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SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES AND FAQ
Welcome
to Mystic Mustangs Publishing. We are a
new publishing company looking forward to presenting quality works and
stories.
A
portion of Mystic Mustangs Publishing profits is donated to rescue sanctuaries
for mustangs and neglected horses. Disclosure: Linda has a registered non-profit sanctuary
for horses. You can follow the link
above. Our donations will not be limited
to her sanctuary. We hope to be able to
donate to small, individual legitimate rescue organizations and help these
wonderful caretakers continue their work.
(Note: Donated funding is taken
from the publisher’s portion of Royalties after net disbursal is made to our
authors. No donated funds will come from
our Authors’ share of the Royalty payments.)
Mystic
Mustangs Publishing is currently open for Fictional submissions in the
following genres:
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Alternative
History
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Apocalyptic
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Fantasy
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Futuristic /
Sci-Fi
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Paranormal
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Suspense
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Westerns
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Young Adult
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Romance
We do not
accept explicit erotica works, autobiographies or poetry at this time.
Mystic Mustangs Publishing will not accept manuscripts including
pedophilia, bestiality (with the exception of shape-shifters), necrophilia
(with the exception of vampires or zombies) or fan-fiction. Mystic
Mustangs Publishing will not consider works that justify or excuse harm or
abuse to persons or animals in your work.
This is not to say that your work can not refer to an incident you are
seeking to redeem.
Example: The Mustang Series deals with the real
situation of cruelty to mustangs and incidents of actual reported abuse are
referred to, but not glorified as acceptable methods to work with the
horses. The ultimate goal is to
alleviate this abuse.
We adore a
good love story. If your novel is a
Historical Romance, please research and check your facts. There are several good websites that list
specific time-period details for romance writers. In other words, if you’re novel takes place
in the 18th century, leave out the convertible sports coupe kicking
up dust as your hero sweeps the damsel out of her life-threatening situation
while checking her cell phone for text messages. Naturally, if your story is ‘Alternative
History’ this rule is flexible.
Your
manuscript should be complete before you submit your Query. If your book is accepted for publication,
Mystic Mustangs Publishing will edit your work, but we do expect the author to
present a professional manuscript as free from errors as possible. Please use your grammar/spell-check function
in your word processing or novel writing software.
Mystic
Mustangs Publishing is looking for outstanding new and existing writing
talent. You do not need an agent to
Query with us. We want stories that hook
us from the first page, evoking our emotions and keeping us riveted until the
last page. Mastery of plot flow,
tension, intrigue, motivation, along with believable characters and dialogue,
should complement the story.
Mystic
Mustangs Publishing does not offer advances.
We have a generous Royalty Rate of 50% net of e-book downloads (the
amount we receive from various re-sellers) and 10% net from print sales. Authors may purchase print copies of their
books from Mystic Mustangs Publishing at a discount rate.
Mystic
Mustangs Publishing will edit your manuscript and format your book into the
various styles required by the popular resale sites. We will design a professional book cover,
provide your book with the required e-book and print ISBN numbers, and list your book for
sale on our website and blog. Your print
copy will be available from several online book sites, but chances are they
will not be stocked in ‘brick and mortar’ stores. The author is free to order discounted
copies from Mystic Mustangs Publishing for re-sale and promotion.
The
author should have a marketing plan in place.
Begin your author brand with a website and online presence in social
networks and blogs. Mystic Mustangs
Publishing will be offering the exclusive services of a marketing social network setup business, not affiliated with our company. For a small one time fee, several package opportunities will be available to establish your novel online. Please check back soon for this offering. The author’s voice is always the most engaging for their fans.
FAQ
Will I make a fortune and be able to
quit my ‘day job’?
It
is quite possible to make a comfortable living off your writing, but there are
no guarantees. Your remarkable story and
unique writing voice help determine your sales, along with your marketing
efforts to build your name recognition.
So, how can I help assure my book will
sell?
This
depends on the popularity of your subject, writing style, and your efforts with
promotion. Through your website and
blog, ask readers to leave reviews on the sites they purchased your book
from. A good reader review is one of
your most valuable marketing tools and reaps the greatest ‘impulse buying’
rewards. Perseverance, quality writing,
and consistent marketing are the key.
Look for what is selling well and add your unique personal twist to the
story.
Note: We will drop you like a ‘hot potato’ if we
find you have plagiarized another author’s work. You can certainly write about a girl meeting
a vampire in her small town… but if she happens to be the new school outcast
with a shimmering vampire vying for her attention against a shape-shifter, with
a rather distant mother and father striving to rebuild his relationship with
her while he’s solving mysterious backwoods murders… um, no!
How often will I be paid?
Currently,
we have set up our accounting to pay quarterly, as this is when most of the
major resellers pay us. As we find
resellers paying out monthly, we will consider adjusting our Royalty payment
schedule.
Do you accept previously published
works?
Sorry,
not at this time. If only a small
portion of your work was entered in a contest or such, you may Query us on
this. If the entire work has been
available for readers, it is no longer a ‘new’ story.
Will my book be available in print?
All
books over 60,000 words will be considered for print. Shorter books will be considered based on e-book
popularity and sales.
Where will my book be sold?
Most
e-books will be sold on the Mystic Mustangs Publishing site, as well as Amazon US and International sites, Barnes & Noble online, Smashwords, IBooks, Kobo,
Omni-Lit, All Romance Ebooks, Fiction4All and other sites specifically promoting within the genre of your book
subject. We are constantly adding new
sales channels and invite authors’ inquiries to new sites they would like to
see their work promoted through. Print
books will be available on Amazon sites, Barnes & Noble online, ‘brick and
mortar’ catalogues, and other sites.
Can I submit my own book cover art?
We
would be happy to consider your idea if you own all rights to the graphic,
however, we reserve the right to discuss revisions or provide our own cover if
we think it fits the market better.
What rights does Mystic Mustangs
Publishing own?
We
ask for exclusive electronic and print rights for three years. The author will retain ownership of their
work, and the author is responsible for filing and fees for a copyright, should
they desire one. Generally, once a work
is published online or in print it is accepted as copyrighted. There are many online sources describing the
possible benefits or necessity for a registered copyright. Mystic Mustangs Publishing retains the rights to promote your book through advertising endeavors including sales of physical items that contain the cover image, title and author's name.
How long will it take to get a
response from Mystic Mustangs Publishing?
It
depends on our backlog of books to review.
We will respond within three days to let you know we have received and
reviewed your Query, and try to give you a better idea how long the review
process will take. If you do not receive
an initial response within four days, please contact us and make sure your
Query was not lost in cyber-world.
Please advise Mystic Mustangs Publishing if you have sent your Query out
for simultaneous review and let us know if you have accepted publication with
another publisher.
Do you accept paper submissions?
No. All Queries and manuscripts must be submitted
electronically.
Do you accept short stories?
Unless
we are asking for shorter works as we begin compiling anthologies, the minimum
we will consider is 10,000 words. It
must follow our guidelines as a complete, well rounded story and may be
combined with ‘like’ shorter works into a single book for sale. This will be discussed with the author on
individual basis.
What about taxes?
Mystic
Mustangs Publishing does not withhold taxes from Royalties. All taxes are the author’s
responsibility. There are several online
resources advising writers of expenses and such you should keep track of.
If my book is accepted for
publication, how long will it take before it is published?
This
depends on our backlog of books and the length of time it takes to go through
the editing process. You have put a lot
of time and effort into your story, and Mystic Mustangs Publishing strives to
produce a professionally produced book.
Generally, your book will be published within a month of final edit and
approval.
Do you charge for editing, formatting,
or cover art?
No. Mystic Mustangs Publishing is not a vanity
press. We do not charge our authors for
publishing with us, other than our share of the Royalties.
SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES
Short Stories – 10k to 15K
Novellas – 16k to 49k
Novel – 50k to 90k
Epic – 91k to 150k
Works longer than 150k may be
considered.
Mystic
Mustangs Publishing is only interested in Queries for completed
manuscripts. Make sure you have used the Grammar and Spellcheck features in your Word Processing program. Your manuscript will be reviewed by an editor, but we will not consider 'Draft' copies of a project.
Please submit your Query as
follows:
In your Query, please include:
Email
address
Name
Pen
Name (if applicable)
Physical
Mailing Address
Contact
Phone Number
Working
Title (include series name and volume number if applicable)
Word
Count
Genre(s)
A
short blurb describing your book. Don’t
be shy… knock our socks off! This should
be no more than three paragraphs and grab our attention. Your blurb should be similar to the copy you
find on the back cover of books and make us want to read your story.
As
a separate .doc or .rtf attachment:
A
one page synopsis of your book,
including the ending. (Hint: Give
the highlight of each chapter, indicating the major point of conflict,
interest, or resolution.)
As
a separate attachment:
Please
send us your completed manuscript:
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.rtf or .doc
only
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12pt black
font – Times New Roman preferred
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Paragraph
indent for first line, 0.5”. (Use word
processing functions to indent new paragraphs.
Do not tab or use the space bar.)
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Insert
page-breaks between chapters
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Do not use
‘Style Elements’ or ‘Section Breaks’
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No headers,
footers, or page numbers
Note: These are basic rules for submission, but
sometimes authors are a bit unsure about the terms. We want to see your manuscript, so although
we prefer the above format, do not let the rules keep you from submitting to us.
Formatting
the first page of your manuscript:
Email address in the top left corner
In the middle of the page:
CENTER YOUR
TITLE IN CAPS AND BOLD
BY YOUR PEN
NAME (if applicable, CAPS AND BOLD)
Real
Name (if different, regular print)
Note: We respect our authors’ anonymity, and at
your request your real name will not appear in the published book as author or
copyright holder.
Formatting
chapter headings:
Center/Bold
with Roman numeral
Chapter I –
Chapter Name (if applicable)
Note: You do not need to have chapter names.
Thank
you for considering Mystic Mustangs Publishing for your manuscript. We look forward to working with you.
Linda
and Candace
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