Publisher Showcase ~ Devine Destinies

Hello, Brigaders.

I have the great pleasure this morning of introducing Tina Haveman from Devine Destinies. Welcome, Tina!

Would you like to share a little history about Devine Destinies?

Devine Destinies is an imprint of eXtasy Books. I opened it about a year and a half ago, aiming for readers who want books without graphic sex. There are a lot of writers out there who would love to write under their real name and not hide behind a pseudonym to mask the sexy books they write. Devine gives them the opportunity to do that as we don’t publish erotica.

Who are your key personnel?

Tina Haveman (owner/founder), her fabulous EIC, Jay Austin, her financial manager, Heather, her PR team, Angie and Dorine. Martine and Angie mainly do the artwork. We also have a great stable of editors.

How would you describe Devine Destinies to potential authors?

DD is a friendly house and wide open as yet.

What genres are your primary focus?

We are open to pretty much anything, although DD was started by me with the aim to focus on New Age material. However, we do publish near every genre.

What are the most common reasons a novel (especially a Science Fiction Romance novel) is rejected?

Bad writing, POV issues (head hopping), too many grammatical errors and spelling mistakes to address, a boring story. Underdeveloped worlds. Unbelievable characters and aliens. A story needs to hook me immediately.

What are the biggest mistakes new authors make?

Oozing with self-confidence and playing diva. Bragging about their schooling and/or journalism activities. Claiming they’ll be the next Rowlings and will be our next best seller and then blaming the publisher/editor if their book tanks. Whining at your publisher/editor about lack of sales, not getting rich overnight. An author needs to write for the love of writing. We all have dreams of making it big, but authors need to be realistic. Another mistake is to write a story or two, have it published, find it doesn’t sell, then to give up. I can testify to a number of writers whose earlier books sold diddly squat. Then suddenly they gain a following and start selling better and better. Authors also shouldn’t stick to one genre, especially if that genre doesn’t sell right now. Dabble, experiment, be daring. If you’re a true, born writer, you’ll never give up. And if accepted, the biggest mistake? Thinking the book will sell itself. With every Tom, Dick and Harry and their dog now writing and publishing or self-publishing, it’s a tough world out there. Lack of promotion or giving up on promotion makes for no sales.

What do you look for in a Science Fiction Romance submission?

A well written story that will grip the reader.

What grabs your attention, makes you sit up and want to read more?

A hook. (The first lines of chapter 1 or the prologue).

How far do you read into a submission before you know if the novel is right for you?

The first pages usually already tell me a lot, although I will read on a bit. We’re kind at eXtasy Books and Devine and we'll tell an author where he or she has gone wrong. Sometimes an author is thankful, other times highly insulted. They'll pull a diva on us, send us a rude response etc.

Do you have recommendations or requirements regarding ”heat levels” of submissions?

It depends if they’re submitting to Devine or eXtasy. eXtasy allows high heat levels. At Devine we aim for the mainstream readers who prefer tamer books. Therefore, sensuality is fine, but without all the graphic words and details. No purple prose however. That really turns us off.

Tell me about a few of your favorite/best-selling Science Fiction Romance novels. What really stood out in these stories that made them unique?

Viola Grace is our main science fiction writer at Devine Destinies for now. She’s a bestselling author no matter what she writes, but her science fiction stories top everything.

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?

We’re open to anything except non-fiction and biographies. I do urge authors to study the market to see what readers are buying.

Thank you so much for sharing your time with us!
http://www.devinedestinies.com/shopdevine/

Publisher's Week Update

We're continuing with the planning phase of Publishers Week. The dates have been set as May 17 - 21 and we'd like to assign post days and times according to how many publishers respond.

We have tentative plans for spotlights for these publishing houses by these members:

Carina Press -- Heather Massey
Ellora's Cave -- Barbara Elsborg
Liquid Silver Books -- D. L. Jackson
Mundania -- Arlene Webb via Marie Dees
Red Rose Publishing -- Sandra Stixrude
Samhain -- Sheryl Nantus (Am I right about that, Sheryl?)
Shadowfire Press -- Arlene Webb is waiting on confirmation

If you're planning to include your publisher and it's not in the list above, please comment below or send me an email and I'd expand the list to include you. If you have a specific date you'd like to reserve, please let me know.

Not sure what to ask? We've added a PAGE with possible questions. Feel free to reduce or expand the list as you'd like.

Announcing Publishers Week

We've already started some of the planning phase of Publishers Week, but need to nail down some of the details.  The dates have been set as May 17 - 21 and we'd like to assign post days and times according to how many publishers respond. 

For Publishers Week, we'd like SFR Brigade Members to ask publishers to tell us a little about their history, key personnel, what "flavor" of SFR manuscripts they are looking for, how to hook them, what to avoid, tips for submission, etc.  A link to a list of possible questions is included below.

As it stands right now, we have tentative plans for spotlights for these publishing houses by these members:

Carina Press -- Heather Massey
Ellora's Cave -- Barbara Elsborg
Liquid Silver Books -- D. L. Jackson
Mundania -- Arlene Webb via Marie Dees
Red Rose Publishing -- Sandra Stixrude
Samhain -- Sheryl Nantus (Am I right about that, Sheryl?)
Shadowfire Press -- Arlene Webb is waiting on confirmation

I know several of you mentioned in other posts you'd like to contact your publishers so if I didn't include you, I apologize for the oversight.  Please comment below or shoot me an email and I'd expand the list above to include you.

Not sure what to ask?  We've added a PAGE with possible questions.  Feel free to adlib, reduce or expand the list as you'd like. 

If you don't have time to contact your/a publisher this time around, never fear.  We'll do another Publishers Week in the fall (after the summer conference craziness).