Publisher Spotlight: MASQUE BOOKS

MASQUE BOOKS is so new they aren't even out there yet...but they are launching in July.

Prime Books will launch a new digital imprint, Masque Books, in July 2013. Masque will publish all types of science fiction and fantasy, including sf/f romance.

Masque plans to launch with three titles its first month and publish three new titles a month thereafter. They are actively seeking novellas and novels. Guidelines and a submission portal can be found at masque-books.com.

“Initially,” said publisher Sean Wallace, “all titles will be digital-only, but successful digital-first titles may be turned into trade paperbacks with national distribution.”

Wallace will serve as publisher for the new imprint. Prime Books senior editor, Paula Guran, will also continue in her role with Masque. Natalie Luhrs, former senior science fiction and fantasy reviewer for RT Book Reviews, joins the Masque team as acquisitions editor.

FROM their website:

 

Submissions

Masque Books is Prime Books’ new digital imprint. Our emphasis is on both general sf/fantasy, and sf/f romance. We plan on launching with three titles in July 2013 and publishing three titles a month thereafter. For now, please send only the first three chapters and a synopsis of your completed manuscript. If we respond to your submission positively, we expect to see a full manuscript immediately.

Novellas:
30,000-50,000 words
Can be standalone stories or series of 3-4 titles that can be published serially.

Novels:
50,000-120,000 words
Standalone stories; but sequels are possible as well as novels featuring the same character(s).

Overall: We expect great writing, fully developed plots, and well-rounded characters speaking believable dialogue. Ideally characters will reflect the diverse nature of human experience. Science or magic systems must be logical and world-building complete. No stories under 30,000 words; no collections of short fiction; no poetry; no Young Adult, children’s books, or non-fiction.

Science Fiction/Fantasy: Any subgenre or cross-genre including planetary romance, steampunk, space opera, alt-history, small-scale fantasy, contemporary fantasy, and dark fantasy. No romance is required, but if there is a romantic element it should be secondary to the main action of the story.

SF/F Romance: The relationship between the protagonists should be the heart of the story and their emotional arc should be resolved. Science fictional or fantasy elements are essential to the plot. Multi-partner relationships are welcome as are queer ones. All heat levels will be considered, from sweet to explicit, but the sex scenes should be integral to the story.

Terms
Masque Books pays a small advance (usually $100-250) against royalties of 50% net of all digital receipts. Our contract includes an option for print trade (not POD) publication after digital, but we do not promise this. If your book is traditionally published in print, we pay standard industry royalties.
Previously Published Titles:
At this point we are interested only in original fiction, although we may be interested in previously published material that has reverted to the author at a later date. WITH THIS

EXCEPTION: We may be interested in republishing a first or first and second of a series if new fiction for the series is available.

How to Submit
Masque Books uses an online submissions system that has been designed to streamline our process and provide efficient communication with authors. The overall length of the requested three chapters and synopsis cannot exceed 16,000 words. Your synopsis need not be lengthy, but it should be detailed enough for us to get a good idea of the story and ending. If your chapters are short or stylistically unusual, more than three chapters may be included, but you must not exceed the maximum word count of 16,000. We do not accept email or paper submissions. 

Our submissions form also asks for your name, email address, a short cover letter, title, word count of the complete manuscript, and genre. Your cover letter should contain your publishing history (if any) and any other relevant information. All submissions should be in standard manuscript format and can be submitted in either .RTF or .DOC format. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please notify us immediately if you contract elsewhere. If you have technical issues, please contact us via email.

After you have submitted, a tracking number will be displayed, and an automated email confirmation containing this information will be sent to you. If you have not received this email within 24 hours, please email us. Your tracking number will allow you to monitor the status of your submission via our website, so please don't lose it. NOTE: Yahoo.com occasionally treats our email as spam, please keep an eye on your spam folder.
Our average response time is four to six weeks, but we occasionally hold submissions for longer periods. We ask that you:

• don't send queries until after two weeks have passed. Use your tracking number to check on the status prior to that.
• don't send revisions to a submission unless they have been requested.
• don't submit again for a period of seven days after receiving a rejection.
• don't re-submit if rejected. Do not query for permission. If we want to see a revised version, we will tell you and you will be asked to resubmit via email.
• don't argue with rejection slips. You're only wasting our time and yours.

If you are uncertain about anything above, we recommend following the most conservative interpretation.

website:  http://masque-books.com/index.html