A Moment with Whispers Publishing

When I began my search for a publisher last year I will admit I was looking for one who published African-American romances. I visited one of my favorite sites, which contained several RWA approved publishers and after looking at each one I found Whispers. The first thing I saw when I went to the Whispers site was the cover for Reignited. Suffice it to say I was ecstatic and I knew I'd potentially found a home for a story. So with much trepidation and vacillating, I assembled my submission packet, closed my eyes, and hit the send button. I'm very pleased to say my publisher is Whispers and am equally pleased to have them with me today.

Please tell the readers a little about Whispers Publishing.

Whispers Publishing opened on February 28, 2006 with the intent to specialize in erotica only. Over the course of the years, we branched out into other genres and now offer a variety of fiction stories that include romance, fantasy, horror, and mystery.

Why publish e-books instead of print? 

When we first started Whispers, the market for e-books wasn't as big as it is now, but we knew there was room for another publisher who would focus on the e-market. We do have one print anthology out now and have three more in the works, we will always keep our focus on e-books.

What do you look for in manuscript submissions? What gets you excited? What turns you off? What would you like to see more of?

We look for manuscripts that are polished, that show the author has followed our guidelines, and that displays strong writing ability. 

Right now, interracial romances, menage stories, and African-American romances do very well with us, and we're looking for more of those, but we're also interested in unique stories that tells us the writer has been thinking outside the box. 

What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring/established writer?

Know your genre. If you're writing science fiction, know how to right science fiction. Don't expect readers to give you a pass on mistakes you make. It's your job to know what you're writing, and if you include something in your book that doesn't belong within the context of that genre, readers will pick up on it. 

Do you think e-publishing will take over the print market? 

While e-publishing is growing stronger and stronger, I don't think the print market will ever disappear altogether. Too many readers still like to hold that print book in their hands, and there are many, many people who have no interest in technology so e-readers don't appeal to them. 

What’s the one important thing a reader/author should know about publishing?

It's not an exact science. Mistakes will be made, and it's part of the business. No publisher is perfect, and there may be issues with downloading an e-book or a release date may have to be shuffled around. It doesn't mean a publisher isn't trying its very best to make sure everything is 100%, but perfection isn't something that is easily achieved. 

What can readers look forward to from Whispers in the coming months?

We have our first ever Twitter chat coming up on Saturday, November 26th plus we have a Coffee and Cream event coming up in December at our authors' blog which is connected to our website. 

In addition, we'll be the spotlight publisher at Erotic Diaries during the entire month of February to celebrate our sixth anniversary on February 28th. 

We're also being interviewed all across the web in the coming months so we'll be easier to find!