Welcome to the heart and soul of The Passionate Pen!  The list of romance publishers and their submissions guidelines was the original purpose for this website.  And while The Passionate Pen has grown into a much larger resource, this page is still updated and checked on a regular basis for accuracy.  I hope having this listing in one place helps you on your own pursuit of publication.

The Passionate Pen Romance Publisher Policy:

• The Passionate Pen does not list vanity publishers or self-publishing firms.
• If a publisher asks for author monetary contribution at ANY part of the publishing process, they will not be included. Money should only flow FROM the publisher TO the author.
• PP reserves the right to remove publishers for any reason.
• Publishers may be removed if they haven't released a romance for over 6 months.
• PP does not vouch for the validity, future or the quality of your experience with of any house listed.
• PP no longer lists whether or not a publisher is accepting submissions. Please check the stated submission guidelines of your chosen publisher to verify if they are open.
• The Passionate Pen Romance Publisher list includes publishers at the discretion of The Passionate Pen
• If you have had personal, first hand knowledge that a publisher on this list does not meet the criteria, feel free to email me so I can remove them.

The following publishers are the major players in mainstream romance.  They all produce mass market paperback, trade paperback (not print on demand) and hardcover.    

Avon Books-- A subsidiary of Harper Collins, this is still the name in romance (especially historical romance). The recently updated site has a fresher, brighter look and some really cool features like Author Tracker and Invite the Author. They have also cleverly hidden their submission guidelines, but they are still there!! My publisher as Jenna Petersen and Jess Michaels.

Dorchester Publishing-- Dorchester is a leader in romance, and they buy a huge number of new (previously unpublished romance authors each year). They publish Leisure Books (historical) and Lovespell (Paranormal and now Chick-Lit).  There is a link to submission guidelines which are now separated by category, not lumped together (Western, Sci-fi, romance all together). 

Hachette Book Group USA -- In 2006, a French Publishing Company name Hachette Livre acquired Time Warner Book Group from the Time Warner Company (which had been trying to sell Warner Books for some time). They have renamed the company Hachette Book Group USA. They publish the Grand Central Publishing romances, including the Forever line. They have a romance page, as well as general and Forever submission guidelines.

Harlequin-- Probably one of the most recognizable names in romance.  They publish Mills & Boon, Harlequin, Silhouette, MIRA, and Steeple Hill.  This page is interesting for readers and writers.  It has a lot of information, you can order books, enter contests, get an email newsletter, and it has submission guidelines.  They accept a wide range of lengths, voices and sensuality levels.  In addition, if you are looking to be published by the lines from England (Mills and Boon mostly) they have a website that is separate for those.

Kensington Publishing Corp-- One of my least favorite websites for a publisher.  It seems to be geared more toward making direct sales than for finding out information about the company.  They produce several lines, including Zebra, Brava, and Pinnacle. Update: It's like hide and seek. The submission guidelines are there, the submission guidelines are gone and now... they're back again!

Penguin Group, Inc -- Formerly known as Penguin Putnam, this longtime publisher has recently changed its name. They publish the NAL and Berkley/Jove lines of romance. They've also added a romance page, but it doesn't contain any specific romance guidelines. They still have a general submissions page.

Random House, Inc-- They publish most of their romances under the Ballantine/Ivy, Bantam/Dell, Delacorte,  and Doubleday names.  They also have a page for general submission guidelines.

Simon and Schuster -- They publish both contemporary under the Pocket imprint and historical under the Sonnet imprint.  They have a page especially for romance. They do have submission guidelines in general, but say they aren't interested in submissions, however Pocket does actually take query letters.

St. Martin's Press -- Another big publisher, with some weird quirks as far as the web goes.  They have a site, but very little info and their submissions guidelines are fairly basic. Their romance line, Tor, still has its own website, but the imprint doesn't offer any specific guidelines anymore.

These non-traditional presses often produce work in both Print-on-Demand trade format (POD) and electronic press format. 

Amber Quill Press -- An publisher who puts out romance, including erotic romance in electronic and trade paperback format.  They do have submission guidelines.  

Amira Press -- A small press putting out work in both trade paperback and ebook formats. They also have a whole bunch of submission guidelines, which vary from line to line. So be sure to read them all to see where your story fits.

Atlantic Bridge Publishing -- Offers many genres in electronic and trade paperback formats.  Pays royalties but no advance.  It does have submission guidelines. Looking for romance, especially "highly sensual" romance for their Liquid Silver imprint, which has its own website and submission guidelines.   

Avalon Books -- They produce wholesome romances, and only in hardcover.  Lots of libraries buy these books, but they don't do bookstore distribution.  Here are their guidelines. 

Black Lyon Publishing, LLC -- An electronic/trade publisher that wants some genres not necessarily pursued by mainstream publishing (including Ancient Times settings). Check out their guidelines for more info.

Bold Strokes Books -- Publishes gay and lesbian fiction and non-fiction, including romance and erotica lines. They have submission guidelines.

By Grace Publishing -- Christian publisher (also do 'clean' chick-lit and secular romance). They have submission guidelines.

Carnal Desires Publishing -- Epublishing/POD format erotic romance publisher. They have submission guidelines and you'll want to read them carefully as they seem to be quite detailed.

Cerridwen Press -- Mainstream imprint of Ellora's Cave. Not for romantic erotica like EC, but straight romance, straight mystery, straight fantasy, etc. Check out the submission guidelines for more info.

Champagne Books -- This publisher publishes novellas around 25K, Contemporary, Suspense, Fantasy and Historical, with word count caps of 80K. Submission guidelines here.

Changeling Press -- This electronic and trade publisher mostly wants paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, or fetish romance. They accept both straight and gay storylines. Guidelines are here.

Cobblestone Press, LLC -- Sensual and erotic romance publisher. They take everything from 10,000-word novellas to 100,000-word novels. Some go to print, though I didn't find the guidelines for how those are chosen onthe website (they may be there, but I didn't see them). Submission guidelines are here.

DiskUs Publishing -- Publisher of all kinds of strories from adventure to children's to romance.  They do have a set of submission guidelines.

Draumr Publishing -- POD Trade Paperback publisher looking for romances with BBW (Big Beautiful Women), as well as other genre fiction. They have a FAQ and Submission Guidelines.

Echelon Press -- An electronic small press that says it will publish their most successful titles in POD and even mass market.  They take "all genres" of romance, as well as several other kinds of books.  They are very specific about manuscript and submission format on their submissions page, so read carefully. Echelon Press also has an erotic romance line, Erotique Press. It has its own guidelines.

Ellora's Cave Romance E-books -- For those writing romantic erotica.  Mostly time-travel, paranormal elements, and contemporary here.  They do have pretty specific guidelines on what crosses that delicate line from romantica to pornography, so check out their submissions page before you submit. They also have a Writing FAQ page for more info. 

Highland Press -- This publisher (which will put out books in e-book and trade paperback formats) is interested in historical fiction, including historical romance. They want an emphasis on the history. Submission guidelines and an FAQ should cover most questions.

Imajinn Books -- If you've written a romance that doesn't quite fit into traditional categories, this might be the place for you.  They specialize in paranormal romance.  They have submission guidelines (as well as a link to line parameters on the same page). Update: Imajinn did file for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy a few years ago, but are still in business.

Lachesis Publishing -- Canadian publisher putting their work out in trade paperback format, as well as epublished. Check out their submission guidelines for a listing of what they do NOT publish, as well as formatting guidelines and such.

LBF Books -- A mixed format press that takes romance (limited to erotic romance currently). They have an FAQ and submissions guidelines.

Light Sword Publishing -- This publisher describes itself as a traditional, royalty paying house. I assume they mean they are producing paperback rather than e-books, but it's honestly kind of hard to tell. They do have submission guidelines.

Linden Bay Romance -- A publisher that puts their books out in e-format and some in print. Submission guidelines are available.

Loose Id -- Erotic romance e-publisher. They are run by some experienced erotic romance authors and are looking for books. Submission guidelines are available.

Medallion Press -- Publishes romance in both trade and mass market  They have both submission guidelines and a FAQ on their submission policy. They seem to take most varieties of romance. 

Midnight Showcase -- Interesting publisher that produces anthologies of short stories to novellas (they take 1000 - 25,000 word count). They seem to be mostly electronic, but say to ask about paper. Here are submission guidelines.

Mundania Press -- This publisher does all kinds of fiction, including romance and what they call 'cross-genre fiction'. They have a sample contract up on their site, as well as submission guidelines. They also have a separate publisher for erotica/romantic erotica called Phaze. Submission guidelines for Phaze can be found here.

Parker Publishing, LLC -- A publisher specializing in African-American literature. They have several romance lines. Check out their submission guidelines.

Samhain Publishing, LTD -- Epublisher/Trade Paperback publisher. They take all genres of romance, as well as other fiction such as horror, fantasy, etc. Submission guidelines are available.

Sourcebooks, Inc -- This publisher is taking romance in several subgenres. They don't have a ton of info about their fiction imprints on their submission guidelines page, but there is one with some info about the company.

Swimming Kangaroo Books -- An epublisher that says they'll also take books into paper that was started in 2006. They taking submissions and have a sample contract up, as well. Don't know much else about them.

Tiger Publications -- A newer publisher that pays an advance and has distribution through Baker and Taylor. Check out their submissions page for more info.

Torquere Press -- A gay and lesbian erotic romance publisher. Check out their guidelines for more details.

 Vintage Romance Publishing, LLC -- Publisher that covers historical romances set before 1969. They have a detailed submission policy (as well as a lot of info about their publishing house).

The Wild Rose Press -- A romance publisher that takes a lot of different subgenres (for a full list, check out their submission guidelines page and be sure to click the link to whatever type of book you write, more details guidelines are found, as well as who to submit to). They also have a section called The Greenhouse, where they include articles and workshops to 'grow' aspiring authors. A few authors have let me know they've learned something from these workshops.

Zumaya Publications -- Romance publisher with a submissions page. In addition, they also own eXtasy Books, which does erotic romance of all kinds. They also have a separate submissions page.

These non-traditional presses put their work in electronic format exclusively.  More and more e-presses are expanding their market into POD, so this section may shrink and eventually disappear.

Aphrodite Unlaced -- Romantic erotica in electronic format. Submission guidelines are available. Update: Check out Piers Anthony for some complaints.

Aspen Mountain Press --This press likes cross-genre romance and erotica and seem to prefer alternate lifestyle subjects. Check out their submission guidelines. They do ask for print rights for the stories they purchase, but it looks like they'll be starting out with only e-book publication.

Belgrave House -- Reissues previously published romances and other print books where the rights have reverted back to the author. Does not take unpublished manuscripts, but if you published a print book in the past and want to see it reissued, this is a place to look. Submission guidelines.

Eternal Press -- An ebook publisher that takes a variety of romance and erotica sub-genres. Check out their submissions guidelines for more info.

Forbidden Publications -- An epublisher that takes erotic and non-erotic romance in a wide variety of subgenres (including gay and lesbian). It looks like they even do some non-fiction. They have submission guidelines for authors.

Freya's Bower -- Epublisher of erotica, erotic romance and romance. There are submission guidelines.

Red Rose Publishing -- Ebook publisher focusing on all kinds of romance. Check out their submission guidelines for specifics.

total E-bound -- The capitalization is all them. This is a UK epublisher. They are taking submissions for a wide variety of subgenres.

Uncial Press -- An epublisher taking various romance genres, including traditional Regency. Check out their submission guidelines and sample contract for more details.

Specialty presses that buy original and reprint rights for stories to be printed in large print formats.  Many of these presses sell mainly to the library market.

Severn House -- House that produces library copies and large-print editions, as well as regular books from new and previously released romance novels and other books. They have a submission page, though they really only want agented and established author submissions, I would wager.

Thorndike Press -- Produces novels in large-print and hardback editions, often for libraries. There aren't submission guidelines, but they do have a page where you can email editorial with questions. 

Specialty presses that only take inspirational romance.  Inspirational romance isn't just about the sensuality level.  Most romances in this category include a journey of Faith, not just love.

Baker Books -- This Christian press publishes romance novels under their Bethany House Imprint. It appears they've gotten rid of their submission page, but they do have a contact button (it gave a coding error when I clicked it, but that's where I'd try for more info).

Barbour Publishing-- A publisher with a Christian flare.  They produce four romances a month, two contemporary, two historical, and are currently seeking more inspirational books with multi-cultural themes.  They have submission guidelines.

Howard Books -- A Christian publisher that has at least one romance-type book in their collection. They have been around for over thirty years. Howard Books has removed their submission guidelines.

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc -- A Christian Press that produces the HeartQuest romance line, which they have a separate page for.  They have a submissions page.

Waterbrook Press -- This division of Random House publishes Christian fiction and nonfiction, including romance.  They have information on submissions on their About page, but say they are only interested in agented submissions.  Not much info, but maybe you'll find what you're looking for here. 

Zondervan -- Christian publisher who does some romance. Update: There is a new submission guidelines page here. It's now a drop down form where you can send in questions, including about submitting. So I'd say either just submit a query via the form or ask them what they prefer submissions-wise.