Call For Submissions
Best Women’s Erotica 2015
Editor: Violet Blue
Publisher: Cleis Press
Deadline: June 1st, 2014
Please note: Publisher has final right of refusal on all submissions. Payment is upon publication, plus 2 copies of the book; pub date is December 2014.
Best Women’s Erotica is a legendary and groundbreaking yearly series, and it is the best-selling women’s erotica collection. Every year BWE raises the bar for explicit erotica written by and for women, authored by the most exciting female authors, from around the world.
This edition (BWE 2015) is selected and edited by Violet Blue (tinynibbles.com, about.me/violetblue, @violetblue). Cleis Press holds right of final refusal on all selections. In this edition we are looking for fictional stories that seek to push the boundaries of female sexuality, present realistic fantasies and situations, and break taboos. The sex acts depicted must be explicit and must be realistic in detail.
A strong focus on character, predicament, and compelling situations is desired — smart, literate erotic fiction. The desired orientation within the main sexual element of the stories is primarily heterosexual, yet bisexuality and lesbian encounters are welcome and encouraged. The primary focus of sexual activity must be on the female experience; female pleasure is the main element. A playful, clever approach is welcome, as are intense scenarios.
The BWE editions 2006 – 2014 edited by Violet Blue regularly win awards, and are very different from other women’s erotica books: please read a few stories from any of those years of Best Women’s Erotica or the introductions for examples of tone. The easiest way to do this is to read free chapters from Best Women’s Erotica on Amazon.com
Established authors and new writers are welcome to submit.
Desired themes include: Women’s sexual fantasies and experiences of all kinds, such as taboo sex acts, fantasy scenarios (real or imagined), bondage, fetish, male anal penetration (such as strap-on play), first-time experiences, light S/M, exhibitionism, power-play, voyeurism, public sex, seduction, role-play, spontaneous sex, spanking, erotic punishment, sexual surprise, emotional honesty, desire, longing, lust, passion, female fierceness, power (and power struggles), deviousness, meaning, themes that involve the Internet and technology, and sublime humor. Above all, include explicit sex.
What not to send: Dark themes (such as breakup, jealousy, infidelity and death) must be exceptional in content for acceptance and are least desired. Do not send sci-fi, poetry, slash or fantasy fiction.
Paste your story submissions into emails and send to: cleisbook at gmail.com
Rules: Only send submissions pasted into the body of your email: the limit is three stories. No email attachments, no links within emails to stories, no paper submissions. Again: only three submissions per author. Word count: 2500 to 4500 words is the desired range. No simultaneous submissions (you will be disqualified with no hesitation if you submit your story to multiple publications). Reprints that you have rights to use and excerpts from already-published, full-length books will be considered.
Required: You must include your name (and pseudonym if you are using one), a short 150-word bio, mailing address and main contact email address with your submission. Include a payment choice: Payments are made by check or PayPal only; state your preference when you send me your stories.
Authors must be female; sorry, no male authors writing under pseudonyms allowed (female transgender authors are warmly welcome here). Please don’t hassle me about not allowing male authors: this is the format of the “Best Women’s” series, and the series belongs to Cleis Press.
Because of the volume of submissions every year (literally hundreds!) I probably won’t be able to respond to your submissions until August.
Please only use the cleisbook at gmail.com address for correspondence about this book. Emailing me at a different address, Tweeting or Facebook messages will get lost.
A personal note from VB: BWE authors become part of my network of colleagues, and I invariably involve authors in extra publicity about the book and other book projects. Do understand that I get a lot of stories, and I do read each and every one. If you email and demand a confirmation email, I’m sorry but you just won’t get one. I appreciate your patience in advance!
