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

Breaking out into the romance writing scene can be intimidating to say the least.

You don’t just write a great love story, you also need to:

• Decide whether you are going to self publish or try the traditional route.
• If you choose the traditional route you need to figure out if you are going to get a literary agent to represent you.
• If you choose to forgo the literary agent and look for publishers on your own then you find yourself scouring the internet for any decent publisher who accepts unsolicited and unagented work. That’s like looking for a needle in a gigantic haystack. 

Listed below are 44 publishers currently seeking/accepting unsolicited and unagented romance novels, short stories, novellas and anthologies.

Before submitting your manuscript, take the time to do the following:

• Make sure your manuscript is as a ready as it can be. Do not send a poorly written manuscript with weak plots and grammatical errors.
• Check to make sure the company is in good standing by searching:
  • Writer Beware Thumbs Down Publishing
  • Preditors & Editors
  • Bewares, Recommendations & Background Checks
• Look over the publisher’s website to make sure they are a good fit for what you write.
• Thoroughly read over their guidelines and submission rules.

∗ Click on each Publisher to be sent to their submissions and guidelines page. 

1. Ankara Press 
   • Genre/Sub-genre: Non-traditional romances set in urban environments in African cities.
   • Word Count: 35,000-45,000
2. Avon Romance – Avon Impulse 
   • Genre/Sub-genre: Romantic Suspense, Super sexy contemporaries, trilogies and beyond and historical romances with a hook.
   • Word Count: Not Specified
3. Black Lyon Publishing
   • Genre/Sub-genre: Romantic Adventure, Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance and Inspirational Romance
   • Word Count: Novels: 45,000-90,000 Novellas 20,000-40,000
4. Black Opal Books
   • Genre/Sub-genre: All romance sub-genres along with YA, Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit, Historicals, Mysteries & Thrillers.
   • Word Count: Novel 45,000 & up Novellas 15,000-45,000
5. Blushing Books Publishing
   • Genre/Sub-Genre: All the sub-genres of Historical, Contemporary, Fantasy/Sci-Fi & Erotic
   • Word Count: Novels 25,000 & up Novellas 16,000 & up
6. Bold Strokes Books
   • Genre/Sub-Genre: LGBT fiction geared toward Romance and YA
   • Word Count: Not Specified
7. Books To Go Now
   • Genre/Sub-Genre: All romance sub-genres along with Mystery/Suspense, New Adult and Anthologies
   • Word Count: Not Specified
8. Carina Press
   • Genre/Sub-Genre:
   • Word Count:
9. Changeling Press
   • Genre/Sub-Genre: All romance sub-genres (except Inspirational romance)
   • Word Count: 35,000 & up
10. Crimson Romance
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Paranormal, Historical, “Spicy” Romance and LGBT
    • Word Count: Novels 55,000-90,000 Novellas 2,000-50,000
11. Diversion Books
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Romance (contemporary and historical), New Adult, Thrillers, Mysteries, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Women’s Fiction & YA
    • Word Count: Not Specified
12. DreamSpinner Press
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Gay Male Romances in all sub-genres.
    • Word Count: Novels 60,000 & up Novellas 15,000-59,999
13. Elloras Cave
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Adult Romance, Erotica, Erotica for Men, Erotica for Women, Traditional Romance, Non Fiction. Comedy, Thriller/Horror, New Adult & Sci-Fi/Alternate Reality
    • Word Count: Novels 30,000- and up Novellas 12,000-30,000
14. Entangled In Romance
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All romance sub-genres including YA
    • Word Count: Novels 20,000-120,000
15. Evernight Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres of romance and Anthologies
    • Word Count: 5,000 – 100,000
16. Extasybooks
    • Genre/Sub-Genre:  romance, sensual romance, YA, BDSM, GLBT, interracial, African/American, Science Fiction, Gay, Lesbian, and any and all combinations thereof.
    • Word Count: Novels 50,000 & up Novellas 20,000 & up
17. Fiery Seas Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Romance – Contemporary, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Paranormal, YA, Western, Mystery/Suspense, Historical
    • Word Count: Novels 60,000 & up Novellas 35,000-60,000
18. Harlequin
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres of romance.
    • Word Count: 50,000 – 100,000
19. House of Erotica
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres of Erotica
    • Word Count: Over 10,000 & up
20. ImaJinn Books
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres of romance.
    • Word Count: 50,000 – 90,000
21. InkSpell
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance in magic, paranormal, sci-fi, Teen and YA
    • Word Count: Not Specified
22. Kensington Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: traditional cozy mysteries, thrillers, romantic suspense, historical romance, contemporary romance, women’s contemporary fiction, Amish romances and inspirational romances, historical fiction, paranormal romance, gay fiction, cozy and historical mysteries, dark suspense, as well as short contemporaries with Alpha heroes
    • Word Count: 75,000-100,000
23. Less Than Three Press
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and asexual) romance stories in any genre.
    • Word Count: 10,000-60,000
24. Liquid Silver Books
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres of romance.
    • Word Count: Not Specified
25. Loose-ID
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres of romance
    • Word Count: 20,000-120,000
26. Melange Satin Romance
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Sweet Romance, Sensual Romance and Erotic
    • Word Count: 20,000-85,000
27. MLR Press
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Gay Fiction and Erotic Romance
    • Word Count: 10,000-40,000
28. Muse It Up Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Romance and all of it’s sub-genres, Paranormal/Fantasy, Myster/Suspense/Thriller, YA, Horror & Dark Fiction, Sci-Fi
    • Word Count: Novels Not Specified Novellas 15,000-25,000
29. Ravenous Romance 
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Erotic Romance
    • Word Count: Novels 50,000-60,000 Short Stories 1,500-5,000
30. Red Sage Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres of romance and erotica
    • Word Count: 25,000-100,000
31. Regal Crest
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Lesbian and Gay works of Fiction and Non Fiction
    • Word Count: Novels 60,000-120,000 Novellas 15,000-59,999
32. Resplendence Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Historical, Paranormal, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense and Erotic Romance.
    • Word Count: Novels 61,000-90,000 Novellas 19,000-30,000
33. Riptide Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: LGBTQ Romance
    • Word Count: 15,000-115,000
34. Siren Book Strand
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres of romcance
    • Word Count: 20,000 and up
35. SoulMate Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Romance -Action/Adventure, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Erotica, Fantasy, Historical, Inspirational, New Adult, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Suspense/Thriller, Time Travel, Urban Fantasy, Women’s Fiction, Young adult.
    • Word Count: 50,000-90,000
36. Sourcebooks
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres of romance
    • Word Count: 90,000-120,000
37. Steam Romance
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All sub-genres in romance
    • Word Count: Novels 50,000-100,000 Short Stories 15,000-40,000
38. SYTYCW So You Think You Can Write
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Special Calls for submission. Check current contest for required genre
    • Word Count: Special Calls for submission. Check current contest for required genre
39. The Wild Rose Press
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Romantic Contemporary Western, Sweet Romance, Dark Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance, Erotic Romance, Erotica, Historical Romance, Women’s Fiction, Mystery/Thriller.
    • Word Count: 7,500-100,000
40. Tirgearr Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Commerical adult genre fiction- Thriller, Romance, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Fantasy, etc
    • Word Count: Novels 50,000-95,000 Novellas 20,000-50,000
41. Torquere Press
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: All LGBT romance sub-genres
    • Word Count: Novels 45,000 & up Novellas 20,000-45,000
42. Totally Entwined
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Erotic Romance – Action/Adventure, Angels and Demons, Bondage/BDSM, Crime/Mystery, Comedy/Humour, Contemporary, Cowboy/Western, Fantasy/Fairytales, Futuristic/Sci-fi, Gods/Goddesses, Historical, Horror, Men in Uniform, Rubenesque, Ménage-à-trois, Multicultural, Older Woman/Younger Man, Paranormal, Timetravel, Thriller, Suspense, Shapeshifters, Morphers, Vampires, Werewolves.
    • Word Count: 10,000-100,000+
43. Tule Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance and all of its sub genres including Historical romance, paranormal romance, erotica/erotic romance, clean sweet romances and light inspirational romances.
    • Word Count: Novels 45,000-90,000 Novellas 30,000-40,000
44. Wayward Ink Publishing
    • Genre/Sub-Genre: LGBT Romances
    • Word Count: Novels 60,000 & up Novellas 15,000-29,999

Wednesday @ 9am “Join The Club: Facebook Groups and Internet Communities for Romance Readers”

Friday @ 9am “Join The Clube: Facebook Groups and Internet Communities for Plus Size and Body Confidence”

• What are your plans for your finished manuscript? Will you go the Indie or Traditional route?
• Have you had any experience with any of the publishers listed above?
• Do you know of any publishers looking for Romance that are not listed in this article?