SCIENCE
FICTION ~ SUPERNATURAL ~ HORROR ~ THRILLER
TWB Press is a
royalty-paying electronic publisher of short stories and novels in the above genres
for sale worldwide on the Internet.
TWB Press is currently
accepting short story and novel submissions in science fiction, supernatural,
horror, and thriller genres. I'd like to see some series projects, but a
series is not a
requirement. Word count should be between 4,000 and 20,000 words for short
stories and 50,000 to 120,000 words for novels. (**see
note on word counts below) Your story
may contain elements of romance and mystery, and it may be set in a
fantasy world. Sex scenes are okay, but not pornography or graphic erotica. If your story contains any hateful or derogatory
attacks on any one race of people, any one religion, or any sexual
orientation, you can bet I'll reject it. Bottom line, I want to have fun
with your story. I want to be entertained. I'm not looking for the next Pulitzer
Prize winner. I'm looking for authors who will work with me in an effort to produce
the best quality story possible.
Be aware that I look for story
structure. Introduce your
characters in their normal world. Bring in the inciting incident that changes or
threatens to change that world and puts your
characters into conflict. I look for action
that drives your characters toward their goals with rising stakes, turning
points, maybe an unexpected twist, all leading to a black moment (if possible),
the climax, and a resolution with a satisfying ending. Along the journey, you
need to be clear about what your character wants, (GOAL) why your character
wants it, (MOTIVATION) why your character can't have it, (OBSTACLE) what your
character must do to get it, (PLOT) and what's at stake if your character fails.
(STAKES) Remember, in order for a
story to be memorable, it must have an emotional impact on the reader.
GETTING STARTED: Send a query letter in the
body of an email to submissions@twbpress.com.
Type "Query" in the subject line. DO NOT ATTACH ANYTHING TO THIS
EMAIL. I need to know: #1 How you heard about TWB Press. #2 The title of
your story. #3 The genre and word count. #4 The log line for your story
(one sentence). #5 A one paragraph blurb to hook me (like what the teaser on the
back cover might read). #6 Your publishing credits or writing achievements. #7
your contact information: address, hometown, state or country, website URL if
you have one, and/or a blog you write.
If I'm interested in what you have to offer, I'll ask you to
submit
your manuscript in a Word .doc or .docx file attached to this email
address.
Best to
all,
Terry
Wright
Editor
**Short stories under
4,000 words are, in my opinion, more suited for E-zine publishing. It's hard to
justify selling a story that short (that quickly read) for 99 cents or $1.99.
Ideally, longer short
stories are a better value to the reader. Though I realize 7,500 words plus
stories are considered novelettes, and 15,000 words novellas, I'd rather sell
long short stories than short novelettes or novellas. Novel word counts between
60,000 and 80,000 are most desirable.
The main thing to
consider is: how
many words does it take to tell the story?
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