Call for Submissions: Best Women’s Erotica 2012

It always feels like my birthday when a new book comes out: That’s the shiny, new Best Women’s Erotica 2011 (above) – packed with the hottest female erotica authors for 2011. New and famous mingle between the covers and deliver erotica that I guarantee will leave you shaken and stirred.

With the 2011 edition just hitting shelves and screens, you know that that means: time to start hunting for next year’s star authors. You can read my Call for Submissions: Best Women’s Erotica 2012 at that link or after the jump. If you click to read more here, you’ll find sample stories from past editions so you can get an idea of what I’m looking for.

* First story from Best Women’s Erotica 2010 “Shoe Shine at Liverpool Street Station” by Scarlett French
* Audio story from Best Women’s Erotica 2010: “Shift Change” by Emerald
* Audio story from Best Women’s Erotica 2009: “Fly” by Valerie Alexander

Call For Submissions

Best Women’s Erotica 2012
Editor: Violet Blue
Publisher: Cleis Press
Deadline: May 1st, 2011

Please note: Publisher has final right of refusal on all submissions. Payment is upon publication, plus 2 copies of the book; pub date is November 2011.

Best Women’s Erotica is a legendary and groundbreaking yearly series, and is the best-selling women’s erotica collection, period. Every year BWE raises the bar for explicit erotica written by and for women, penned by the most exciting female authors, from around the world.

This edition (BWE 2012) is selected and edited by Violet Blue (tinynibbles.com, @violetblue). 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 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 also 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 – 2011 edited by Violet Blue have won 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 best way to do this is to read the free chapters on Amazon.com.

Established authors and newcomers alike are welcome.

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 or fantasy fiction.

Paste your story submissions into emails and send to: cleisbook at gmail.com

Rules: If you send an attachment, I will delete your email immediately. I am not accepting paper submissions. 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 the story to multiple publications), and no reprints. Excerpts from already-published, full-length books will be considered.

Requirements: 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. Payments are made by check or PayPal only; state your preference.

Authors must be female; sorry, no male authors writing under pseudonym. Because of the volume of submissions last year (literally hundreds), I likely won’t be able to respond to your submissions until June or July.

Please only use the cleisbook at gmail.com address for correspondence about this book. Emailing at a different address, Tweeting or Facebook messages will get lost.

Best Women’s Erotica 2011 is incredible, and I got to work with some truly amazing authors (and enjoyed making new discoveries). BWE authors become part of my network of colleagues, and I invariably involve authors in extra publicity about the book and other projects. Do understand that I get a lot of stories, and I read each and every one. I appreciate your patience in advance!