NineStar Press is seeking submissions of LGBTQIA+ romance fiction and literary novels with Neurodivergent characters

For romance:
Length: 20-120k words.
Heat: Sweet (no sex or “fade-to-black”) through to erotic.
Content: The story must have an LGBTQA+ romance between the main characters (at least one being Neurodivergent) running through it. Both HEA and HFN accepted.
Genre: All considered.

For literary novels:
Length: 45-120k words.
Heat: If applicable, sex scenes of any heat level are fine, provided they serve the story.
Content: Must have an LGBTQIA+ Neurodivergent main character. Romance plots aren’t necessary. We’re particularly interested in well-crafted stories about trans, ace, aro, nonbinary, and genderfluid characters.
Genre: All considered.

Standalones, series, & serials all considered across the board. Serials must have a defined ending in each installment.

What we don’t accept:

• Pedophilia
• Necrophilia (doesn’t apply to vamps, zombies and any other kind of “undead”—they’re a-okay with us!)
• Incest (step relations are considered)
• Bestiality (doesn’t apply to shifters or most sci-fi & fantasy creatures with human forms)
• Rape or non-consensual sex for titillation (dubcon and rape as a non-titillation plot device will be considered on a case-by-case basis)
• Content that demeans identifiable groups

What to do:

Send an email to submissions@ninestarpress.com with the following:

Subject line: SUBMISSION ND & Queer: [Title], [Author Name]

Email body (as a list, not hidden in a paragraph):

• Category (romance fiction, literary novel)
• Genre
• Pairing (eg. MM, FF, MMF, etc) and/or any relevant info such as trans characters, ace, genderfluid, etc.
• Length
• If it’s previously published or previously self-published
• A short description of the story (three paragraphs max)
• Previous credits, if any
• A marketing plan, including promotion and social media experience
• Do not address to a particular editor unless you have spoken with them directly. It could slow down the assessment process.
• If it’s a simultaneous submission to other publishers, please note that in your email. We ask that you notify us immediately if it has been accepted by another publisher.

Attachments:

All attachments should be .docx, .doc, or .rtf format.

Manuscripts should be complete and edited to the best of your ability. Please use the following formats when preparing your manuscript for submission:

• Times New Roman 12pt
• 1” margins
• .5” indent first sentence of each paragraph
• Spacing of 1.5 between lines

If the book is more than 30k words, include a 1 to 3 page synopsis, which should outline the entire story, including the ending.

Thank you for adhering to these standards. We love reading your submissions and understand that they will need editing, however, following the standards listed above will enable us to make decisions regarding your submission more quickly.

You will receive an auto-response email saying we’ve received the submission. After that, please allow up to 16 weeks for a full response.

Please note that due to the volume of submissions, if it does not include a complete manuscript, the submission guidelines have not been followed, or it does not have LGBTQIA+ Neurodivergent main characters, it will be deleted.

Q: What are your royalty rates?
A: We pay 40% royalty of net proceeds for any books sold through our website. For third-party vendor sales, we pay 40% net—the list price minus vendor fees. No other expenses factor into royalties. For print books, we pay 12% of the cover price, less returns.

Q: Do you offer advances?
A: At this time, NineStar Press does not offer advances.

Q: How do you pay?
A: We pay authors monthly via PayPal, CashApp, Venmo, check (US only). Third-party distributors report sales on a 60- or 90-day delay, so those royalties are included in an author’s monthly statement once we receive them.

Q: What are your contract terms?
A: We ask for three (3) years. The contract is extended 1 year at a time if both parties are in agreement.

Q: What rights do you request?
A: Print, ebook, and audio. Nothing else, including translation rights.

Q: Do you require the author to send sequels or related works to you?
A: No, we don’t require ROFR. We’d like an author to send future works to us because they want to, not because they’re contractually forced!

Q: Do you release all books in print?
A: We release books of 50k words or more in print. Shorter works may be included in print bundles. Print books are distributed through Amazon and Ingram.

Q: Do you accept unagented submissions?
A: Yes, although agents are welcome to contact us.

Q: Do you accept simultaneous submissions?
A: Yes, although we ask two things: 1) that you inform us in the submission email that the work is being considered elsewhere; 2) that you inform us immediately if another publisher has made an offer you plan to accept.

Q: Do you accept multiple submissions?
A: Yes.

Q: Do you accept international submissions?
A: Yes, we welcome authors from all over the world. However, the book must be written in English.

Q: Will you edit my book?
A: Yes, thoroughly.

Q: Will you promote my book?
A: Our business plan is built around marketing of the business and promotion of every book we publish. We take on much of the initial promo for the author. And if a book underperforms or stalls, we revisit it. With all that said, we know from experience that the more effort the author puts into marketing before and after release, the better the sales will be.

Q: In the event of NineStar Press folding, what happens to the authors’ rights?
A: The company has no debt. It’s built on personal finance and a lot of hard graft. We will never take on any credit to maintain the company, and therefore bankruptcy is not in our future. If ever we decide to close our doors (which, touch wood, we never will!), it will be with a clear conscience, a clean financial slate, and every single author on our books receiving what they’re entitled to—all due royalties, and the immediate reversion of all rights.

If you have any other queries, please get in touch: submissions@ninestarpress.com.