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Fiction Guidelines for Summerside Press™

Fiction Goals
· Provides an alternative to secular romantic fiction by offering a pleasurable, escapist reading experience that is wholesome and inspirational.

· Supports a biblical worldview, whether explicitly or implicitly.

· Entertains but also edifies readers both intellectually and spiritually.

· Offers a story that is fresh and new, not clichéd or formulaic.

· Maintains high standards of excellence in craft and overall quality.

Content GuidelinesWhile these serve as guiding principles for fiction published by Summerside Press™, books will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Questionable content that is central to the progression of the story might be tolerated, but gratuitous content is subject to omission or revision.

· Realistic: The novel does not sacrifice realism in order to tell a feel-good tale.

Characters speak, think, and act naturally; relationships feel realistic and authentic; settings are accurately depicted; and plotlines are believable.

· Relevant: The novel engages and relates to readers, so that its message is applicable and meaningful.

The novel is not afraid to honestly depict some of the real issues people face in this world, explore moral gray areas, or tackle themes of sin and redemption, but it does so from a biblical perspective in which God’s truth prevails. It does not sugarcoat the struggles of the Christian faith, but it does not engage in wanton depictions of sinful lifestyles.

· Wholesome: The novel is free of offensive language and gratuitous descriptions of sex and violence.

The novel may acknowledge that the physical aspect of romantic love is designed by God to enhance intimacy between a man and a woman, but references to sexual relations are not explicit. Furthermore, they either: 1) take place within a marital relationship, or 2) reflect the consequences of extramarital sexual relations from a biblical standpoint.

· Positive: The novel is constructive and affirming. It ends on a note of hope and optimism.

The story conveys a positive view of both romantic love and Christianity, but without becoming preachy, trite, or unrealistic.

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Summerside Press™ inspired by love
Summerside Press is an inspirational fiction publisher offering fresh, irresistible stories to and uplift the heart and delight the mind.

Call for Proposals:
Love Finds You™ Inspirational Romance Fiction

About Love Finds You™Summerside Press™ is launching its Love Finds You™ fiction line in 2008, featuring inspirational romance novels set in actual small towns across the United States. We launch our first 4 titles in the fall of 2008, and we plan to release 12 titles per year. These will be full-length novels, with a word count of between 60K and 100K words (220 to 380 pages). The stories may be historical or contemporary.

As the majority of the action in each novel will take place in the title town, plot details should remain reasonably faithful to the town’s history, geography, and atmosphere. Although Summerside Press™ will provide titles and clear content boundaries, authors will be allowed the creative leeway they need to develop excellently-crafted fiction. Please refer to our Fiction Guidelines for more information regarding the goals and criteria for the line.

About Summerside Press™
With strong financial backing, Summerside Press™ offers distribution with an ECPA-member publisher to all major book retailers including Mass Market, ABA, CBA, Gift, Catalog, and Specialty Accounts. Projected units sales per title are 20,000 to 100,000. Summerside Press™ offers writers an advance, a competitive royalty, and author credit on book covers.

This is a chance for writers to be on the ground floor of a fast-growing publishing house and the opportunity to do many future products based on success of the first title. It is also an opportunity to be part of a “can’t miss” series that brings the success of regional fiction together with upscale design for a unique and powerful presence in the market.

Book Proposals
As we have already named our first 12 titles, we would prefer “from scratch” proposals designed specifically for our project (though we might consider an exceptional existing manuscript if it could be renamed and modified to fit with a given title). Book proposals must include: an overview of the novel, a chapter-by-chapter synopsis, and at least 3 sample chapters. Please send proposals to:

Rachel Meisel
Fiction Editor, Summerside Press™
rachel at roverhaus.com
479.422.1145

Please contact Rachel Meisel with any specific questions.