In keeping with the nature of all books ImaJinn publishes, a story or novel appropriate for our erotica line will be, first and foremost, a romance. The main plot of the story should be the sensual development of an intimate relationship between one man and one woman, who are both heroic in stature (i.e., possessing high moral standards) and who ultimately make a commitment to each other. In general, we are not looking for multiple partner relationships, although multiple partnerships are acceptable in some storylines, such as societies where there are more men than women or vice versa, but again, these multiple partners must ultimately make a commitment to each other.

We will accept any type of erotica storyline, from contemporary to historical to paranormal, futuristic and fantasy. A successful story will be highly erotic but not pornographic. The difference is usually one of focus; erotica, like romance, seeks to involve the reader’s emotions, while pornography focuses almost entirely on the physical. We expect there to be sex involved—lots of it—but it must be part of the plot, not gratuitous. Authors are encouraged to begin with a premise that, by its nature, will put the hero and heroine in sexually charged circumstances from the beginning of the story. We don’t expect the couple to make love in the first chapter, although it is acceptable to have it in chapter one, but we do expect some lovemaking or sexually charged foreplay by chapter two. We expect that sexual scenes will be at least half or more of the story.

In general, we’re looking for stories that turn us on, not off. We want to be excited—not disgusted or bored. We don’t want stories about heavy BDSM, torture, bestiality (dogs, horses, snakes, and other real-world critters), non-sexual bodily functions ("golden showers"), pedophilia, necrophilia, cannibalism, weapons or other deadly implements being shoved into orifices, rape or anything else so kinky that it will offend our core readership. On the other hand, we understand that writing erotic stories about werewolves and aliens could lead to some interesting situations. Indeed, the paranormal element you choose could provide exactly the sort of sexual tension and eroticism these stories will require.

Regarding language, authors should think carefully about the words they use. A story doesn’t automatically become erotic when "manhood" gets changed to "cock" or "feminine core" is replaced by "pussy." They’re all still euphemisms, and the way they’re used is what matters; indeed, it can mean the difference between erotica and pornography. So authors may use whatever words they wish to name body parts and to describe actions, but keep in mind that the goal is turn the readers on—not jar them out of the story or make them laugh at inappropriate moments. (By the way, it’s perfectly acceptable to use real, official words for body parts and sex acts, too.)

LENGTH: We’d like the word count for these stories to be at least 30,000 words, and can go as high as 90,000 words, but lengthy stories must remain highly erotic from beginning to end. We will consider novellas between 15,000 to 30,000 words. However, we emphasize that even in the shorter format, it’s essential that the story primarily be romantic.

 These guidelines are subject to change as we refine this line.

SUBMISSION: You do not need an agent to submit, but you must query us first. All query letters should include a synopsis no longer than six double-spaced pages and may be submitted by e-mail. We do not accept simultaneous submissions. Queries should be sent to: