Phaze is proud to announce our very first Phaze Phenom, Deane, a male cover model who is now the "face" of Phaze. Sexy guy, huh? And what about our Phaze Fox, Lavonne? Talk about a hot duo!
To launch our first cover models, we would like for you to write a sexy, scintillating story that fits this hot cover! Create a story that matches the heat an intensity of this cover. Write the best one, and you'll get the ultimate prize. No, you can't have Deane. You will be offered a publishing contract with Phaze! When your book is released, you will have this contest cover on your novel!
We'll start accepting submissions for the contest on March 10th, 2007. The contest will end midnight EST on September 1st, 2007.
Submissions must be 45,000 words or longer. Send submissions to
contest@phaze.com and put "Phenom Cover Contest" in the subject line.
For this contest, we will not accept simultaneous submissions. See below for submission details.
Who can submit to this contest?
This contest is open to any and all authors whether you're published or not yet published. Current Phaze authors are also eligible to submit to this contest.
Formatting Your Manuscript
Please read the following formatting rules. Manuscripts received that do not follow this format will be rejected without review.
Your manuscript must be in Microsoft Word or RTF (Rich/Revisable Text Format) document. WPS and other formats are NOT accepted. Use only Courier New or Times New Roman 10 point font.
Double space your manuscript. Use your word processor's double spacing functionality, do not add hard returns inside the paragraph and do not add extra paragraph returns between paragraphs. Use italics for any text that is to be italicized--NEVER use bold and italics at the same time.
Use two dashes (--) for an em dash (—) with no space before or after.
Use only hyphens (-) or em dashes (—), do not use en dashes (–).
Use three dots together (...) with no spaces for ellipses. Also no spaces before or after the ellipsis. For a sentence that trails off, add the ellipsis at the end with no period. A question mark can be added after the ellipsis if applicable.
Use 0.3 inch indent for each paragraph.
Do not use a tab or spaces to indent.
Margins should be 1 inch all around.
No embedded images.
Many eBook formats do not support embedded images.
For scene breaks, insert three asterisks with spaces (* * *) on a line by itself, then begin your new paragraph on the next line.
If you have any questions about formatting that are not answered here, please write to us at
submissions@phaze.com.
Submitting Your Manuscript
We only accept electronic submissions as an email cover letter with two file attachments. You must send all required information to be considered for publication. Partial submissions will be rejected without review. Not following these instructions will cause your submission to be rejected without review, and you will be invited to resubmit.
eMail Cover Letter
The Subject Line must be marked like this: Submission--title-of-novel
The Body of your email cover letter must contain the following information:
Your full (real) name.
Your (good, reliable, and current) e-mail address.
Your snail-mail address.
Your phone number.
The exact title of your book.
The name you want on your book (pen name or real name).
Approximate number of words (not number of pages).
One short paragraph synopsis describing what the novel is about.
Manuscript Attachment
Attach the complete manuscript as a separate Microsoft Word® or RTF-format file.
File name must be title-of-your-novel.rtf (or .doc). Include nothing else in the file name.
On the first page of your manuscript, at the top, you must have the following information:
Your full (real) name.
Your (good, reliable, and current) e-mail address.
Your snail-mail address.
Your phone number.
The exact title of your book.
The name you want on the book (pen name or real name).
Approximate number of words (not number of pages).
The information must be duplicated in the cover letter and on the manuscript as they go different directions during evaluation.
Supporting Information Attachment
Attach the following supporting material as a separate Microsoft Word® or RTF-format file:
Synopsis describing what the novel is about (no limit, but should be concise and precise). Chapter-by-chapter outline. Tell us what happens in each chapter with a sentence or two.
A short biography of you with notation of other published works, awards, etc.
Your promotion/marketing plan for your book. We expect you to help promote your book (it is your book after all) with word of mouth, getting reviews, book signings, etc.
Sending your website link is also helpful if you have one (not required).
Note: We NEVER release ANY personal information to third parties. All information you provide is kept in-house for the processing of your submission.
Acknowledgement of Receipt
You will be sent an acknowledgement when your submission is received, usually within 24 to 48 hours.
Costs to Author
Phaze is a traditional publisher. There are no costs to the author if your manuscript is accepted; we pay all the costs for ISBN, Books-in-Print registration, typesetting, artwork, cover design, editing, printing, production, sales, distribution, etc. You will be responsible for copyright costs ($30 plus two copies of your book) since you hold the copyright in your name. We have the forms and instructions available to help you get your work copyrighted. It is not necessary that your work be copyrighted prior to submission, but you should get your work copyrighted prior to publication.
Advances and Royalties
We do not pay advances, but royalties are paid on the net amount of each sale concluded within each calendar quarter. The author receives a royalty statement outlining sales information, along with the royalty check.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I have to follow the submission guidelines even for this contest?
Yes.
2. Why such a long story?
At Phaze, we already have open submission calls for themed shorter works under the Heatsheets category. For this contest, we would like to branch out and bring in longer works.
3. Do I have to use your model's name in my story?
No. I'm sure Deane and Lavonne would be flattered but we want their looks to be inspiring. You don't have to necessarily write their story.
4. I like the way he looks but my character has blond hair and blue eyes. Can I go with that?
Although you don't have to use our model's name, we would like your story to match the cover. To do that, you should write with the model(s) apparent characteristics in mind.
5. Does my story have to be an erotic romance?
At Phaze, we do accept stories that do not have a happily-ever-after ending like in our Umbra line. So no, your story does not have to be a romance. However, it must be an erotic story.
6. I'll be out of town during the submission process and won't be back until after the deadline. Can I submit after the deadline?
Sorry, for this contest we must adhere to the deadline dates. However, once you get back into town, we would still love to read your submission.
7. That leads me to my next question. What if I don't win the contest. Will you still consider my story for publication or is that it?
Phaze will never turn away a great story! If your story is not the winning contest entry, however, we find that your story is worth publishing, we will offer a contract.
8. So if it's good enough for a contract offer, why can't I win?
Sorry, since there is only one cover there can only be one winner for this contest. Be sure to send us your best work to edge out the competition.
9. Do Deane or Lavonne have any tattoos or piercings?
No. Can your character have tattoos or piercings? Yes.
10. Do you accept previously published work?
Yes, however please let us know in your cover letter that your work was previously published, with what publisher and when. Also submit documentation that you have all of your electronic and print rights back. Without this documentation that you have regained all of your rights, we cannot consider your work for this contest or for publication.
11. Do you accept simultaneous submissions for this contest?
No.
Any questions you might have about the submission process may be answered under our Frequently Asked Questions page at
http://www.phaze.com/faqs.htm.
