St Martin’s Press is an imprint of Macmillan, one of the big 5 publishers. SMP Swerve is the digital first romance publishing imprint of St Martin’s.

‘Digital first’ is a term applied to publishers and imprints that initially publish eBooks and then depending on the success of the book, or sometimes other factors stated in advance by the publisher, a print version of the book is released.

One of the advantages of publishing a digital first book with a major publisher is that it is a great way to get a foot in the door. They also offer an experienced marketing team to help promote your book, and other perks such as excellent copy editing.

SMP Swerve is open to all sub-genres of romance. The length of your manuscript must be between 25 thousand and 100 thousand words. All books must end happily ever after, or, if the book is part of a series, happily for now.

Heat level (how explicit the romance in your book is) and other factors vary from category to category, so review all the categories and their guidelines before submitting. They are seeking diverse authors and characters, including LGBTQ.

They respond to most submissions within 12 weeks. So wait at least that long before querying them about the state of your manuscript.

SMP Swerve uses Submittible to handle all of their submissions. They accept work that has been previously published or self published as long as you retain all rights to it.

To learn more please visit their website here.

In honor of Canada’s 150^th birthday, they seek SF stories from across Canada and around the world exploring what might have been – or what might yet be. They only want science fiction (not supernatural), but might include steam or diesel punk. Stories must be set in Canada or involve Canada and Canadians as the principal subject operating in the larger world (or beyond). Stories may be historical (back to 1867) or futuristic, but events must take place prior to 2017.

They consider reprints only for English translation of stories originally published in French. They may accept a limited number of short poems. Indigenous and multi-cultural voices are especially welcome.

Word limit: 1,500-7,000; less than 100 lines for poems
Deadline: 14 February 2017
Pay: 5c/word (CAD) for original fiction and poems (min CAD$10 per poem); CAD$100 for reprints.
Details here.  

2. Hippocampus Magazine and Press’s Air: radio-inspired stories

They want true stories inspired by the heyday of radio; behind-the-scene stories about small town radio stations. They want to hear from fans, (current/former) jocks, program directors, engineers, the sales team, and ancillary characters like record reps and concert promoters. They are looking at a variety of eras, settings, themes, and voices, but stories must be true and contributors must be willing to use their real names.
Word limit: 6,500
Deadline: 15 February 2017
Pay: $50
Details here.

3. Zimbell House’s The Mountain Pass
This is a Western-themed cowboy short story anthology; they are looking for well-developed stories that involve a mountain pass. These could be heartfelt love stories, or those of brave explorers, or about the search for a solitary life. Short stories and novelettes are welcome.

Word limit: up to 12,500
Deadline: 15 February 2017
Pay: One soft cover copy of the anthology.
Details here.

4. Parsec Ink’s Triangulation anthology: Appetites

This year’s theme, Appetites, can be interpreted widely; hungering for revenge or power, for example. They accept science fiction, fantasy and horror, or a blend of these. Stories must have mature content.

Word limit: Up to 6,000 words, but the sweet spot is 3,000; no minimum limit.
Deadline: 28 February 2017
Pay: 2c/word
Details here.

5. Black Books Publishing: three anthologies – science fiction, erotica/superheroes, erotic poetry

All three have working titles and are open until the anthologies are filled. Writers should query before submitting.

Black to Mars: Science fiction anthology.
Black Superheroes Do It Too!: Black erotica/superhero anthology.
Black Woman Beautiful: Erotic poetry anthology.
Word limit: 3,000-10,000 for science fiction; 3,500-1,000 for superheroes

Deadlines: Until the anthologies are filled
Pay: $50 + royalties for science fiction; $100 + royalties for superhero; $10 for poetry
Details here.

Every Pigeon will be published twice a year online, in December and June. Right now, they are reading submissions for their first issue, which will be published in June 2017.

Poets may submit up to five poems. Fiction writers may submit short stories, 1,000 to 2,500 words, or works of flash fiction, 500 to 1,000 words. Nonfiction authors may submit essays or works of narrative nonfiction, 500 to 2,500 words. Every Pigeon also accepts artwork and photography, submitted as a single piece or a collection.

Every Pigeon accepts submissions online, but not via post or email. They accept simultaneous submissions, but ask that authors immediately withdraw work published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work.

If you would like to learn more or submit to Every Pigeon, please visit their website at http://everypigeon.com/submit/.