Professional Writing Workshops at HollyLisle.com
11/09/01 -- How to Break into the Romance Novel Market Part One
<@SLViehl> Two announcements before we get started -- HarperCollins and
Berkley are both starting new lines, and are looking for romance
manuscripts. Check out the info if you're interested, I've posted it on the
Markets board.
<robert> purrbumppurrpurrbump
<@SLViehl> I'm a little tempted by the YA historical, despite the rather
silly guidelines about kissing. It would be fun to write a YA historical.
<@SLViehl> Hi Venus
<Anne_Marble> I'd like to do YA fantasy. One of the thingies on my list...
<Venus> Hi Sheila--is it okay if I join in this week?
<@SLViehl> Sure, come and join in any time. We're always open and informal
<Anne_Marble> I submitted my first column to Moira Allen! And sorta
accidentally sold her another article, too.
<@SLViehl> If you all want to grab a beverage/snack/whatever, go ahead. I'm
putting on the kettle now, BRB
<Venus> Usually I'm not around on Fridays, but I 'm v interested
<robert> Congratulations, Anne!!
<@SLViehl> Accidentally sold one? <g> Way to go, Anne
<Kaelle> congrats, Anne!
<Gayle> sorta accidently anne?
<@SLViehl> Post it on the discussion board so we can check it out, too, Anne
<Anne_Marble> I sent her the wrong article by mistake, and when she replied,
she told me she'd been meaning to ask me if it was for sale!
<@SLViehl> brb
<Kaelle> hey, that works, Anne.
<robert> Mistakes you
want to make. <G>
<Gayle> sounds good to me.
<@SLViehl> I'm not going to wreck Blair's masterpiece, so we'll call this
the How to Break into the Romance Novel Market and Keep from Drowning
Session.
<Blair> ROFL
<Kaelle> lol. How about some seashells, Blair.
<Anne_Marble> Oh, I thought we were fishing for readers...
<Blair> <g> hey, go ahead... i don't mind sharing...
<Anne_Marble> As long as we're not "Flirty Fishers."
<Kaelle> lol
<@SLViehl> How to hook your man?
<@SLViehl> man/woman, in the interests of not being sexist.
<Blair> <God> if the jokes keep up, i think we're sunk
<Kaelle> rofl
<@SLViehl> No puns.
<@SLViehl> Puns breed
<Anne_Marble> IIRC, flirty fishers werewomen who acted sexy to lure men into
learning about a new religion.
<Kaelle> <gulp> I like puns...
<robert> Werewomen? What did they turn into women from?
<@SLViehl> But then we'll end up making puns all night, Kae, instead of
working!
<Anne_Marble> Were women, not werewomen.
Anyyway, they called themselves
"Hookers for Jesus" at one point.
<Blair> i think puns are the evil that destroys so many young minds.
<@SLViehl> I remember a news article on them.
<Kaelle> oh?
<Anne_Marble> Or, as religioustolerance.org says, "They are a favorite
target of the counter-cult movement who attack its unorthodox theological
beliefs. They are also attacked by the anti-cult movement who accuse it of
mind control and criminal sexual practices. The latter accusations appear to
be unfounded."
<Anne_Marble> I don't trust religioustolerance.org.
<@SLViehl> Welcome to How to Break into the Romance Novel Market, session
#3. I'm your host, S.L. Viehl (Sheila), aka Gena Hale
<@SLViehl> and you've heard the rest of the speech yada yada yada
<@SLViehl> The last time we met, we talked about the opportunities and
distractions a writer finds when getting out there to conferences,
networking in the local area, and by participating in contests.
<@SLViehl> The transcript for both previous sessions (thanks to Blair) are
available on the Transcripts Board.
<@SLViehl> Tonight we're going to wrap things up, so if you have any
questions about anything, now's the time to throw them out there.
<@SLViehl> Also, you can always e-mail me at SLViehlworkshop@aol.com, and
I'll be happy to answer any questions I can.
<@SLViehl> At the end of the last session, we talked about the book of your
heart versus the book that gets published, so I'm going to pick up with
Consideration Killers. When I put up QUESTIONS, that's the time to hit me
with them. Ready to go?
<Blair> ready
<Gayle> ready
<robert> Sure!
<Anne_Marble> Yup
<Kaelle> ok
<Venus> yes
<Jehane> yes
<@SLViehl> Great. One of the most important tasks you've got is to weed out
anything that will kill your book with the editor -- in other words, offend
or turn off the editor so that it gets instantly rejected.
<@SLViehl> Our heroines over the last decade have become more and more like
real women, and less like cringing virginal fantasy figures.
<@SLViehl> However, there are some heroines who are going to kill your book.
<@SLViehl> Feminists who put their cause above the romance, and take every
opportunity to castrate or otherwise browbeat the hero, are not wanted.
<@SLViehl> Heroines who are unpleasant, greedy, felonious, former lesbians,
anti-marriage (to an extreme), or who actively hate children are not wanted
by the publishing industry.
<@SLViehl> Heroines do not have to be beautiful gorgeous flawless creatures
anymore, but a Cruella DeVil type is out.
<@SLViehl> Likewise, heroes have been changing. They're not the mega alpha
male tycoons who control a third of the world and have supermodels hanging
off both arms anymore.
<@SLViehl> Still, consider they are "heroes". Obviously, an editor doesn't
want one who was a serial killer, or rapist, or wife beater.
<@SLViehl> He doesn't have to be physically perfect, either. But with the
hero -- and this goes for the heroine, too -- you want to avoid any huge
physical handicaps that have never been done before unless you specifically
query an editor on them.
<@SLViehl> We've already talked about sex in a previous session, but
remember -- sex is also an issue with editors.
<@SLViehl> Obviously, violent sex that results in bloody injuries, really
kinky stuff like water sports or rubber pants, are not desirable.
<@SLViehl> With all of the above, you can still walk the edge -- try new
ideas, and push the envelope with your own ideas about romance -- just walk
the edge carefully. Make sure you're not presenting something that is
basically anti-romance.
<@SLViehl> QUESTIONS
<robert> Some of those undesirables might still work as side characters
though, right, or villains?
<Anne_Marble> Many readers complaint that romances about disabled heroes or
heroines often end with some sort of miracle cure, which is unrealstic. Do
you think publishers prefer that sort of ending?
<@SLViehl> Sure. You want to keep secondary characters lively, and they're
not the focus, so you can have a gay brother/neighbor/friend. Villains you
can really have fun with. But the hero and heroine must remain both
romantic and, basically, heroic.
<@SLViehl> Anne, this is a subject I'm wrestling with right now. I have a
double handicap romance where neither character gets the miracle cure in the
end. My editor has put it on the back burner for now, she wants "safe" not
"risky" from me until I'm more established.
<Anne_Marble> Durn.
<robert> Ouch. I was just thinking that two deaf people getting together
have this wonderful privacy with the sign language in most company and it
could be very romantic.
<Jehane> I've noticed that heroines come in all shapes and sizes but heroes
are invariably at least six feet and broadshouldered.
<Venus> would it be okay to have a subplot with a handicapped character?
<@SLViehl> But I'm going to keep pushing it. I want to see more types of
heroes and heroines that reflect reality, not epitomes of perfection.
<Anne_Marble> I've noticed that even when heroines try to marry for money,
it's because they don't want their families to get hurt, never because they
want more dresses.
<Jehane> And why do heroes always like their coffee black, no sugar?
<@SLViehl> I tend to make my heroes pretty big, but I'm starting to scale
them down now. I think it's kind of a romance cliche that the guy be tall
dark and handsome.
<Anne_Marble> Tina Wainscott wrote a novel about a wheelchair-bound heroine
who died and ended up in her boss's ex-wife's body. There was a subplot
involving her disabled friends.
<@SLViehl> Absolutely, Venus. Especially a secondary romance. But you need
to aim it toward single title publishers if you decide to go that route, I
think they're more receptive.
<Anne_Marble> AAR has a special title listing called "Beauty is in the eye"
or something, all about romances with not-so-perfect main characters.
<Venus> pretty big, as in large in size? <G>
<@SLViehl> Heroines can't be greedy, Anne -- if they marry for money, it has
to be for a "noble" reason.
<Anne_Marble> Just like Hans Brinker. Wasn't he trying to make money for his
sister's operation?
<@SLViehl> I just read a romance that totally blew open the envelope -- Anne
Mather's latest Harlequin Presents features a heroine pregnant through an
affair with a married man, and he ends up being the hero.
<Venus> whoa! I'd like to read that one
<@SLViehl> The title is Savage Innocence, I think.
<Jehane> Is the wife an evil bitch? Or does she run off with another man?
<@SLViehl> First time I've seen an affair-romance with a guy who is married
to someone else for 90% of the book
<Anne_Marble> The
older HP's were actually more open to that type of plot.
<@SLViehl> Wife was disabled . I won't spoil the ending for anyone who
might read it.
<robert> Can you do black characters or Asian characters?
<Venus> Like Jane Eyre--that was a great romance, and it had the mad wife
<@SLViehl> My new trilogy features Asian heroes and heroines.
<robert> Coool!
<Venus> so there is a precedent--and you were saying that there are handicap
precedents
<@SLViehl> There are special ethnic lines for black heroes/heroines, like
Arabesque.
<@SLViehl> I've never read a romance where the hero and heroine started off
having an illicit affair knowing he was married and didn't intend to leave
his wife.
<@SLViehl> Handicapped prescendents -- Joan Johnston had a heroine with a
missing arm, who wore a hook. Catherine Anderson just published one with a
wheelchair-bound heroine. There have been many where the hero is blind
(almost never the heroine, though). Mary Balogh had a deaf-mute heroine.
<Venus> how about amnesia--(I know you did one with amnesia)--is that a
handicap or a plot point?
<@SLViehl> All broke new ground, but all these authors were well-established
when they did so.
<Anne_Marble> Amnesia is
very popular.
<Jehane> I've read some with blind heroines.
<@SLViehl> amnesia is more a plot point, unless the character never recovers
their memory, ala William Monk in the Anne Perry mystery series.
<Venus> thanks
<@SLViehl> Janet Dailey, back before she was plagerizing people, did a
really good HP with a blind heroine titled "The Ivory Cane". That's how
long I've been reading romance.
<Anne_Marble> The only blind heroine books I can think of are by Ruth Glick
and Christina Dodd, but that was under a different publishing environment.
<@SLViehl> Okay, let's move on to why you can't be Nora Roberts.
<@SLViehl> I do hear this a lot -- "I'm going to be the next Nora
Roberts" -- from some writers eager to prove something.
<@SLViehl> You cannot be someone else. If I write twenty books a year and
get them all published, I still won't be Nora Roberts.
<@SLViehl> Because if I am trying to duplicate her work, I'm going to get
arrested for plagerism, like Janet Dailey did.
<@SLViehl> Well, she didn't get arrested, but you know what I mean.
<@SLViehl> I know there are books other authors have written that you love.
Love them. They are motivation.
<@SLViehl> But when you write your own books, you have to set them aside and
forget about them. Write your own books, not pale copies of someone else's
work.
<@SLViehl> A first-time author who starts that first novel is probably
terrified. (I can't really remember how I felt, I was thirteen when I wrote
my first romance novel.)
<@SLViehl> And when you're scared, you might try imitiating another author's
voice. Don't fall into that trap.
<@SLViehl> Also, don't expect to become Nora Roberts six months after you
write your first novel. Ain't going to happen.
<@SLViehl> No one is hovering around me, holding out 6-figure contracts,
just because my first five books did really well.
<@SLViehl> You will be fortunate to sign a contract that pays you $5,000.00
advance for your first romance novel. That's basic, industry standard for
print publication.
<@SLViehl> And, unless you are one of these rare, overnight successes, that
figure will only increase if you have sales to justify more money.
<@SLViehl> So don't expect to be on the NYTimes BSL, or have a six-figure
contract offered to you. Work. Write books. Get published. that's your
job.
<@SLViehl> Onto E-publishing, probably the most heavily debated issue among
authors today.
<Anne_Marble> Good, I was gonna ask about that.
<Venus> I'm having a really bad time with the conference room--I'm going to
have to drop off
<@SLViehl> First: I am not here to advocate or condemn e-books or POD,
(print on demand) that an author arranges for their work.
<Venus> I'll read the transcript--thanks Sheila!
<@SLViehl> See you, Venus!
<@SLViehl> I have ZERO experience working as an author in the electronic and
POD section of the industry. So I'm not going to tell you I know anything
about it.
<@SLViehl> I've heard great things, and I've heard horror stories. But
let's set the whole "is it legit or not" issue debate aside, and deal with
the facts.
<@SLViehl> Bottom line: I know for a fact that the majority of e-publishers
and POD publishers cannot match industry standard advances offered by print
publishers. In addition, they often require some monetary investment from
the author.
<@SLViehl> This makes them vanity presses, until that changes. This is not
my opinion. This is classification by SFWA, MWA, HWA, and other pro writing
organizations.
<@SLViehl> RWA is struggling with the issue, and I'm not going to get into
that, either.
<@SLViehl> It's a tough situation for everyone involved.
<@SLViehl> All I want you to do is think about this:
<@SLViehl> Start as you mean to go on.
<@SLViehl> If you have no problem with what this e-publishers and POD
publishers offer you, and you see it as an opportunity to get exposure for
your work, or you're simply unwilling to endure years of rejection from
print publishers, then I say, go for it.
<@SLViehl> If you want to make a $10,000 advance, with a minimum 30K first
print run, major distribution, promotion, and publicity, and get the
absolute best shot at making the NYT BSL someday, and nothing less is
acceptable to you, skip e-publishing and POD publishers.
<@SLViehl> This is your call.
<@SLViehl> Whatever you decide, make it an informed decision. Research
every publisher -- print or e-book or POD -- and make sure they're right for
you.
<@SLViehl> QUESTIONS
<Blair> its about the 1/2 way point... did you want to take a quick
breather?
<Anne_Marble> What if you've written something in a weird genre, like
futuristic or even Gothic, that's hard to get published in paper? Should you
try to rewrite it as a genre-spanning novel and hope paper publishers like
it enough?
<@SLViehl> Sure, Blair, we can take a break.
<Anne_Marble> I need some water.
<@SLViehl> Okay, let's hold the questions for five minutes and take a break.
<Gayle> okay
<Anne_Marble> I want to publish in a weird genre just so Harriet Klausner
gets to say "subgenre" at the end of her review.
<Anne_Marble> Well Mari-Paul Goessler is getting cast against type these
days...
<Anne_Marble> Mark-Paul!
<Kaelle> Who? Mark Paul?
<Kaelle> lol
<Jehane> What happened to Janet Dailey?
<Anne_Marble> She "borrowed" heavily from some of Nora Roberts' books.
<@SLViehl> On your question, Anne, I wrote a book everyone loved but no one
would publish. The hero, among other things, is a carnival geek who turns
into a lizard.
<@SLViehl> My editor killed me when she said, "I stayed up all night to read
it! There's no way we can publish it."
<Anne_Marble> Wow, and I thought my different books were different.
<@SLViehl> It was just way too experimental.
<Kaelle> Huh. I'd read it.
<@SLViehl> So I'm giving it away as a free e-book to my readers next month.
<robert> Yeah, I would too. Sounds fun!
<Anne_Marble> Mark-Paul Goessler is (correct me if I'm wrong) the guy who
used to be the blond guy on .... darn, that annoying teen show with Screech.
<Kaelle> Saved by the bell
<@SLViehl> Saved by the bell. My mother loved it.
<Kaelle> Tiffani is on Just Shoot Me, now.
<Anne_Marble> I liked watching Mark-Paul and the other guy, but I kept
rewriting the script in my head as I watched.
<@SLViehl> BTW, I made an e-book, all by myself, in Adobe .pdf format, for
free. You can do it through this web site:
http://www.gobcl.com
<Kaelle> Hey, I'll check that out, Sheila. Thanks.
<robert> Thank you!! That's a godsend for me.
<@SLViehl> All you have to do is register. I recommend uploading with .rtf
format, that seems to work the best.
<@SLViehl> And the results are beautiful. You can even load in graphics.
<@SLViehl> So don't pay to have your book put into .pdf format. Save some
money and do it yourself!
<Anne_Marble> I changed into my now-famous satin PJs. If you hear a THUMB,
that was me sliding off the chair.
<Kaelle> lol
<@SLViehl> Hee hee
end of part one