Submissions
How to Submit
Submitting to us couldn’t be easier! Just email us at submissions@annessaink.com.
Currently, we are accepting predominantly completed manuscripts. Partials will be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
When submitting to Annessa Ink, please include the following:
*full and complete manuscript attached as a Word (.doc/.docx) file
*a detailed synopsis (no loose threads or cliffhangers, please)
*a short blurb like you’d see on the back cover of a book
*your name, e-mail address, and phone number
*a short cover letter introducing yourself and telling us about your writing/submission
What We Publish
While we are primarily a Romance publisher, we are open to just about all of its sub-genres. We are more concerned with craft and writing talent than we are with word count or guidelines.
Contemporary
Heidi ~ I love just about all types of Contemporary Romance—passionate, sexy, humorous, cozy, or suspenseful—whether single title- or category-length. One of my aspirations for Annessa Ink is to give a home to the authors and stories who have found themselves orphaned by their imprints for one reason or another. So if you have a story that would have been perfect for LoveSwept or Harlequin line that no longer exists…or even if you have a story of a similar length that might not have fit perfectly within their guidelines…send it my way!
And if you’re writing single title contemporary—anything from slapstick Romantic Comedy to home-and-hearth to nail-biting suspense—I want to read it!
Authors I love: Jill Shalvis, Lori Wilde, Jayne Ann Krentz, Maureen Child, Rachel Gibson, Susan Andersen, Susan Mallery, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, RaeAnne Thayne, Alison Kent, Jo Leigh, Cynthia Eden
Movies and Television I Love: Friends wth Benefits, My Lucky Number, Miss Congeniality, Knight and Day, 13 Going on 30, Sweet Home Alabama.
Merry ~ I bow to Heidi’s superior knowledge of this sub-genre. Despite the fact that it is the best-selling and most popular sub-genre of romance, the only contemporaries I read are RomComs—and those usually because a friend has written them. I prefer my escape to be farther away.
Authors I love: Pru Warren, Heidi Betts
Historical
Merry ~ This is my area of expertise. I read all sorts of historical romance: Regency (my favorite, naturally), Victorian (including Steam Punk), medieval, WWI and II. I’ll read any historical in any time-setting. Love them!!
Authors I love: Mary Jo Putney, Christi Caldwell, Sarah McLean, Maya Rodel, Grace Burrowes, Shana Galen, and Alix Rickloff. Oh, and I’m certain I don’t need to mention Georgette Heyer whose books I devoured as a teenager.
Heidi ~ Historicals are my go-to. I prefer Regency or Victorian, Medieval, and Western-set over Edwardian, World War I/II, etc., but I have and will read almost anything. And if the writing is there, but the setting doesn’t thrill me, I can always pass the submission to Merry, who enjoys Historicals across the board.
Authors I love: Sabrina Jeffries, Lorraine Heath, Lisa Kleypas, Amanda Quick, Sarah MacLean, , Meredith Bond, Alexandra Hawkins, Donna Fletcher, Caroline Linden, Kimberly Logan, Johanna Lindsey
Movies and Television I Love: Ever After, Ella Enchanted, The Mummy, The Princess Bride, Robin Hood, Gods of Egypt, Rob Roy, The Big Valley, Magnificent Seven, Young Guns
Suspense / Mystery
Heidi ~ I don’t read much Mystery, but I am crazy for Romantic Suspense! All lengths, all types, and I’m not squeamish. (Ask me about my Kay Hooper story sometime. 😉 ) If you’ve got a book that will keep me on the edge of my seat, make me wonder whodunnit to the very end, or scare the boogers out of me, send it my way! And if you have a mystery project that will keep me guessing throughout, I’ll read that, too!
Authors I love: Kay Hooper, Sandra Brown, Delores Fossen, Iris Johansen, Jayne Ann Krentz, Anne Stuart.
Movies and Television I Love: Clue, Knives Out, What Lies Beneath, Jennifer 8, Death on the Nile, Red Eye, Found, Will Trent, Sherlock, Elementary, Numb3rs, Monk, Psych, Leverage, Diagnosis Murder.
Merry ~ I love a good mystery—especially if it’s got a historical setting. Keep me guessing, give me some believable red herrings, and I’m hooked. If they’re funny, all the better! I enjoy a good suspense novel, but really don’t like being scared by my reading material. So you can count me out of anything dark or bordering on horror.
Authors I love: Jayne Ann Kretz, T.E. Kinsey, Richard Osman, Sherri Cobb South, Shana Galen, Mindy Klasky
OtherWorldly
Merry ~ I love anything otherworldly. I read Fantasy, Time-Travel, Paranormal, and—although I haven’t read one in a long time—SciFi. I have gotten a little tired of shifters (although something unusual like a dragon can be fun and interesting). My two favorite sub-sub-genres are magic and Arthurian romance.
Authors I love: Charlie N. Holmberg, Loni Lynn, M.J. Putney, Gail Carriger, Jayne Ann Krentz, KJ Charles, Deborah Harkness, and David Hochhalter
Heidi ~ While I don’t read much Sci-Fi or Time-Travel, I am certainly open to them. And I adore a good Paranormal or Fantasy of almost any type—vampire, werewolf, dragon, shifters, psychic abilities, fairies/fae, witches/magic, et al. Throw Steampunk in there, as well. If you’ve written one of any length that you think I’d like, let me know!
Authors I love: Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, Jayne Castle, Virginia Kantra, Donna Grant.
Movies and Television I Love: Stardust, Practical Magic, The Island, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, The Lost Boys, I Frankenstein, Supernatural, Firefly, Ghosts, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grimm, The Walking Dead, Constantine.
Novellas
Heidi ~ Novellas are the one thing we may have to figure out how and when to release…but we are completely open to them. They are a wonderful way to introduce your writing to readers before a full-length book comes out or to offer something special that doesn’t take up the space of a full-length book. And let’s not forget how popular holiday novellas are! So if you have one, or have an idea for one I will be happy to read it. We may even do Open Submission shout-outs once in a while when we’re looking for a specific type of Novella to share.
Merry ~ I love a novella that is a character’s backstory, tied to a full-length novel. Holiday novellas are, naturally, a favorite as well. I definitely think we’re going to have to publish a few novella anthologies of our authors. Interested? Contact us!
Inclusive
Annessa Ink welcomes ALL AUTHORS and ALL CHARACTERS, regardless of color, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. Good writing is good writing, and that’s all we care about.
If you’ve written a story you love, send it to us. We might not even know we need it until we’ve read it. 🙂
Still not sure if Annessa Ink is the publisher for you? Drop us a line with a short description of your story and we’ll let you know. submissions@AnnessaInk.com
How Are We Different From Other Publishers?
In many ways, we aren’t. We want to find great book and talented authors, publish books that readers will love, and hopefully make a little money while we’re at it. 😉
On the other hand, we are two long-time and established authors who have written for multiple traditional and digital publishers ourselves, been through the ups and downs, and have had doors slammed in our faces more than once. And we kind of got tired of it. So, we’ve decided to try to create our idea of a “Dream Publisher” where we want to treat authors the way we’d like to be treated. There are certain hoops we’ll have to jump through, but whenever possible, we want authors and readers to feel welcome, valued, and happy with the entire Annessa Ink experience. <3
Without specific guidelines, we will have the freedom to accept stories we love rather than worrying about length or making sure they suit a particular “line.” This will allow our authors to be more relaxed with their writing (though not sloppy…nobody wants sloppy writing 😛 ) and the way they tell their stories.
Does this mean you won’t be edited? Of course not! The goal will always be to create the very best book possible from both sides. But our hope is to brainstorm with our authors and even give them input on cover art and how the book looks.
If this sounds good to you, why not give us a chance? Or drop us a line with any questions you might have and we’ll do our best to share our Annessa Ink vision with you.
