Publisher Spotlight:Lyrical Press, Inc.

This interview is with the owner and founder of Lyrical Press, Renee Rocco.

The History of Lyrical Press:
After I'd been working in various positions in the industry for years, I felt I had something positive to contribute to publishing. Applying what I'd learned and Frank's business savvy, we decided to open Lyrical Press in December 2007. We launched on May 5, 2008. Lyrical has always been digital-first, with a growing foothold in print as well.

Who are your key personnel?
First and foremost are Camila Londono, our executive editor, and Pamela Tyner, Lyrical's managing editor. Next would be the other amazing editors and cover art staff, not to mention Brian Hunter, who designed the fabulous software that formats our digital books.

What are the most common reasons a novel (especially a Science Fiction Romance novel) is rejected?
I'd have to say, writing that isn't ready for publication is the number one reason we reject a novel. Next would be a sloppy or cocky submission. If an author can't be bothered to present a professional submission, we feel they won't be bothered to be professional when it comes to working with them.



What are the biggest mistakes new authors make?
Failing to view themselves as a business, failing to believe publishing is a business, ignorance of the industry prior to submitting, and lastly, blindly signing a publishing contract without understanding the legality of it.

What do you look for in a Science Fiction Romance submission?
Broadly, anything that's well-written. More specifically, something that ventures out of the boundaries of what's been done before. In this day and age, there's not many storylines that haven't been done to death. It's all about taking something and shaping it into your own, putting a fresh spin on it.

What grabs your attention, makes you sit up and want to read more?
Solid writing and when an author truly knows his/her characters and world. If your characters and world leap right off the page, I'd say you've done your job and publishers/editor will notice!




How far do you read into a submission before you know if the novel is right for you?
Hmm, that depends. We can often tell within a chapter or two if a manuscripts is quality. I can say, however, our editing staff gives almost all submissions a fair shake by reading right on to the end in order to see if the author's writing either improves as the novel goes on, or if an author can maintain quality for the length of the work.

What are you looking for right now? What kinds of submissions would you like to see pop up in your e-queries? Anything you’re dying to see more of? Steampunk? Futuristic? Space Opera? Any dream novels?
Dream novels would be interesting, as would more Steampunk. Those are two hot genres and we'd love to see many more of them hitting our inbox!

Thank you, Renee!