Regency Submission Guidelines: ImaJinn (pronounced Imagine) Books will launch a Regency Romance line around October or November of 2007. We may launch the line earlier, depending on editorial staff availability. We will publish one book every two to three months unless sales indicate that our market will support a larger publishing schedule.
We are currently looking for fast-paced Regency romances. The Regency period is from 1811-1820, when the Prince Regent assumed his late father’s throne. Regency novels should be set during this period, although certain Regency themes such as the Napoleonic War allow Regency novels to be set back as far as 1800. Only novels set during this period will be considered.
Regency novels owe much to the works of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. They are often described as "comedies of manners," but tones from light and comedic to dark and gothic, even paranormal, will be considered.
The book must be Regency in tone. That means the author needs to be familiar with the history, the society, the customs, and the mores of the period. The author must know the levels of the peerage and how each is addressed. Regency readers are very savvy and know right away when someone has made a faux pas in a novel. For example, they know an illegitimate son will never inherit a title.
Sensuality: From the traditional Regency’s "close the bedroom door" to higher levels of sensuality will be currently considered. Just remember that the most important aspect of a Regency is the romance. The developing romantic relationship between the hero and the heroine must be the focus of the story.
The stories may be told from both points of view, and the hero may be the lead character of the story. Although books written in the third person are preferred, first person will be considered.
The heroine must be a strong woman, capable of confronting and conquering any threats of physical and/or psychological danger she faces in the story. She is always a match for the hero. The ending must be a happy one, with everlasting romance the reward for triumphing over the conflicts faced in the story. Although we prefer Alpha male heroes, Beta heroes are acceptable, but they must still be bold and a match for the heroine. The biggest problem we see with Beta heroes is that they are so nice you know that the heroine will end up with him in the end, so you lose the romantic suspense of whether or not they’ll be able to overcome their conflicts and achieve happily ever after status.
Secondary characters and subplots are not only desired, but encouraged. Regency readers enjoy quirky secondary characters and characters strong enough to be spun off to have their own story in a future book.
Length from 50K-90K
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. We prefer e-mail queries, but if you don’t have access to e-mail you may query us by mail. Please make sure you indicate in your query that you wish to submit to the Regency line. If you mail your query, please include an SASE if you want the material returned. If there is no enclosed SASE, we will dispose of the material. It is recommended that you either check our web site (http://www.imajinnbooks.com) or write or call us to see what storylines we’re currently looking for. We do not accept simultaneous submissions. We only consider queries with storylines that meet our current needs. Query letters or inquiries should be sent to:
Editorial Department
ImaJinn Books
PO Box 545
Canon City, CO 81215-0545
E-mail: editors@imajinnbooks.com
Web site: www.imajinnbooks.com
Phone: 877-625-3592
Fax: (719) 276-0741
We will not consider books currently under contract with an e-publisher because of print-on-demand rights conflicts. If your book is currently under contract with an e-publisher, please do not query us.
If you have previously published books, either print or e-published, that you want to see back in print, you may be Interested in what we’re tentatively calling our Keeper Shelf line, which we will start sometime in 2007. We will consider all previously published books, regardless of genre, for this line. Guidelines for the Keeper Shelf will be available on our web site soon.
Copyright 2006 by ImaJinn Books