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Lusty Lady

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Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Erotica calls for submission deadline July 1st: Please, Sir and Please, Ma'am

I'm racing to put the finishing touches on Best Sex Writing 2010 and then I'll be waiting for the guest judge and my publisher to approve it. Fingers crossed I can get it all sorted out next week. I'm reading Lisa M. Diamond's excellent though very scientific/academic Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love and Desire, which I am hoping to excerpt from. Anyway, I have these two calls out and would love to see your stories. Please make sure to read and follow all directions if you submit!

I got an email from a man who told me he and his wife took Spanked and Do Not Disturb away with them and read erotica to each other while getting it on in a hotel room. HOT!

I also got the latest catalog from my publisher, Cleis Press, and omg have they pulled out all the stops with the gorgeous covers, especially Best Lesbian Erotica 2010, which has a stunning black and white cover and will have the band BETTY as guest judge. It's the first edition edited by Kathleen Warnock (my lesbian pregnancy/travel erotica story "Swollen" is a finalist - fingers crossed).

So please submit stories, pass this on, etc. Stories should be from the point of view of the submissive, but beyond that, and the usual no underage/bestiality/nonconsent, anything goes. I don't like to be too too specific about "what I want" in my erotica calls in terms of topics because then I get inundated with stories about those things, and I can't use them all, so all I can really say (well, beyond what's below) is be creative! I'll also say that I used a lot of new (to me) authors in Peep Show (click for Table of Contents) and hope to keep doing so in my upcoming anthologies.

Please, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission and Male Dominance
Please, Ma’am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission and Female Dominance

Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel
To be published by Cleis Press in Spring 2010

These two companion anthologies will explore the power dynamics of BDSM from the sub's/bottom's point of view. For an idea of the kinds of stories I like, please read my recent anthologies Yes, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission and Yes, Ma’am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission. I strongly prefer modern settings, though have included the occasional historical piece. Futuristic/science fiction settings are almost never my cup of tea.

Please, Sir: What's it like to be a female submissive, whether a full-time slave to a powerful master, or a kinky woman involved in an intense scene? These stories should explore the range of ways women submit to men, whether masters, husbands, boyfriends, play dates, strangers, internet chatters, etc. Is the storyteller a lifelong bottom, or a new convert to kink? Does merely offering herself up to any guy get her off, or does something about this particular top excite her? Can be long- or short-term relationships, single encounters, or anything in between, as long as the characters and plot are believable and the story is hot. (I don't want simple snapshots of scenes that don't tell us anything about the characters' motivation.) Story should be from the point of view of a female masochist and or submissive/bottom, though it can be told from a first, second or third person POV (first is preferred).

Please, Ma’am: What makes a man cower before a powerful woman? Is he living out a lifelong fantasy, or has he always taken the submissive role with women? I want stories of sissy maids, hardcore masochists, visits with dommes, husbands completely devoted to their wives, full-time slaves, play partners, and much more. These can be long- or short-term relationships, single encounters, professionals, etc., as long as the characters and plot are believable and the story is hot. (I don't want simple snapshots of scenes that don't tell us anything about the characters' motivation.) Story should be from the point of view of a male masochist or submissive/bottom, though it can be told from a first, second or third person POV (first is preferred).

Both anthologies will feature stories from a wide spectrum of the BDSM world. The more creative your storytelling, the better. The examples listed above are just that, examples; feel free to let your imaginations run wild! I encourage you to think beyond clichéd scenarios and set your stories outside of the traditional play parties/dungeons, as well as thinking outside the box when it comes to "power play" and am especially looking for stories where not all of the erotic action is centered around physical sensation. There can also be more than two people in a given story or scene (or even just one if they are following someone's orders), and bisexual scenarios are welcome as long as the bottom/top relationship is a heterosexual one, as fitting the title. My biggest pet peeve with the submissions I’ve rejected in the past is lack of characterization/jumping into the BDSM scene too quickly.

Guidelines: Stories should be unpublished and not submitted elsewhere for publication. Stories should be 1,500 – 4,000 words, double spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font, in a Word document only. If it is truly impossible to send a Word document, please send as both a RTF AND in the body of the email. You MUST include your bio (50 words MAX) and full contact info (mailing address, phone number, real name/pseudonym) when you submit.

Payment will be $50/story and 1 copy of the book upon publication in Spring 2010. Contributors will retain the rights to their stories. You may submit up to two stories per book. Please note that the publisher has final approval over the manuscript.

Send your submission as a Word document to pleaseantho@gmail.com ONLY with either"Please, Sir Submission" or "Please, Ma’am Submission" in the subject line—if you are submitting to both anthologies, please send separate submissions for each (though you can attach 2 stories for one book in the same email).

Please make sure to follow ALL directions. I'm getting a lot of single-spaced, non-Word document submissions without bios or mailing addresses. Please also make sure you send your FINAL version of your story, not a first (and then second or third) draft. All of the pertinent information, including a polished version of the story and your bio/contact info should be included in a single email, not multiple ones. Thank you.

If you have any questions about Please, Ma’am or Please, Sir, please query
pleaseantho@gmail.com

Deadline: July 1, 2009
Expect to hear back from me by November 2009
Payment: $50/story, upon publication
Email: pleaseantho@gmail.com

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