies of an eBook is enough to get publishers to take you very seriously indeed, so we’re in the unique place of being able to bolster our agenting efforts with meaningful hard numbers.
Because our business model relies on very low up-front costs to get started, the one down-side is that we’re not able to offer an advance against royalties. I know that sucks. Sorry. Normal agents wouldn’t pay any advance of course, nor publish electronically. To make up for it, we’re giving you a get-out clause.
