Call for Submissions
Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 2 
Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel

To be published by Cleis Press in 2017

I want your best, hottest, most creative and diverse 1,500-3,500 word erotica stories, written by and starring a wide range of women, from single to coupled, living in big cities and small towns anywhere in the world, of varying sexualities, races, ages (all characters must be 18+) fetishes, jobs, interests and life experiences. As per the series’ history, only submissions by women authors will be considered. Stories in the final book will range from humorous and playful to intense and soulful, and will reflect a similar sexual, racial and age diversity as the stories in Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 1. Story submissions must be unpublished (never published, in whole or in part, anywhere, online or offline). No scat or incest, although age play will be considered as long as it’s clear in the context of the story that the characters are engaging in roleplay. No poetry.

I don’t want to limit your creativity, because I want these stories to be as dazzling, varied, surprising and sexy as possible. I want your very best work, the kind that will make readers want to savor your story over and over again. Some things I’m looking to include in this volume: stories by authors who’ve never been published in the Best Women’s Erotica series or are new to writing erotica, stories by authors based outside the United States (and stories set outside the United States), stories by and about women of color, stories from the point of view of transgender women, stories featuring women in their forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties or nineties, romantic erotica (they don’t necessarily need to have a traditional “happily ever after,” but happy endings are extremely welcome too), stories involving more than two people, stories in unusual settings, erotica touching on current events (though the story should be one readers ten or twenty years from now will also appreciate), stories that touch on real-life issues affecting women, BDSM stories (especially ones with creative motivations and femdom stories, though I also want stories about outstanding submissive women), and creative fetishes. These are meant as springboards for your storytelling, but are by no means prescriptive. All stories that meet the guidelines will be considered.

In a nutshell: I want stories that blow my mind, that grab my attention and don’t let go, that say something new and exciting about sex and sexuality, that will appeal to longtime erotica readers and new readers. I gravitate toward unique, creative, memorable characters, settings and scenarios. I will consider sci fi, fantasy, paranormal and historical stories, although they will likely not comprise the majority of the book. 

For an idea of the types of stories I like, see Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 1, or my women’s erotica anthologies Fast Girls, Orgasmic and Women in Lust.

In the interest of publishing a range of authors, those whose work appears in Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 will not be considered for this volume, but contributors to previous Best Women’s Erotica collections are welcome to submit work.

Rights (see below): non-exclusive right to publish your story in this anthology in print, ebook, and audiobook form. Authors will retain copyright to their stories.

Guidelines: Submit only 1,500-3,500 original, unpublished stories that are not being considered elsewhere. Maximum two submissions per author. I want only original work that has never been published online or in print. All characters must be 18 or over. US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) Submit to [email protected] by attaching a Word .doc or .docx file, double spaced, Times New Roman Black font with legal name, pseudonym (if applicable), mailing address AND 50 word-or-under third person bio on the first page of your story above the title or in the body of an email.

All stories must have a title and byline included with the submission (no untitled stories). Indent half an inch at the start of each paragraph. Use only double spacing for the entire file; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or use any other irregular spacing. If you cannot use Word, submit as both an RTF and include the full submission in the body of an email, including title, story text, bio, name and pseudonym (if applicable), and mailing address. DO NOT submit alternate versions of the same story multiple times. MAKE SURE TO THOROUGHLY PROOFREAD YOUR STORY BEFORE SUBMITTING IT. Only stories that are between 1,500-3,5000 words and submitted by April 1, 2016 will be considered.

I will confirm that I have received your submission within 72 hours. I will respond to all submissions by September 30, 2016. If you have not heard back from me by October 1, 2016, feel free to follow up at that time.

Payment: $100 and 2 copies of the book within 90 days of publication

Deadline: April 1, 2016

Questions: Email [email protected]

Contract terms (authors will not be allowed to make any amendments to the contract terms, so please only submit if you are prepared to sign the contributor contract):

Author hereby grants Editor, during the first term of the United States copyright, and any renewals thereof, in the “Work”:

a. The non-exclusive right to “publish” (i.e. print, publish, and sell) the Work as part of the Book in printed and digital form in English in the United States and its territories; and

b. The non-exclusive right to “publish” and license the Work as part of the Book in printed and digital form in English in other countries; and

c. The non-exclusive right to publish and license the Work as part of the Book in printed and digital form in English and the right to license, translate and publish the Work as part of the Book in printed and digital form in languages other than English in all countries; and

d. The following non-exclusive subsidiary rights to license and publish the Work as part of the Book in the United States and all foreign countries, to wit: anthologies, magazines, book club editions and reprints; Braille editions; audio, computer disk, all electronic/cyber rights, CD-ROM and microfiche editions; and television productions (including network TV, cable, and pay TV); and

e. The non-exclusive right to excerpt from the Work in non-book printed materials issued by the Publisher and/or its licensee for the sole purpose of promoting the Work, including, but not limited to, bookmarks, post cards, buttons, and t-shirts; and

f. The non-exclusive subsidiary right, for promotional purposes, to serialize the Work in periodicals, newspapers, and magazines.