2013: Lesbian Fiction Appreciation Event: Interview with Staci Taylor, Co-Owner of Lazy Day Publishing

KT: Lazy Day Publishing is one of the few epublishers I know of actively seeking Lesbian fiction submissions. I asked Staci, the co-owner of Lazy Day Publishing a few questions about Lazy Day and what she's looking for in Lesbian fiction submissions. Welcome Staci!

KT: Tell us about Lazy Day Publishing. How is LazyDay different from the other epublishers out there?

Staci: We are a small digital publisher that opened in December 2010. We are extremely proud to say that we passed the 2 year mark that usually claims so many start up publishers. We're different from some of the epublishers because we accept and publish all genres. We aren't afraid to take a chance on what other companies may turn down. We love being able to think outside the box. That isn't to say we don't publish the typical romance and erotica, but we're really open to anything.

KT: Who are some of your most successful authors and what genres seem to sell well for you?

Staci: Alta Hensley (DD/spanking), Liz Borino (M/M romance), Rae Spencer (Contemporary Romance)...the list really goes on. We had some huge break out hits with J.M Kelley (Fiction) and Becky Dennington (Biography) as well.

We really have had hits in several genres, and all our authors do well. Many of our authors and books have topped the Amazon lists. We're really proud of each one.

KT: You’re actively seeking lesbian fiction. What type of lesbian literature are you looking for?

Staci: We are. We really would like to beef up that category. Romance would be our preference, but like I mentioned...we are open to anything.

KT: When did Lazy Day Publishing decide to publish lesbian literature? Has Lazy Day always been open to publishing lesbian literature? If not, why have you started now?

Staci: We've always been open to it. We want a good story, regardless of the sexual preference of the characters. But we really want to grow this category, because we feel there is a need for it.

KT: Who are some of your authors who write lesbian centric books?

Staci: Elizabeth Thorne is one of our authors that writes in it. Anastasia Vitsky and Mila Kerr are joining us for 2013.

KT: What percentage of books submitted do you usually accept?

Staci: That's a tough one. It depends really. I would say a rough estimate to be 15%.

KT: It seems when it comes to lesbian literature (mainly romance), epublishers are more critical with accepting these books and more open to rejecting them because there’s this belief lesbian literature won’t sell well, although other GLBT literature does like M/M (Gay). I’ve heard time and again epublishers aren’t getting quality lesbian submissions.  I really wonder what it’s meant by “quality”. What are your thoughts on this?

Staci: Everything you said is true. Lesbian fiction doesn't sell as well as M/M but that doesn't mean the readers aren't out there. I truly believe that we can change that way of thinking. I have no doubt our new titles coming this year will do quite well.

I think there are quality submissions out there, but authors are conforming more to writing in genres they feel will get accepted by a publisher. So there are less lesbian fiction submissions. We don't get nearly the same number of submissions in that genre as we do the others. Which is why we would like to see more. We are happy to say, that we will have several lesbian titles this year.

KT: You have an interesting genre called Spanking/DD. What exactly is that?

Staci: It's a small niche genre that doesn't exactly fit under the BDSM category. DD stands for Domestic Discipline which is a lifestyle rather than a sexual practice. I could write an entire essay on this, but basically it's a genre we feel is growing and appealing to many. We have several more books in this category, coming this year as well. Lesbian spanking too!

KT: What changes in epublishing have you noticed in the past few years?

Staci: It's being respected. Several years ago, I think authors wanted their work in print and wouldn't consider the digital route. I think authors see the potential of epublishing now, and more and more are choosing to go with epublishers. The ereader is not just a possible fad, and ebooks are getting attention and becoming bestsellers.

KT: What does the future hold for Lazy Day Publishing?

Staci: Hopefully, continued success and growth. 2013 is a big year for us when it comes to releases. We have more books and more genres. We have some really exciting authors joining our team that I feel are going to take us to the next level.

Interested in submitting to Lazy Day Publishing? Click here to find out how.