If I submit my manuscript to EC, what are the chances it will be published?
This fluctuates, so it's a difficult question to answer. Some months are gold finds and we sign on a lot of new, exciting authors. Some months are veritable dry spells and we sign on nobody new. Overall, however, we currently have an acceptance rate of roughly 4-5%.

Do I need an agent to submit a manuscript to EC?
No. Although quite a few of our authors have agents, it is not necessary to have one in order to submit a manuscript to us for consideration. If we like the story, we'll publish it. Period.

How long does it take to find out whether my manuscript has been accepted or rejected?
It depends on many factors, but the most important one being how busy we are at the time we receive it. Initial submissions of a synopsis plus initial chapters are typically answered within eight weeks. If we ask to see the entire manuscript at that point, it generally takes another six to twelve weeks to hear back from us. Again, this largely depends on how many other things we are juggling at the time you submit. There have been cases where we have gotten back to the author the same day!

How much money can I expect to make at EC?
That varies greatly from author to author. It's impossible for us to state exact sums of money without compromising the trust of our writers by revealing their respective incomes! But what we will say is this: royalty payments depend largely upon how many titles you have placed with us, how popular those titles become with readers, and how well you market your titles. It is important to remember that it takes an extreme amount of popularity with readers and quite a few available titles to make enough money at writing to live off of, but we most certainly do have authors who make a VERY cushy living here.

How often do EC writers get paid?
Monthly.

I don't live in the United States. Can I still write for Ellora's Cave, Inc.?
If your bank will accept checks drawn from an American bank, then yes you can. We will not, however, pay wiring fees to electronically transfer the funds into your bank account. We have authors located in Canada, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand.

I am a published mainstream romance author. I'm interested in submitting an erotic title to EC, but only if you will guarantee my confidentiality. Can you do that?
Absolutely. If you ask for confidentiality, then you will receive it. For marketing purposes we prefer you to be "out of the closet", but if your story is hot then we'll accept it whether you come out of the closet or not.  ;-)  Several of our authors are published or are soon to be published elsewhere (Harlequin, Kensington, Penguin-Putnam, and so forth). Some use other pen names, some do not. We do not release pseudonyms under any circumstance if you ask us not to.
 

If you would like to submit a story for consideration or have a question,  send it to submissions@ellorascave.com