Submissions

Submissions are currently closed.

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Riptide accepts completed LGBTQ+ manuscripts between 25,000 and 90,000 words for our Riptide, Anglerfish, and Triton imprints from unsolicited authors, agents, and agented authors. (Manuscripts up to 115,000 words will be considered on a case-by-case basis in high, epic, or urban fantasy romance; contemporary romance; romantic suspense; and romantic comedy.)  

All manuscripts should be complete, and edited and polished to the best of your ability. Please check Submission Instructions below for more details on how to submit your manuscript.

We are especially interested in:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Category romance (45K to 60K, low-angst, relationship-centered contemporaries with your favorite tropes: arranged marriage, secret babies, marriage of convenience, reformed rakes, billionaires, etc.). Now that same-sex marriage is legal, we want to see all your drunk-married-in-Vegas fics!
  • Romantic suspense
  • Light-hearted romantic comedy
  • Sweet romance
  • Epic and high fantasy romances
  • Lesbian romance
  • Trans, genderqueer, and ace/aro romances/relationships

We do not want: stories that end in death. Enough of us die in real life; we will not perpetuate the Dead Queers stereotype in the fiction we publish.

We're also actively acquiring Young Adult, with a primary focus on stories that do not include gay bashing or queerphobia as a major plot point. Please do not submit manuscripts to Triton that include graphic assault of any kind. 

For Anglerfish titles, all stories should straddle the line between literary fiction and genre fiction, and should adhere to the list's tagline: exploring what lurks in the depths. Anglerfish submissions are temporarily closed, but you may send a one-line pitch on Twitter or Tumblr (non-anon; we can't answer anon pitches), along with a one-line bio, and our editors may invite you to submit your project. 

Riptide Publishing is deeply committed not only to publishing books that represent the full spectrum of queer experiences, but also to publishing such books by authors of color. As a result, Riptide is committed to responding to submissions by authors of color in 30 business days or less, rather than in our standard 12 to 16 weeks. If you'd like to receive priority consideration and are a writer of color, please state that in your cover letter and add "PRIORITY: WOC" in the subject line of your email.

 

Editors Open for Submissions

Veronica Vega is a queer woman of color with a rich Caribbean heritage. She enjoys editing contemporary fiction, own voices stories, interracial relationships, angsty hurt main characters, hard-hitting emotional dramas, paranormal romance, mysteries, and police procedurals. Most of all she enjoys stories of queer love, of queer happiness, of black joy, and, of course, black girl magic.

Stella Li is a Chinese-American aro/ace gal who loves women. She's a huge fan of clumsy love stories and self-sabotaging protagonists, especially if women are involved—anything endearingly disastrous has her hooked.

Kelly Miller has been obsessed with books ever since she discovered the infinite possibilities that await in their pages. She is particularly drawn to books with wit and unique or unexpected takes, and her favorite genres include humor, suspense, and speculative fiction, especially urban fantasy

Caz Galloway is a queer, aromantic, romance-loving editor, who is vaguely aware of a real world beyond books, but rarely visits it. She adores meet-cutes, (especially those involving puppies or bookshops), epic fantasies, sport romances, paranormal romances, and cozy mysteries. As a reading omnivore, her only literary no-no is a story where the dog dies.

 

Instructions

All manuscripts should be complete, and edited and polished to the best of your ability. Please send the following to submissions@riptidepublishing.com:

  • A 1-page query letter in the body of the email. A query letter should contain the title, genre(s), word count, and orientation of your story; a one- to two-paragraph "sales pitch" (like the blurbs you see on the back cover of a book); a brief history of your publication, if any; and your complete contact information, including email, snail mail, and phone number.
  • A 1 to 3 page synopsis as an attachment to the email. Don't forget to tell us how your story ends!
  • The complete manuscript as an attachment to the email.

All attachments should be .docx or .rtf files. Please format your manuscript as follows:

  • 1” margins all around
  • 1.5 line spacing
  • NO TABS OR SPACES for paragraph indents! Use the paragraph formatting feature to indent your first lines 0.5”
  • 12-point Times New Roman font

Save your files as “Book-title_Author-lastname_SYNOPSIS” and “Book-title_Author-name_MS” respectively. For instance, Pride and Prejudice would be Pride-and-Prejudice_Austen_MS.rtf and Pride-and-Prejudice_Austen_SYNOPSIS.rtf.

On the synopsis, please include a title page with your full name, address, phone number, and email.

Please paste the query letter directly into your email, and attach the synopsis and manuscript as .rtf files.

Please note that any submissions not following the rules above will be deleted unread.

You'll receive an automated email confirming our receipt of your submission. Due to the large volume of submissions, we regret to say rejections cannot be personalized, but you will hear from us regardless of our decision; we are not a no-answer-equals-no publisher. If your story is rejected, please do not write the editor asking why; such emails cannot be answered.