Guidelines for Prospective Authors

At Chimera we take pride in publishing the very best in erotic books and erotic ebooks from the world's leading erotic authors, with the best in adult sex books in contemporary erotica, historical erotica, futuristic erotica and fantasy erotica.

If you wish to submit a manuscript for consideration, in the first instance we require three chapters and a full synopsis. The following guidelines for prospective authors contains full details on what to submit and what we look for.

Presentation

1. All manuscripts must be typed.
2. Send as an email attachment to submissions@chimeradirect.com. Number all pages consecutively; do not start each chapter on page one.
3. Indicate breaks between sections within chapters by leaving one extra line of space.
4. Begin each chapter or section within a chapter flush to the left margin. Indent the first line of all other paragraphs using the Tab key.
5. Use three points (...) to indicate unfinished sentences, and a dash (-) to indicate a sentence interrupted or terminated abruptly.
6. Indicate dialogue with single quotation marks ('). Double quotation marks (") should be used to denote figures of speech or quotations within dialogue.
7. Type titles (Mr, Mrs, Dr) and acronyms without stops.
8. Spell accurately. Use a dictionary or the spell-check on your word processor.
9. Spell with s and not z (realise, recognise). Use okay as opposed to OK; no one as opposed to no-one.
10. Use italics for emphasis, foreign words and phrases (except proper names, buildings and institutions), names of books, magazines, plays and musical works.
11. No apostrophes in phone, plane, bus, eighties, nineties, flu, 1920s, PCs etc.
12. Do not use capitals for sir, madam, miss, count, duke etc (except when a title - e.g. "Sir John Smith").
13. Use hyphens for composite adjectives (eg bitter-sweet, red-gold); do not use hyphens for "ly" endings (eg "fully dressed", not "fully-dressed") or adverbs, except for "well", "ill", "new" and "old" when used before a noun (eg old-fashioned, well-known).
14. When supplying the work merge the chapters into one document, and not separate files for each chapter.
15. Do not insert headers or footers, or page breaks between chapters or between scenes.
    

Required Theme

1. Your novel should contain a plot built around males/some females dominating the central submissive female character(s). The submissive female character(s) should be embroiled in a 'Damsel in Distress' theme, with S&M, bondage, and especially CP (all of a sexual and not violent or spiteful nature). For the CP we are looking for caning and spanking, but be careful, as a heroine stumbling from one beating to the next is physically unrealistic and can become monotonous. These themes should be used as integral ingredients of the plot and to enhance imaginative and exciting sex using varied methods, clothing, toys/implements, and settings.
2. Any era and location can be used for your story, but be careful to be accurate with detail.
3. Your story must take the reader into an erotic and highly stimulating fantasy - escapist yet believable.
4. Be careful with viewpoint characters; you can change viewpoint from chapter to chapter or scene to scene, but do not change in mid-scene.
5. Limit the use of obscene words when describing the anatomy. Obscene words are not necessarily erotic.
6. Do not send us a humorous novel. Humour does not work in the narrative of an erotic novel, although your characters can possess a sense of humour if and where appropriate.

What to Submit

We are increasingly looking for shorter stories to be released purely from our website in ebook format, so your finished work should be around 35,000 words in length.

The Limits

1. All sex must be consensual. Although the required theme is one of domination and submission, be careful not to step over the line into the realms of rape. This and misogynism are not acceptable whatsoever.
2. No bestiality.
3. No underage sex.
4. No incest.
5. No skat (toilet stuff).
6. No branding.
7. No sexual acts that cause bloodshed, physical damage, or emotional anguish.
   

Contact Us

All submissions should be emailed as an attachment to submissions@chimeradirect.com.

We look forward to receiving a sample of your work soon. Good luck!