Submission Guidelines

Submission Guidelines

Bonaparte Press is a full-service, independent Small Press established in the Fall of 2008.

Our approach at Bonaparte Press is to limit our yearly titles so we are able to give each author the time and attention they need to become successful.

We accept submissions from published and unpublished authors of completed, previously unpublished works. We occasionally offer a contract for an unfinished manuscript with a 7 year contract, (2 years to complete, 5 years in publication.)

Bonaparte Press offers competitive compensation, incorporating a negotiable contract. We typically hold print and electronic rights for 5 years, renewable annually. Additionally, we offer training and conference opportunities for our authors. We have distribution of our books via the major ebook venues (e.g. Amazon.com, Smashwords, Barnes & Nobles, Sony, IPad, Nook, Kobo, Diesel) Consistent with e-publshing standards, Bonaparte Press does not offer advances, but our royalties typically meet or exceed industry standards.

submissions@bonapartepress.org or via our Submission Form.

Submissions Checklist:

Romance and Erotic Romance

We are seeking submissions in all sub-genres and levels of sensuality in Romance. Our current erotic romance tends to be on the lighter side, but we do accept work featuring couples (or multiples) from all walks of life, and sexual orientation, including same-sex romances. Romances must have strong relationships, as well as external and internal conflict; the heat level should be appropriate to the book and enhance the story, and the primary relationship in the book should offer a happily ever after (HEA), a committed menage, or an emotionally satisfying happily-for-now.

For a Romance to be successful, the reader needs to like the characters, where the hero and heroine are believable, and will be happy together.

Hero's don't always need to be Alpha, although they still remain very popular.

We accept the following sub-genres:

Historical, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, futuristic, contemporary, paranormal, erotic romance and fantasy.

Romances should be between 40,000 - 80,000 words.

Anthology:

Anthologies should meet the genre specific guidelines. Anthology word counts generally range between 15,000 - 20,000 words.

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Futuristic, Urban Fantasy, Urban Sci-Fi

Bonaparte Press is seeking to acquire manuscripts in these genres, as well as those with a romance tradition and those with romantic elements. We will also accept the following sub=genres: Space Opera, Steampunk, Cyberpunk and other similar genres and sub-genres with a twist.

Word Count: 60,000 - 80,000 words.

Mystery

We're looking for a wide range of mysteries, including Cozies, Procedurals, Historical Mysteries, and Hard Boiled. Word count: 60,000 to 80,000 words. Cozies can be between : 20,000 to 40,000 words.

Thrillers & Horror

We are accepting plots with both Thrillers and Horror elements as long as they also contain romantic elements. This includes;psychological, legal, medical, and political thrillers.

Previously released material:

Bonaparte Press will also acquire books that have been previously released in print form, but for which the author has either retained digital rights or had digital rights revert to them. Please contact: sloftus@bonapartepress.org if you would like to submit a manuscript previously published.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Submissions must be completed, fully polished manuscripts. The subject line of your email must contain the following:

manuscript name, author name, and genre of the manuscript.

Queries must include the following and will not be reviewed if any piece is missing:

Brief, introductory query letter in the body of the email containing the following;genre, word count and a short description of the book, as well as any pertinent information about the author, including both legal name and pen name and any writing credits. Please use Times Roman 12 point for your submission.

Save the manuscript and attachments as RTF files with each attachment using the following file nomenclature:

Manuscript file name: TITLE_MANUSCRIPT where you substitute your book’s title in place of TITLE.

Synopsis: 2 page synopsis of book that details character development, plot, and conflict/story resolution. Attach as an RTF file with file name TITLE_SYNOPSIS where you substitute your book’s title in place of TITLE.

In separate documents include a minimum of 4 sample chapters. Chapters selected should be significant to your plot and chronological.

Please be sure to put the following information on the first page of all files: manuscript name, author pen name/legal name, email address, phone number, genre, and word count.

Please allow up to 12-16 weeks for a reply. An auto responder will respond immediately to your submission to let you know that your email has been received.