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Basic Training to help authors succeed during NaNo Boot Camp.
Have you ever wanted to learn how to write Category Romance? Here's your chance to work with Entangled Publishing editors and learn how to incorporate tropes into your manuscripts to deliver a satisfying read in half the word count.
Your mission: 50,000 words in 30 days
Boot Camp is not for the weak. Prepare for the Smack Down!
What is NaNo Boot Camp - Entangled Smack Down? This event is in three parts.
Recruit Day:On Saturday, October 20th, participants will pitch a one page synopsis to Entangled Publishing editors before Basic Training week begins. Editors will be available to discuss ideas with participants and give tips on how to get the most out of the week long Basic Training workshop.
Basic Training:
Monday, October 22nd through Friday, October 26th, Entangled editors will break into groups for each imprint and mentor recruits as they prepare their novels for NaNo Boot Camp. This includes various craft elements.
Savvy NaNo Boot Camp:
Boot Camp runs Thursday, November 1st through Friday, November 30th, and recruits are expected to write 50,000 words in 30 days, or 1,667 words daily. Recruits are split into teams of 5 and teams compete with words written per day (no editing in Boot Camp!) Entangled recruits will remain with their Basic Training teams throughout the event.
**Members participating in Entangled Smack Down are ineligible to participate in a Savvy NaNo Boot Camp group, as the Entangled teams will be grouped together during/after Basic Training and will complete the Boot Camp in their Entangled teams. To sign up for traditional Savvy NaNo Boot Camp, click HERE.**
Participating Imprints
Indulgence (Contemporary Short Romance)
Alethea Spiridon Hopson, Editorial Director, and Libby Murphy, Managing Editor
Indulgence is an innovative line of category romance novels, priced at $2.99 and sold digitally only. We’re looking for fresh voices and realistic stories that reflect how women live and love in the new millennium. Whether funny, mysterious, dramatic, snarky, sexy, or heartfelt, these stories are active, fast-paced, and dialogue-heavy. Be bold. Be daring. Get out of the box.
What we’re looking for:
- Proven category tropes such as matchmakers, ugly duckling, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, reunited lovers, emotional rebirth, lovers from different worlds, rags to riches, cops, cowboys, CEOs, etc.
- Stories featuring alpha heroes (from billionaires to the oldest brother who runs a bar) and the confident (or by the end of the book confident) women who love them.
- Sparkling dialogue and active story lines, with a minimum of narrative sequel and passive over-examination of feelings.
- Stories can be closed door to very hot. We do not want erotica.
Your Basic Training will include feedback from editorial director Alethea Spiridon Hopson and managing editor Libby Murphy. We’ll cover your plot, tropes, characterization, and GMC, and help you make your story stronger. You’ll learn in a fun, challenging learning environment, where we’ll fill you in on the Indulgence guidelines, and industry-wide writing standards. We’ll whip your synopsis/outline into fighting shape so you can use it as a guideline for November’s boot camp. You’ll also come away with an awesome elevator pitch/positioning statement that will nail the main conflicts in your book. Expect encouragement and tough love!
CLICK HERE to register for INDULGENCE!
Covet (Contemporary Short Romance with a Paranormal Twist)
Liz Pelletier, Editorial Director, and Kerry Adrienne Vail, Managing Editor
Contemporary romance with a twist… We’re seeking paranormal stories with fresh voices, between 55k and 70K words in length. Stories need a romantic trope and an alpha hero at their core, with paranormal elements woven into the storyline. For example, a story could have the best friends to lovers trope and the best friend happens to be a vampire. The paranormal element is secondary to the trope and shouldn’t eclipse their growing relationship. The three pillars of Covet are trope, alpha male, and growing relationship between the hero and heroine.
Covet will cater to everything from Greek gods, to witches, to vampires, open door and closed door sex scenes, funny and dark. Voices like Erin McCarthy, Shelly Laurenston, Gena Showalter, and Nalini Singh are good examples of the kind of exciting, fast-paced voices that will appeal most to Covet readers.
What we expect from you:
The ideal participant is familiar with the Covet line, able to approach and use feedback with an open mind, and ready to face bootcamp with a sense of humor, dedication, and team spirit!
Please come to Recruit Day (Saturday, October 20th) with a basic synopsis detailing what you've come up with so far. If the idea of writing a synopsis gives you hives, feel free to compile the information in list format. We’d like to seeyour hero and heroine’s names, ages, and occupation, and clarify, in terms of the plot, what they want, why they want it, how they plan to get it, and what's standing in their way. Be sure to include which tropes you plan to use in your novel. Check out our submission guidelines for a partial list of tropes common to this genre.
We know your Covet idea is still a work-in-progress, so during Basic Training (Monday, October 22nd through Friday, October 26th) we’ll help you fill in the blanks and make adjustments to create the strongest outline possible before the writing starts November 1st!
What you can expect from us:
Hands-on guidance and clear, honest feedback from editorial director Liz Pelletier,managing editor Kerry Adrienne Vail and assistant editors Guillian Helm and Dawn McClure. Assistant publisher, Lauren Ruth, will be stopping in too! We'll be there to help you nail plot pointsandclarify tropes to make your novel have that irresistible combination of favorite storylines with a fresh twist, and ensure your hero is the alpha character readers love with a strong heroine who will be his match. Lessons in characterization and plot will be provided during Basic Training. Once bootcamp starts November 1st, we'll be there to cheer you on, as well as answer any questions you may have once a week.
Review the Covet Submission Guidelines.
CLICK HERE to register for COVET!
Scandalous (Historical Short Romance)
Patricia Brigandi, Editorial Director, and Erin Molta, Managing Editor
Entangled Publishing is thrilled to add SCANDALOUS to their list of best-selling categories. Priced at $2.99 and sold digitally, these tales of love, lust and desire blend young, fresh voices with the strong tropes we all know and love, allowing readers to travel through time to explore a world full of romance from eras long-gone.
What makes a Scandalous?
· Proven category tropes such as mistaken identity, revenge, marriage of convenience or inconvenience, tortured hero, virgin heroine, star-crossed lovers, social prejudice, exotic ways of life. If you combine a few of them into one story, good for you!
· Sexy alpha heroes paired with spunky and/or sweet heroines who come into their own by book’s end. Our men can be members of an aristocratic society, tribal leaders, or rouges with a heart of gold. These heroes must have striking looks and bearing, ready and willing to take on whatever is thrown at them and make it right. Think members of royalty, sea captains, explorers, cattle drivers.
· Mind-blowing sexual tension. We want stories that focus on the hero and heroine’s physical relationship as it pertains to their developing romance.
· High heat level. We do not consider erotica, ménage, or same-sex couples, but explicit sex scenes and erotic elements or kinks organic to the characters’ sexual tastes are musts.
· Stories that span the ages. The fun and excitement of historical fiction is that we are not limited by time. We can jump aboard our time machine and write tales from the Victorian, Tudor, Regency, Viking and Medieval eras. And don’t forget early Americana, the Civil War period, the Roaring 20’s and the westward expansion.
What we expect from you:
The ideal participant is familiar with historical fiction, able to approach and use feedback with an open mind, and ready to face boot camp with a sense of humor, dedication, and team spirit!
Please come to Recruit Day (Saturday, October 20th) with a basic synopsis detailing what you've come up with so far. If the idea of writing a synopsis makes you shiver, feel free to compile the information in list format. We’d like to see your hero and heroine’s names, ages, and occupation, and clarify, in terms of the plot, what they want, why they want it, how they plan to get it, and what's standing in their way. Be sure to include which tropes you plan to use in your novel. Check out our partial list of tropes common to this genre.
We know your Scandalous idea is still a work-in-progress, so during Basic Training (Monday, October 22nd through Friday, October 26th) we’ll help you fill in the blanks and make adjustments to create the strongest outline possible before the writing starts November 1st.
What you can expect from us:
Hands-on guidance and clear, honest feedback from editorial director Pat Brigandi, and Senior editor Erin Molta. We'll be there to help you with plot points and clarify tropes to make your novel have that irresistible combination of favorite storylines with a fresh twist, and ensure your hero is the alpha character readers love with a strong heroine who will be his match. We will also help you balance your stories of longing with the right amount of historical accuracy. Lessons in characterization and plot will be provided during Basic Training. Once boot camp starts November 1st, we'll be there to cheer you on, as well as answer any questions you may have once a week.
CLICK HERE to register for SCANDALOUS!
Dead Sexy (Short Romantic Suspense)
Nina Bruhns, Editorial Director, and Vicki Wilkerson, Managing Editor
The Nina Bruhns Collection is Entangled Publishing’s dynamic new line of 60-70K word, branded category-style romantic suspense/mystery/thriller novels. Our DEAD SEXY editors are looking for bold voices and compelling stories that will pull our readers into a page-turning world of thrills, sizzles, chills, and intrigue. Whether you write sweet or steamy, cops, para-ops, or special ops, cozy village sleuths, or mile-a-minute adventures, if your mystery, suspense, or thriller includes a romance with a happy, committed ending, we want to see it!
Make us gasp. Make us cry. Make us think. Make our hearts pound. Make us feel the rush of adrenaline and the zing of DEAD SEXY attraction. And do it all in less than 70K words.
Review the Dead Sexy Submission Guidelines.
What we expect from you:
- 1 page synopsis of your story idea
- Statement of your hero and heroine’s goals, motivations, and conflicts (both internal and external)
- One-sentence log line of your story idea
What you can expect from us:
- An honest evaluation of your story idea
- Ways to improve your story idea to best fit into Dead Sexy
- Finished log line you can use to pitch your story
- A finished beat sheet of your story idea so you’re ready to rock and roll on November 1
- Lots of encouragement!
CLICK HERE to register for DEAD SEXY!
Brazen (Sexy Contemporary Short Romance)
Heather Howland, Editorial Director, and Tahra Seplowin and Sue Winegardner, Assistant Editors
Brazen, our bestselling sexy contemporary romance line, is the naughty little sister of our popular Indulgence imprint. Priced at $2.99 and sold digitally, these steamy category-style romances blend young, fresh voices with the strong tropes we all know and love, allowing readers to explore the more seductive side of modern relationships. Whether they’re witty and playful, or lush and intense, Brazen books are always fast-paced, dialogue-heavy, and above all, sexy. Unleash your inner vixen. We know you want to.
Review the Brazen Submission Guidelines.
What we expect from you:
The ideal participant is familiar with the Brazen Line, able to approach and use feedback with an open mind, and ready to face bootcamp with a sense of humor, dedication, and team spirit!
Please come to Recruit Day (Saturday, October 20th) with a basic synopsis detailing what you've come up with so far. If the idea of writing a synopsis gives you hives, feel free to compile the information in list format. We’d like to see your hero and heroine’s names, ages, and occupation, and clarify, in terms of the plot, what they want, why they want it, how they plan to get it, and what's standing in their way. Be sure to include which tropes you plan to use in your novel. Check out our Submission Guidelines for a partial list of tropes common to this genre.
We know your Brazen idea is still a work-in-progress, so during Basic Training (Monday, October 22nd through Friday, October 26th) we’ll help you fill in the blanks and make adjustments to create the strongest outline possible before the writing starts November 1st!
What you can expect from us:
Hands-on guidance and clear, honest feedback from editorial director Heather Howland, and assistant editors Tahra Seplowin and Sue Winegardner. We'll be there to help you nail plot points and clarify tropes to make your novel have that irresistible combination of favorite storylines with a fresh twist, and ensure your hero is the alpha character readers love with a strong heroine who will be his match. Lessons in characterization and plot will be provided during Basic Training. Once bootcamp starts November 1st, we'll be there to cheer you on, as well as answer any questions you may have once a week.
CLICK HERE to register for BRAZEN!
Bliss (Sweet Contemporary Short Romance)
Stacy C. Abrams, Editorial Director, and Alycia Tornetta, Managing Editor
Bliss is seeking uplifting, heartwarming stories that will be priced at $2.99 and sold digitally. The editors are looking for fresh, contemporary voices that reflect the trials and tribulations of modern love in America. The focus should be on family, home, a strong sense of community, and ultimately happiness, but the tone can be anything from snarky to emotional to nostalgic and everything in between.
Review the Bliss Submission Guidelines.
What we expect from you:
- Come prepared with a great and unique story idea, fleshed out in at least a one-page synopsis
- A list of a MINIMUM of three tropes in your story: a primary trope as well as secondary tropes
- A statement of your hero and heroine’s goals, motivations, and conflicts (both internal and external) – can be tied to the tropes or separate
- A one-sentence “elevator pitch” of your story idea
What you can expect from us:
- An honest evaluation of your story idea, including where it would fit within the industry as a whole as well as if it’s a fit for Bliss
- Editorial feedback to make the plotline stronger, both in general and within the parameters of the Bliss line
- A finalized elevator pitch to use when querying
- A fully fleshed out and editor-approved synopsis
- Encouragement and FUN from two experienced editors!
CLICK HERE to register for BLISS!
Flirt & Ever After (Novellas, all genres)
Adrien-Luc Sanders, Editorial Director, and Kerri-Leigh Grady, Managing Editor
Flirts and Ever Afters are palate-teasing novellas designed to satisfy readers’ cravings for romance without the time commitment required to invest in a full-length novel. The lines range the gamut from contemporary to paranormal to science fiction, categories to off-beat stories with a unique twist, but with one thing in common: a happy ending and the promise of love. We’ve discovered several fresh new voices through the Flirt and Ever After lines, and transformed their success in short fiction into a strong presence in the Entangled Select and Entangled Teen lines. So take a chance and flirt with romance, or find your way to a happily ever after.
Review the FEA Submission Guidelines.
What we expect from you:
- 1-page synopsis detailing your first novella, and brief plans to extend into a trilogy;
- A basic idea of your primary trope;
- 1-2 sentences on both your hero and heroine’s goals, motivations, and conflicts;
- 1-2 sentences about your story’s inciting event; and,
- 1-sentence elevator pitch.
What you can expect from us:
- Identifying weak areas in your story concept and building a clean outline from your synopsis;
- Identifying plot points in the first novella that can be used to expand into a trilogy with a satisfying conclusion;
- Working those plot points into synopses for the second and third in the trilogy;
- Discussing how to build a satisfying romance with a clean story arc at novella length;
- Strengthening character motivations;
- Polishing your elevator pitch; and,
- Being all-around cheerleaders, though Adrien says he’s not wearing the skirt, and KL is refusing the bloomers.
After Basic Training, we’ll stay with you throughout the Entangled Smackdown to cheer on your team’s progress and see how you’re doing. We’ll be the angels on your shoulders. Just don’t pay attention to the horns.
CLICK HERE to register for FLIRTS AND EVER AFTERS!
The winning team will receive a prize!! (TBA)
Registration for basic members begins next week, space allowing. There is no guarantee that spots will be available next week, so join Savvy Authors today to secure your Premium seat in this amazing event.
SIGN UP AS A PREMIUM MEMBER
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Riley on June 19th, 2013