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A List of 28 Publishers for Erotica and Romance

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A List of 28 Publishers for Erotica and Romance

** For an updated list check out 54 Publishers Accepting Romance and Erotica Submissions**

While researching Literary Agents that accept Romance and/or Erotica submissions I inadvertently came up with a list of Publishers that accept Romance and/or Erotic submissions as well. Shocker right? 😉

So, I thought I would share that list with you today in case you are on the hunt for a publishing house.

*Reader Note* Literary Agency and Publishing House websites are good resources to browse the newest books in the genre’s that you love. So while you may not be looking for an agent or even have a book to publish you can still utilize them. My suggestion would be to find a few books you really loved, check inside to see who published it and look them up. Odds are they have more books like it waiting for you to discover.

Without further ado let’s get to the list. It goes without saying that just because they appear on this list doesn’t mean you should trust them no questions asked. Always do you your homework and check Writer Beware, Peditors & Editors, and Writers Weekly Whispers & Warnings.

I obtained the following information from Writers Digest: Writers Market and Every Writers Resource: Book Publishing Companies.

(1) Blushing Books
Pays Royalties
Pays an advance

(2) Bold Strokes Books, Inc
Publishes trade paperback originals and reprints, electronic originals and reprints.
Sliding scale based on sales volume and format
Pays an advance
Needs: Erotic and Romance

(3) Cedar Fort, Inc
Publishes hardcover, trade paperback originals and reprints, mass market paperback and electronic reprints.
Pays 10-12% royalty on wholesale price.
Pays $2,000-50,000 advance.
Needs: Romance

(4) CHAMPAGNE ROSE PRESS

Publishes paperback originals, reprints, and e-books in a POD format.
Pays royalty of 7% minimum, 35% maximum.
Pays an advance
Needs: Erotica and Romance

(5) Crescent Moon Publishing

Publishes hardcover and trade paperback originals.
Pays royalties
Pays negotiable advance.
Needs: Erotica

(6) Dragon Moon Press
Pays royalties
Pays an Advance
Needs: Romance

(7) Egmont USA
Pays an advance

(8) Fantastic Book Publishing
Publishes trade paperback, electronic originals, and audiobooks
Pays 40-100% on wholesale price
No advance.
Needs: Erotica and Romance

(9) HARRINGTON & HARRINGTON PRESS

Publishes trade paperback originals.
Pays 10-15% royalties on retail price.
Offers an advance between $100-1,000
Needs: Romance

(10) Harlequin BOOKS
Publishes hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market paperback originals.
Pays royalty
Pays advance
Needs: Romance

(11) Imajinn Books
Pays Royalties
Pays an advance

(12) INNOVATIVE PUBLISHERS INC

Publishes hardcover, trade paperback, mass market, and electronic originals, trade paperback and mass market reprints
Pays 5-17% royalty on retail price
Offers $1,500-$125,000 advance
Needs: Erotica and Romance

(13) KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
Publishes hardcover and trade paperback originals, mass market paperback originals and reprints
Pays 6-15% royalty on retail price. Makes outright purchase
Pays $2,000 and up advance
Needs: Romance

(14) MARTIN SISTERS PUBLISHING, LLC
Firm/imprint publishes trade and mass market paperback originals, electronic originals
Pays 7.5% royalty/max on retail price
No advance offered
Needs: Romance

(15) MEDALLION MEDIA GROUP
Publishes trade paperback, hardcover, e-book originals, book apps, and TREEbook™.
Offers advance.
Needs: Romance

(16) MELANGE BOOKS, LLC

Publishes trade paperback originals and electronic originals.
Authors receive a minimum of 20% royalty on print sales, 40% on electronic book sales.
Does not offer an advance
Needs: Erotica and Romance

(17) NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY
Publishes mass market and trade paperback originals and reprints
Pays negotiable royalty
Pays negotiable advance
Needs: Erotica and Romance

(18) OAK TREE PRESS
Publishes trade paperback and hardcover books.
Royalties based on sales
No advance
Needs: Romance

(19) Parker Publishing
Pays Royalties
Pays an Advance

(20) Ravenous Romance
Pays an Advance

(21) RED SAGE PUBLISHING, INC.
Pays advance.

(22) SEVERN HOUSE PUBLISHERS
Publishes hardcover and trade paperback originals and reprints
Pays 7 1/2-15% royalty on retail price.
Pays $750-5,000 advance
Needs: Romance

(23) SILHOUETTE BOOKS
Publishes mass market paperback originals
Pays royalty
Pays advance.
Needs: Romance and Contemporary Romance

(24) SOFT SKULL PRESS INC.
Publishes hardcover and trade paperback originals.
Pays 7-10% royalty.
Average advance: $100-15,000
Needs: Erotica

(25) Sourcebooks, Inc
Pays Royalties
Pays an Advance

(26) TOP PUBLICATIONS, LTD.

Publishes hardcover and paperback originals.
Pays 15% royalty on wholesale price
Pays $250-$1,000 advance
Needs: Romance

(27) Tor/Forge Books
Pays Royalties
Pays an Advance

(28) Ulysses Press
Pays an Advance

44 responses to “A List of 28 Publishers for Erotica and Romance”

  1. winterbayne Avatar
    winterbayne

    Cedar Fort? Really? I haven’t bought their stories but I would imagine they would want PG romance and not the main stream romance genre.

    Reply
    1. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
      Darla G. Denton, Writer

      I don’t think Cedar Fort would be ok with Mainstream or Steamy romances either lol In Writers Digest: Writers Market they use the word Romance in their fiction needs. I’m guessing they mean Christian, Inspirational or Sweet Romance.

      Reply
  2. Your Formatting, Word Counts and Page Length Questions Answered | Darla G. Denton

    […] A List of 28 Publishers for Erotica and Romance […]

    Reply
  3. Jamie Fuchs Avatar
    Jamie Fuchs

    Hey, I just wanted to let you know about Smutpire Press. We have an excellent reputation and offer 50% royalty rates. If you want more info, check us out!

    https://smutpire.com/publish-your-erotic-romance

    Reply
  4. sophiekisker Avatar
    sophiekisker

    I publish with Blushing Books and they currently pay 50% of what they receive. Amazon pays 70%, so the author receives 50% of that, or 35% of total royalties.

    Reply
    1. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
      Darla G. Denton, Writer

      Thank you for sharing Sophie!

      Reply
      1. macdmac Avatar
        macdmac

        So, why bother with a publisher and not provide the content to Amazon directly?

      2. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
        Darla G. Denton, Writer

        That’s a hard question to give a general answer to Macdmac. For me, a publishing house is a more appealing option in the sense that they could potentially elevate my work in circles I wouldn’t necessarily reach through self publishing. When you are a new author the hardest part isn’t writing the book but getting enough people interested in your book to buy it and knowing how to successfully market it to build up a strong fan base. I’m not saying that’s gauranteed when you go through a publishing house but I feel there is a better chance of that happening. I do think self publishing is great but for me I would feel safer doing it once I have a strong fan base in place. What are your thoughts on the matter Macdmac? Why would you pick self publishing instead of a publishing house?

      3. macdmac Avatar
        macdmac

        Your skepticism about Amazon is okay, but they do a lot of what your current publisher does, and automatically. Their commission, based on selling price, is known, and in your control. in addition, Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) can really empower your marketing, for a modest cost. Plus, I too wanted the blind to be aware of one of my products, and a reader with Kindle eBooks is standard! Plus the instantaneous index. You’re right about a cover, and I just paid a bit over $200 from Design Crowd for one; it included over 50 back ‘n forth discussions/revisions before getting a front & back design that I am THRILLED with.
        How you choose to run your writing business is made up of many decisions. When writing, we sometimes don’t realize we need to do more, if we’re going to make money, we have to consider the marketing, sales and corporate entity and identity, aspects of our “baby”. Often, the more of these we turn over to others, for convenience or whatever reason, the less that’s left over for us. In some of the cases above, they are known one-time costs, marketing is an ongoing, budgetable expense.
        Just a few thoughts and HTH,

      4. Sophie Kisker Avatar
        Sophie Kisker

        What I get with Blushing is exposure. Though no one really knows how Amazon does things, it seems that books from the same publisher often get recommended together. So it’s a way to link my name to more successful authors until I better establish my own brand.They do some marketing, and if I get a BookBub promotion, they will pay for it (that’s a couple hundred dollars). They often do box sets with groups of authors which have been very successful. They pay for the cover and the ISBN number. If I want my book to go to audio, they hire the narrator and make all the arrangements. They will arrange for my ebook to become a print book as well. They have an ARC (advance reader copy) team who will be ready to post reviews within a few days after the book is released (and they are NOT all 5*, believe me!).

        It’s not utopia; there are downsides, like less control over some parts of the process, but I am happy with them right now.

  5. Scottishlegend Avatar
    Scottishlegend

    A friend just sent me the link for this post and it is exactly what ive been looking for as im thinking of publishing my stories that i have posted on my blog so thanks for this

    Reply
    1. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
      Darla G. Denton, Writer

      Yay! 🙂 Beware though that this list is from 2014 though. There may be information on here that is outdated. However, Writer’s Digest: Writers Markets and Absolute write.com are always great resources for current info on publishers and what they are looking for.

      Reply
      1. Scottishlegend Avatar
        Scottishlegend

        Thank you so much for the advice, im just dipping my toe into the whole publishing thing and i apprecaite the help. ill check them out.
        dorry to be a bother but do you happen to know any in the UK?

      2. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
        Darla G. Denton, Writer

        I don’t know any UK specific publishers but I’m sure Writers Digest has a UK list or something along those lines.

      3. Scottishlegend Avatar
        Scottishlegend

        Thank you

  6. johndwm Avatar
    johndwm

    What a very generous thing to do and so very useful for thise of us considering going down this road! Many thanks always …

    Reply
    1. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
      Darla G. Denton, Writer

      Thanks John

      Reply
      1. Dr. Wayne M. Watanabe Avatar
        Dr. Wayne M. Watanabe

        I’m not sure if Darla will get this. I am a new writer sent here by
        my editor, whom I think is your editor. My books are all real characters. I have a character, a girl I met at a UCLA Dorm dance. She is the most beautiful Asian girl I have ever met and it was love at first sight. She looks like you. All the females I write about are from my life and what we did together. All the names are names they picked out. My descriptions of them are exact.

  7. Vikki downs Avatar
    Vikki downs

    I represent Cedar Fort Publishing and Media and can confirm Cedar Fort does not accept Erotica or any explicit or overtly adult content. As a publisher, our mission is to publish clean works that can be safe for any member of the family to pick up, I like to say, “no 50 shades of anything” haha. Thank you for bringing us up in this conversation, and know that any author with family appropriate works in fiction or non fiction are welcome to submit to our Submittable account through our website. Happy writing!

    Reply
    1. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
      Darla G. Denton, Writer

      Thank you Vikki for confirming that. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Debbie Norwitz Avatar
    Debbie Norwitz

    I’m working on my first erotic short story and trying to find magazines that publish that genre or publishers that produce erotic anthologies. I’d appreciate any suggestions or advice.

    Reply
    1. Lucy Avatar
      Lucy

      I am a romance writer that submitted my last manuscript to Tenth Street Press. They kindly declined as they were seeking stories that were more erotica. You might like to try with them.

      Reply
    2. Elle Kendall Avatar
      Elle Kendall

      I am creating a weekly (12x) workshop (3hrs) for writers in Amsterdam September 21, 2021. (Visit our Erotic Museum – one of Amsterdam’s 420 museums).

      I would like to hear about instructors, workshops, and writing that has impressed you.

      Many thanks,
      E. Kendall

      Reply
  9. Debbie Norwitz Avatar
    Debbie Norwitz

    Thanks Lucy. I really appreciate your response, I’ll check into Tenth Street.
    I did submit a portion of the story to a publishing company called Booklocker who emailed me saying they were interested in publishing my Erotica story. The only codicil was that they charge about $600 for their publishing package. I am very wary of a deal like this, so haven’t pursued it any further. I’m wondering if anyone is familiar with such a situation.

    Reply
    1. Guest007 Avatar
      Guest007

      I just submitted to Booklocker’s sister company. They said they pay all up front costs. I’m sure they’ll take it out of your sals until it’s paid off though.

      Reply
  10. carol Avatar
    carol

    I am wanting to write a book but I am just too worried that my book will be too detailed and too over the top I have had a few friends read some and they think I should but them all into a book

    Reply
    1. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
      Darla G. Denton, Writer

      Hi Carol, my advice is to write the book. Write it all the way through to the end. Put in everything that comes through your imagination. It will definitely contain too many details and probably be a bit over the top but all writers first drafts are. After you’ve written your first draft from start to finish decide if you think you’ve got a decent story you are excited about. If you do, then you can start on draft #2 and so on and so forth. In the end every writer goes through multiple drafts of edits before they have a book that is ready. Write that book Carol, take that leap. In the end it might take you longer than you hoped and be harder than you thought but you will not regret it.

      Reply
  11. Leah Christine Tye Avatar
    Leah Christine Tye

    My boyfriend is an author
    He writes dark realistic erotica
    He’s looking for a publisher that will
    Publish
    50 shades is PG in comparison

    Reply
    1. Dr. Wayne M. Watanabe Avatar
      Dr. Wayne M. Watanabe

      Leah, when your boyfriend finds a good publisher for his books , I would like to know. My third book is 50 Shades on steroids.

      Reply
  12. dan Avatar
    dan

    Hi Darla — Great discussion. Very informative for a neophyte like me. I have a quick, possibly dumb question: Should I forget about trying to get a book agent and take my completed novel (150K words) directly to one of the publishing houses you’ve listed here? A few years ago you put out a list of 54 literary agents who accept romance and erotica, and I’ve been going through it. But now I’m wondering if the direct to publisher route is the savvier way to go. Thanks.

    Reply
    1. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
      Darla G. Denton, Writer

      Hi Dan. Both of my lists are not current so use them only as a jumping off tool of where to start looking. On the subject of bypassing book agents: you can definitely do that. There are publishers willing to look at manuscripts that aren’t represented by an agent. If you decide you want to give that a try my tip is to go to Amazon and look at the book details of stories that match your writing style and genre. Take note of the publishing house, go to their websites and somewhere on there they should have a section for submissions. If you don’t find one, you can always reach out to them through their contact form and ask if they accept unagented manuscripts. Just be warned: an agent is there to do all the legwork and to promote for you. So if you decide not to get one, be ready to take on a lot more work in order to succeed. Best of luck!

      Reply
      1. dan Avatar
        dan

        Thanks Darla … I think I’ll start with trying to land an agent, though I realize this is a long shot since I’m an unknown. … Apologies for going off topic here, but I’m curious if you ever do any beta reading or editing. …

      2. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
        Darla G. Denton, Writer

        I think if you want to make writting novels a career, an agent will be better for you in the end. A good agent is priceless to a writers career. No worries for going off topic. I welcome all discussions 🙂 I used to do beta reading and lite editing for friends and fellow romance writers but have not been able to devote the time this past year. My writing, website and author platform in general have been put on hold so that I can devote all my energies to getting my family through some hardships. If you are in the market for beta readers or someone to help you edit look to join writer facebook groups or facebook groups dedicated to the genre you are writing in. That is where you can go to find a wealth of help for free.

      3. dan Avatar
        dan

        Sorry to hear about your family hardships, Darla … Thanks for the advice. I
        discovered your excellent thread on betas vs. critique partners, and this is very helpful to me as well. I guess I’ll need to start learning how to write a query letter.

      4. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
        Darla G. Denton, Writer

        Thanks Dan. Best of luck. Come back sometime and let me know how yur getting along.

  13. Vincent Valensky Avatar
    Vincent Valensky

    Thank you for the list, it was really helpful. Unfortunately after going through it, most “erotica” publishers are looking for a very specific thing, which is to say romance-erotica with an eventual happy ending.

    This is the opposite of what I do. I write horror-erotica, with dark themes, sometimes gore, and always a bad end. I know there is an audience for this since I’ve been successfully growing my own website, but I’d like to step things up with a publisher.
    Any advice?

    Reply
    1. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
      Darla G. Denton, Writer

      Dark erotica is a genre I don’t have much experience (but I have to admit, it has always intrigued me) in so I can’t give concrete advice but I can help you brainstorm some ideas. Idea #1: Have you read any books like the one you are writing? If so check out who published it, if it wasn’t self published visit their websites. Idea #2: Do a search for Dark Erotica on Amazon and Google, check out the book details, make note of any publishers listed and check their websites out. Idea #3: Make a list of authors who have had their dark erotica published. Go to their websites or social media pages and search for any mention of an agent and/or publisher. Better yet, just send them a message. Most writers are pretty nice 🙂 and are willing to share helpful information with others. Idea #4: Skip the publishers, grow a loyal following with free short stories shared across your social media sites and Facebook groups and then go the self publishing route. That’s all I got for now lol I hope I helped to spark an idea or inspiration! Thanks for leaving a comment.

      Reply
  14. Laronda J Hovis Avatar
    Laronda J Hovis

    Your comments have been helpful. I’m 63 yrs old & wrote my first short erotica stories last year. My charactors are of the Black race featuring strong women w/flaws who overcome adversity. Most social sites won’t let me publish this type of work, it may be offensive to some, right?

    Reply
    1. Darla G. Denton, Writer Avatar
      Darla G. Denton, Writer

      Congratulations on writing your first batch of erotica short stories! I’m not 100% sure what you mean by social sites other than social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc… If you mean to publish your short stories on there, then yes, there is a good chance it could get flagged and removed. Keep in mind that posting your work on social media sites is more a way to attract fans to your work. Therefore, you want to find places to post where a lot of people who have never heard of you before will see it. Tumblr and Wattpad come to mind and Facebook Erotica short stories groups. But be careful. This is your hard work. By posting it for free to the masses you run the risk of someone stealing it and publishing it themselves. My best advice is to gather short stories that share the same theme or are even continuations of each other, self publish them in one book (making a collection of short stories), post one story on a free social site that is known for having short stories in your genre and include the link to your book so that they can read more. I hope this helps. Come back and let us know what you end up doing and how it works out!

      Reply
      1. Laronda Hovis Avatar
        Laronda Hovis

        Yes ma’am, I was referring to Facebook, didn’t know they had an erotica section.
        Blast, ppl stealing your work? It didn’t cross my mind. I like your suggestions. Getting a website next month: grandmaseroticaart.com
        Thank you!

  15. Dr. Wayne Avatar
    Dr. Wayne

    I am a new writer. I was sent to you by my second editor that I fired. My work is considered erotic and educational. Educational in that, I’m trying to have men and women change the way they view sex and love making. In my book, I use a procedure that I have researched n my youth that I use and teach women that they should be sexually satisfied first, before their male partner. If the male refuses to follow this procedure, dump him. What I have found with this procedure is that it’s therapeutic and every woman deserves this to live a long and stress free life.
    The book is written by an alias.

    Reply
  16. blacklotusbookspublishing Avatar
    blacklotusbookspublishing

    I know this is an old list, but writers of taboo erotica and romance have limited options where traditional publishing is concerned. Most of these publishers listed have strict content guidelines, and nothing outside the mainstream is welcome. https://blacklotusbookspublishing.com/ allows pretty much everything, so long as the characters are all over 18. Book advances are available, and the royalty percentage for ebook sales averages 75%.

    Reply
  17. Soft Skull Press Avatar
    Soft Skull Press

    Hi, there! Soft Skull Press receives a lot of inquiries about submitting erotic manuscripts, but this is not something we are looking for. Apologies for any confusion, and best wishes to everyone in finding the right publisher for your work.

    Reply
  18. Where to Find Fiction Markets for Submissions | Re:Fiction

    […] https://darlagdenton.com/2014/09/17/a-list-of-28-publishers-for-erotica-and-romance/ […]

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