eBook Publisher is ‘Ravenous’ for Your NaNoWriMo Output

By Neal 

As National Novel Writing Month continues, Ravenous Romance editorial director Lori Perkins emails us that she’s willing to have a look at any completed manuscripts that come out of NaNoWriMo. “One of our writers told us that a lot of agents and publishers on Twitter have refused to even look at NaNoWriMo work, so we really want to get the word out,” Perkins says. “I know there’s some really good work being written right now and I’d love to find and publish it at RR… As a publisher that buys over 300 new short stories a year, I am sure we will find some exciting new voices in erotic romance fiction.”

Yes, as Perkins specifies on the Ravenous Romance blog, she’s interested in “just about every category of erotic romance, [though] our readers are anxious for more M/M/, paranormal and menage.” With the genre boundaries in mind, any NaNoWriMo manuscript (in the vicinity of 50,000 words) submitted to Ravenous in December 2009 is eligible for publication along with a $200 advance.

Our own feelings on the subject are as follows: If an agent or a publisher says they won’t look at a NaNoWriMo manuscript, don’t tell them about it, at least not when you’re submitting. Afterwards, if somebody wants it, then you’ve got a cute backstory about how you were inspired to write the novel, but for now, let the work stand on its own merits. Which brings up an even more fundamental point: Why would you even think of submitting your NaNoWriMo manuscripts in December? If you’re fortunate enough to have a workable first draft on November 30, you take a couple weeks off to refresh yourself, then you start revising!

But most importantly, we just want to remind you: It’s National Novel Writing Month, not National Fantasizing About Selling the Novel You Haven’t Written Yet Month. Act accordingly.