• Guest please check The Index before starting a thread.

Samhain Publishing

blue_aura12

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 6, 2013
Messages
132
Reaction score
7
Location
maryland
Well, I figured things are still happening, but this thread has petered out...who's submitting? What's being submitted? I always love to hear other's experiences; it helps me understand my own!

What's amazing to me is that people post here, saying they're sending material to Samhain, and then we never hear from them again. Or they say their book is coming out, but they never return with any follow-up. I'd like to know the process of getting published with Samhain. For example, do advance copies go to reviewers? Are there critical blurbs put on the covers? What is "good reads?" How can you tell how well your book is doing, sales-wise? Is there a best-sellers list? I'm a complete newbie at this, as you can tell.

Thanks! Rod
submitting a query for my horror novel to them about 3 months ago and am wondering if i should e-mail them or wait a few more weeks.
 

gingerwoman

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
2,548
Reaction score
228
so i sent my query (first 4 chapters of novel, blurb, etc) to samhain and got an e-mail back that it takes them approx 12-14 weeks to respond. it will be exactly 14 weeks next monday and i'm wondering if i should e-mail or wait for them since i've heard that it can take them a lot longer than that to respond. and if i do e-mail them, is there a certain way i should word things, or can i just say "i was wondering if you had made a decision on my submission"?

thanks!
To help you I have to say that the submission guidelines for Samhain ask for a full manuscript and synopsis. They don't ask for partials at this time as far as I know. I just checked and they are still asking for fulls as they were when I submitted to the slush pile.
 

yendor1152

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
99
Reaction score
8
Thanks, Lisa! That was very, very informative. Bet you can't wait for your book to finally hit traditional shelves, huh? Kudos to you!

And "blue aura?" It never hurts to give Samhain a nudge. Just a question--why didn't you send them your complete manuscript?
 

blue_aura12

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 6, 2013
Messages
132
Reaction score
7
Location
maryland
To help you I have to say that the submission guidelines for Samhain ask for a full manuscript and synopsis. They don't ask for partials at this time as far as I know. I just checked and they are still asking for fulls as they were when I submitted to the slush pile.
it's funny because their guidelines for horror said that they want the first 3 chapters, a synopsis and blurb or whatnot. i sent that to them and got an e-mail from the submissions editor-something-or-another (a lady named Imogen?) saying they needed the first 5 chapters and the other stuff. i sent the additional chapters and she e-mailed me right back saying she would forward it to the horror editor. dunno!
 

yendor1152

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
99
Reaction score
8
it's funny because their guidelines for horror said that they want the first 3 chapters, a synopsis and blurb or whatnot. i sent that to them and got an e-mail from the submissions editor-something-or-another (a lady named Imogen?) saying they needed the first 5 chapters and the other stuff. i sent the additional chapters and she e-mailed me right back saying she would forward it to the horror editor. dunno!

Hmm. Well, Imogen is indeed the contact person at Samhain, so if she asked for the first five chapters, then apparently that's what they want. I sent them my full manuscript on July 18th, 2012 and waited a long time before hearing anything. I nudged in November, at the 16th week mark, and received a comment from Imogen that I should hear from the editor soon. I waited (yes, I'm very patient, and no news is good news) and didn't nudge again until the second week in January. By then, my novel had been with them approximately 24 weeks. That nudge resulted in another message from Imogen, and then--just a few hours later--an e-mail from Don, saying he loved my book! The contract and everything else (ideas for the cover, etc.) came very, very quickly--literally, everything was signed and submitted within a few days. Then I began another agonizing waiting process, which I'm still in right now. Don mentioned May 2014 for the release of my book, but nothing is set in stone. I couldn't help myself and went back to my manuscript and started tweaking things here and there, and before I knew it, I'd done another revision. This is something I definitely wanted to avoid because I have a tendency to be a perfectionist, and that's not always a good thing! :) Anyway, Don sent me a proof of my cover, which I absolutely loved (it's a grabber!), and my tweaked manuscript will be sent his way this Friday. I also wrote an author autobiography and a back cover blurb.

I've been in the freelance writing game for years and being patient is indeed a virtue. It's not unusual to write and submit and article and then not see it hit print until a year later. You just go on to the next assignment or project. Since I'm still freelancing, articles have taken my mind (somewhat) off my book. But I also have another book in draft form that I must get back to once this tweaking is completed.

Good luck!
 

blue_aura12

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 6, 2013
Messages
132
Reaction score
7
Location
maryland
Hmm. Well, Imogen is indeed the contact person at Samhain, so if she asked for the first five chapters, then apparently that's what they want. I sent them my full manuscript on July 18th, 2012 and waited a long time before hearing anything. I nudged in November, at the 16th week mark, and received a comment from Imogen that I should hear from the editor soon. I waited (yes, I'm very patient, and no news is good news) and didn't nudge again until the second week in January. By then, my novel had been with them approximately 24 weeks. That nudge resulted in another message from Imogen, and then--just a few hours later--an e-mail from Don, saying he loved my book! The contract and everything else (ideas for the cover, etc.) came very, very quickly--literally, everything was signed and submitted within a few days. Then I began another agonizing waiting process, which I'm still in right now. Don mentioned May 2014 for the release of my book, but nothing is set in stone. I couldn't help myself and went back to my manuscript and started tweaking things here and there, and before I knew it, I'd done another revision. This is something I definitely wanted to avoid because I have a tendency to be a perfectionist, and that's not always a good thing! :) Anyway, Don sent me a proof of my cover, which I absolutely loved (it's a grabber!), and my tweaked manuscript will be sent his way this Friday. I also wrote an author autobiography and a back cover blurb.

I've been in the freelance writing game for years and being patient is indeed a virtue. It's not unusual to write and submit and article and then not see it hit print until a year later. You just go on to the next assignment or project. Since I'm still freelancing, articles have taken my mind (somewhat) off my book. But I also have another book in draft form that I must get back to once this tweaking is completed.

Good luck!
ooo very encouraging. i'm glad it went so well for you!
 

yendor1152

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
99
Reaction score
8
I sent off my tweaked manuscript to Don earlier this afternoon. Now, I can go back to my second book!

For all those who are playing the waiting game, I can only say, "patience is indeed a virtue and no news is good news." That's essentially my philosophy, and it worked out well in this situation. Good luck to you!
 

blue_aura12

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 6, 2013
Messages
132
Reaction score
7
Location
maryland
I sent off my tweaked manuscript to Don earlier this afternoon. Now, I can go back to my second book!

For all those who are playing the waiting game, I can only say, "patience is indeed a virtue and no news is good news." That's essentially my philosophy, and it worked out well in this situation. Good luck to you!
as in "not hearing anything is a good sign," right?

i was wondering the same thing, "okay, i'm not hearing anything but at least i'm not getting a rejection e-mail... yet"
 

yendor1152

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
99
Reaction score
8
Yes, that's exactly right--if you're not hearing anything, that means there's a big possibility you might be accepted. I went into this thing completely with an optimistic attitude. It was my first novel, and I was flying by the seat of my pants! For example, I'd never done a synopsis before and didn't know if it was too long, too short, or whatever. Secondly, I'd never let anyone but myself read the novel! And it was quite by accident that I heard of Samhain! I think I put in the Google search engine, "horror publishers," and their website popped up. I read through the submission guidelines and thought, "hmm. Should I try this? Oh, why not! I don't have anything to lose." And I submitted everything.

Later, I found this site and a specific thread for Samhain (I started about page 37)--and I gotta admit, it didn't look hopeful. There were people who had their stuff in for 30 weeks, only to receive a very impersonal rejection. But I was patient! I started counting the weeks until the magic 16 week mark. That's when I sent my first nude. Then, I sat back and waited even longer. It was week 24 (I think) when I decided to nudge again and struck gold!

So, yeah, if you're not hearing anything, keep the faith!
 

PeteMC

@PeteMC666
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Messages
3,003
Reaction score
367
Location
UK
Website
talonwraith.wordpress.com
That's when I sent my first nude.

One way to get their attention I suppose! :tongue

I get that they take romance in many forms including PNR, and horror without any romance, but does anyone know if they're interested in UF without romance? I couldn't work that out from their subs page.
 

ink wench

ray of motherf#%&ing sunshine
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 11, 2007
Messages
3,764
Reaction score
5,952
Location
the winter of my discontent
I get that they take romance in many forms including PNR, and horror without any romance, but does anyone know if they're interested in UF without romance? I couldn't work that out from their subs page.
Nope. From their FAQ: "We only handle fiction: romance, erotica and fantasy/science fiction/urban fantasy with strong romantic elements."

Lots of other good publishers will take it without romance though!
 

AngelaA

Are we there yet?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
270
Reaction score
39
Website
www.angelaaddams.com
That's when I sent my first nude.

OMG! This made me laugh so hard I cried! hehe

I sent my sub in March...around the 12 week mark got a notice that my files were corrupted and would I resend. I did then a few days later I got an R&R from Holly. They were all very good suggestions that I agreed with so I did them quickly and sent the revision back a week later. Two days after that I got an offer!

My release date isn't until June next year.

Just as a side note, with regards to wait time. I waited for over a year with one publisher (not Samhain) only to be rejected so I don't think there's necessarily a correlation between wait time and contracts.

Samhain has always been at the top of my list of publishers. I've tried with a few other ms and been rejected so I'm super excited to have a contract now!
 

yendor1152

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
99
Reaction score
8
One way to get their attention I suppose! :tongue

I get that they take romance in many forms including PNR, and horror without any romance, but does anyone know if they're interested in UF without romance? I couldn't work that out from their subs page.


Haha! That's a typo! I doubt I'd get any response if I sent a nude!
 

K. Q. Watson

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 6, 2009
Messages
718
Reaction score
60
Website
twitter.com
I submitted on June 23rd and received a request for a full this morning. I've been on cloud 9 all day just knowing they want to read more, ("It's an honour just to be nominated!") offer or no offer.
 

Aislinn

Head down
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 19, 2013
Messages
461
Reaction score
40
Location
Sydney, Australia
I sent off an MS about 4 days ago and I'm already itching about it!

I had a polite personal rejection on a novella I sent them a while back - that took less than 16 weeks from memory. I love Samhain's covers, their informative website and the possibility of a print run.
 

DragonShark

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Messages
594
Reaction score
21
Location
Colorado
Sent off my MS to them today. Got so nervous my stomach started to hurt before I even hit "send."

I would love to place something with Samhain, I think almost a third of my e-book collection comes from them.
 

Ms.Paperback

Registered
Joined
Aug 19, 2013
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
I am currently working on a novel which I'm thinking of submitting to Samhain. It's a piece of science-fiction erotica and contains sections of explicit and non-consensual BDSM. As far as I can see, there's nothing in Samhain's guidelines which explicitly prohibits such subject matter, but most of the BDSM-themed erotica they've published seems to be both softcore and consensual. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
 

Marian Perera

starting over
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
14,332
Reaction score
4,576
Location
Heaven is a place on earth called Toronto.
Website
www.marianperera.com
I am currently working on a novel which I'm thinking of submitting to Samhain. It's a piece of science-fiction erotica and contains sections of explicit and non-consensual BDSM. As far as I can see, there's nothing in Samhain's guidelines which explicitly prohibits such subject matter, but most of the BDSM-themed erotica they've published seems to be both softcore and consensual. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I personally wouldn't send them anything non-consensual that was meant to titillate, but you can always email [email protected] and check with them.