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Editor Interview: Best Women's Erotica of the Year

Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

A: Erotic short stories

Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

A: I admire SinCyr Publishing as well as the Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year series and the site Readaurore.com

Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?

A: Some of my favorite writers in the romance and erotica space are Katrina Jackson, Charlotte Stein, Erin McLellan, Angelina M. Lopez, Adriana Herrera, Alyssa Cole and L. Marie Adeline.

Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?

A: I think what sets the Best Women's Erotica of the Year series apart is that each author brings a nuanced, unusual and unique take on a given theme. They go above and beyond the ordinary and also infuse each story with both eroticism and physical intimacy along with emotional intimacy in many cases. I gravitate toward stories that include both physical and mental and emotional connections.

Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?

A: Read or listen to some of the prior stories in the series and write something that's totally different from everything else in my inbox. Make sure it's a full short story rather than just a scene and that it's about more than sex, even if sex is the core of it.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: The ideal submission exactly follows the formatting guidelines and is immediately gripping, with characters, a plot and setting that are the opposite of generic. I want stories that make me think and feel and are ones I'll want to reread over and over.

Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

A: They often send stories that are good but not great, or that feel too similar to stories I've published previously in the series in tone or plot. They don't push the envelope enough.

Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

A: I don't need to know much or anything about them beyond what's in their official bio. I appreciate a cover letter but it's not necessary as long as all the other information listed in the call for submissions is there.

Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

A: I read every piece in full as long as it meets the word count guidelines.

Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?

A: I select a set of stories I want to publish and then my publisher reviews them and has the final say in acceptance or rejection.

Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?

A: A day in the life involves doing a lot of outreach about my calls for submissions and paying attention to what's being published in the field. If I'm actively editing, I'll print out some of the story submissions and read them in the morning while my mind is fresh. Then I'll note which ones I want to publish, which ones I don't think will work and which I'm not sure about.

Q: How important do you feel it is for publishers to embrace modern technologies?

A: I think it's generally important for publishers to embrace new technologies, where feasible.

Q: How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?

A: For most pieces I accept I only do minimal content edits for style and grammar along with line editing and copyediting, before passing them on to my publisher for line editing and copyediting. For others, I do request revisions around areas I think may be problematic or that need work. In all cases, the author will see and approve any changes and sees the pre-publication PDF to approve with the option to correct any minor typos or grammatical or continuity errors that may have been missed in the prior rounds of editing.

Q: Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?

A: Where applicable, I nominate stories in my books for relevant writing awards.