2024 Passionate Ink Anthology

Submissions for the next Passionate Ink Anthology will open in January of 2024!

We’re excited to offer the opportunity for published and pre-published authors to work together to benefit ProLiteracy. Please read the following information carefully. All authors selected to contribute their work will receive a contract with the details defined prior to publication.

Theme

Stay tuned!

Regardless of theme, we welcome love in all its forms! Give us ALL the stories with diverse characters and relationships!

Requirements of Participation

1. 10,000-word max for submissions. Must have a minimum of five (5) submissions to proceed, and up to twelve (12) submissions will be selected. All submitting authors must be current members of Passionate Ink.
   1. Submissions will be selected for publication by an independent panel of 3-4 authors and editors. All decisions of the anthology committee are final.
2. The submission must not have been previously published and must not be published elsewhere for 120 days from the date of publication of the anthology. The only exception to this rule will be for the winner of the 2024 Passionate Plume Virgin category, which will be treated as a sneak peek and not subject to this restriction should they choose to include their winning entry.
3. Submission must include an erotic/steamy storyline with the designated theme, but need not be a romance with a happy ever after or happy for now. Erotic fiction portraying the sexual journey of its characters is also welcome.
4. Stories must be submitted in a ready-to-critique state with an author bio, story tagline, and a story blurb. It need not be professionally edited as that service will be provided by Passionate Ink after paired critique.
5. Author must participate in paired editing/critiques. Authors will be provided guidelines, but will also be checking for continuity, typos, etc.
6. Author must meet all deadlines as defined on the PassionateInk.org website or in communications from the Anthology Committee. A finalized calendar will be provided to all authors upon receipt of a signed contract.
7. All works will be submitted to a professional editor for final proof at Passionate Ink’s expense.
   1. All proofread edits will be accepted by the PI Anthology coordinator(s) unless clarification from the author is required. The final proofed copy will be provided to the authors.
   2. Editing will be provided on a first come, first served basis.
8. Author must promote the work during the release and at least weekly thereafter during the period of publication, and will be given the opportunity to participate in formal release parties and takeovers in selected Facebook groups.
   1. Authors may use social media, newsletters, etc.
   2. Authors may also obtain paid promotion at their expense.
9. Net proceeds after professional editing will be donated to the ProLiteracy charity.
10. Writers retain their copyright.
11. Passionate Ink will provide the copy editing, proofreading, book cover, and formatting, as well as periodic graphics for the ongoing promotion efforts.
12. Passionate Ink does not discourage the use of any trope—however, keep in mind that entries will be disqualified for portraying illegal acts including (but not limited to): incest, violence with the intent to titillate, and acts involving minors or other individuals unable to give legal consent. Inclusion of any work will be the final decision of the Passionate Ink Anthology Committee.
13. Any entry which is found to be a plagiarism of another author’s work or includes the use of generative artificial intelligence will not be included. No exceptions. The decision of the Passionate Ink Anthology Committee is final.
14. Failure to submit a signed contract by April 19, 2024 will result in disqualification.

Formatting and Style

NOTE:  These instructions need only be used for the manuscript submitted for paired critique and to the professional editor. Authors may use their preferred formatting while writing. Passionate Ink charity anthologies are meant to give emerging authors a taste of what they can expect when they submit their work to agents, editors, and publishers, many of whom have formatting requirements and will immediately disqualify a submission which fails to meet those expectations. We have chosen a formatting convention that is common for this purpose.

Failure to adhere to the formatting guidelines will result in disqualification. If you have any questions, please contact the Anthology Committee at vp@passionateink.org.

• Manuscripts should be named as follows: <author last name_title>. For example, author_My Story.docx.
• Manuscripts can be any editable file type (docx, rtf, etc). PDF files and formatted ebook files will not be accepted.
• Please submit one document with elements in the following order:
  • Title, tagline, blurb, and author bio on the first page. Author bio and blurb can be no longer than 250 words each for a total of 500 words. Please include your website and/or newsletter signup link.
    • Authors are strongly encouraged to include a newsletter sign-up, but need not have a website. Free tiers are available on most of the popular bulk mail providers. No buy links or backlist details will be accepted.
  • A page break, followed by your manuscript.
• Chapter titles, if present, should be formatted as headings using an outline style. For example, ‘Heading 1’ in Google Docs or Word.
• Do not use manual tabs to indent the first line of a paragraph (ie: the tab key). Any indentation should be within a paragraph style. You may also skip indentation altogether.
• Do not use hard carriage returns (ie: the enter key) unless you are ending a paragraph.
• Use 12pt Times New Roman, double spaced and unjustified (rag right), on 8.5×11 pages with one-inch margins.
• Oxford commas will be used.
• Do not italicize non-English words.
• Special note for published authors: If your story is related to one of your current series, you may add verbiage to that effect, such as ‘<story> is set in the <Series Name> world’, or as a subtitle such as ‘A <Series Name> Short Story’. This can also be part of your blurb or an author’s note at the beginning of your story. Keep in mind, your tagline, blurb, and bio combined must be 500 words or less, and additional author’s notes will be included in the total word count for your story.
• For additional formatting help, review this tutorial.

Tentative Anthology Calendar (subject to change)

• January 12: Submissions open.
• March 16: Submissions close.
• April 12: Contracts will be sent to participating authors
• April 19: Signed contracts due.
• April 19: Announce participating authors.
• April 20: Swap submissions between authors for paired critique.
• May 13: Completed critiques due to anthology committee.
• May 17: Submissions returned to author for revision.
• June 1: Revised submissions returned to anthology committee.
• June 4: Entries sent to editor for first round edits.
• July 5: First round revisions due to anthology committee.
• August 5: Second round revisions due to anthology committee.
• September 3: Proof edits accepted; prep to to live.
• October 21: Anticipated release day.