2023 Passionate Ink Anthology

Submissions for the 2023 Passionate Ink Anthology are now closed. Our thanks go out to all the participating authors. The announcement for the 2024 announcement is coming soon, so get those stories ready for next year!

We’re excited to offer the opportunity for published and unpublished authors to work together to benefit ProLiteracy.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

Theme

Summer holidays and celebrations: 4th of July, Memorial Day, Summer Solstice, etc. including non-US celebrations. Your story need not relate to a holiday as long as you feature a summer theme. For example, beach, pool, heat wave, summer brown-out/rolling blackout etc.

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) entries to proceed. All submitting authors must be current members of Passionate Ink.
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 The submission must not have been previously published and must not be published elsewhere for 120 days from the date of publication of the anthology.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 Plume winner’s Virgin entry, 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.
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 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.
7. All works must be submitted to a professional editor for final proof. 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.
8. Author must promote the work during the release and at least monthly thereafter during the period of publication, and will be given the opportunity to participate in formal release parties and takeovers in selected Facebook groups.
9. All proceeds will be given 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. The decision to include 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 will not be included. No exceptions. The decision of the Passionate Ink Anthology Committee is final.

Formatting and Style

NOTE:  These instructions need only be used for the manuscript submitted for paired editing 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. We have chosen a formatting convention that is common for this purpose. If you have any questions, please contact the Anthology Committee at vp@passionateink.org.

• Manuscripts should be named as follows: <author last name_title>. Manuscripts can be any editable file type (docx, rtf, etc). PDF files and formatted ebook files will not be accepted.
• Please submit one file 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. Any indentation should be within a paragraph style.
• 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.

Anthology Calendar

• Feb 7: Submissions open
• April 24: Submissions close
• May 9: Announce participating authors.
• May 10: Swap submissions between authors for the first edit
• May 18: Authors return submissions for revision. (tentative date)
• May 30: Edited entries returned to coordinator.
• June 4: Entries sent to editor for edit. (tentative date)
• June 26: Entries sent to editor for proofread.
• July 12: Proof edits accepted; prep to to live.
• August 1: Anticipated release day.