Romancing the Publishing Industry

Transcription

1 Romancing the Publishing Industry Why romance is hotter than ever and what you need to know to make it in the genre today. BY BRENDA NOVAK IT NEVER FAILS. Every time a news program even one as widely viewed as the Today show covers any aspect of the romance genre, the producers cue some corny music and the anchors snicker through the segment. This always surprises me. Perhaps my expectations are too high, but I tend to believe that the people who deliver our news should know better than to perpetuate such dated stereotypes. According to the most recent Business of Consumer Book Publishers, 74.8 million people read at least one romance in 2008 and that figure has nearly doubled in the past decade. With numbers that large, these news programs are making fun of their own audiences. In spite of or, some might argue, because of the economic downturn, romance is thriving even as consumers cut back on spending. In recent years, it s been the top-performing category on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. Although 2009 figures were not available at press time, in 2008, romance fiction created an estimated $1.37 billion in revenue, compared with $800 million for religion/inspirational, $668 million for mystery, $551 million for science fiction/fantasy and $446 million for literary fiction. Last year s numbers are expected to be similar. And as recently reported in The Washington Post, Time magazine and other sources, Harlequin, the biggest publisher of romance worldwide, boasted steadily growing profits in 2008 and 2009, even as much of the industry floundered in the weakened economy. Clearly, this often maligned genre has something to offer. For writers, that s opportunity. All told, nearly 7,500 romance novels are released each year. And the potential for crossover to mainstream appeal is evidenced by the success of writers like Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, Debbie Macomber, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jayne Ann Krentz, Sandra Brown, Tami Hoag, Iris Johansen and Linda Howard.

2 Bodice-rippers are a thing of the past, and it s only a matter of time before the stereotypes about people who read and write romance novels will go the same way. 5 Characteristics of Compatible Mates If you haven t read much recent romance and you re thinking about trying to break in, you ve got some homework to do. An aspiring writer in any genre should pore over the sort of books she d like to write. It s important to have both a knowledge of and a respect for your genre of choice. If you don t honestly love romance, you ll be doing an injustice to yourself and your work if you try to write it anyway (and you won t have much chance of selling it, either). As you immerse yourself in the romance genre, take note of these driving characteristics: HEA. In the romance industry, this is shorthand for happily ever after. The one hard and fast convention of the genre is that every novel must conclude with a hopeful outcome. This doesn t necessarily mean the protagonist has to marry her true love by story s end, but it does mean there should be some indication they ll continue happily as a couple. Because of these optimistic endings, romances have, on occasion, been criticized as unrealistic. Those who disagree would say they promote happiness and hope and act as a testament to the age-old theme that love conquers all. MORALITY REFLECTIVE OF THE MAJORITY. Almost all romance novels portray a monogamous relationship and feature protagonists who are good citizens and very supportive of home and family values. Whether the romance is between a human and a vampire, two aliens or a couple of regular humans, these books depict strong, healthy relationships. VARIETY. According to The New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips, who received the Romance Writers of America s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, the public s biggest misconception about romance novels is that they re all the same. A sure sign the person doesn t read romance! Phillips says. While the genre may once have been thought of in terms of two categories, contemporary and historical, today s romance has a number of popular subgenres, including paranormal; romantic suspense, comedy and thriller; erotica; inspirational; and the most recent addition urban fantasy. The most successful modern romance writers aren t afraid to mix

3 elements, keeping the genre fresh and ever changing. (For more on subgenres, see Page 36.) SEXUAL TENSION. If there s a magic ingredient, this is it. It s the writer s job to create a desire in the reader to see the hero and heroine s relationship culminate in a successful romance. But sexual tension doesn t necessarily mean explicit sex. While a high level of sensuality may be a draw for some readers, particularly in erotic romance, it also appears to varying degrees in books outside the genre (and is notably absent in inspirational romance a subgenre that has become very popular in recent years). There are a lot of misconceptions, by the way, about sex in romance. One is that sex is added gratuitously for marketing purposes. The truth is, unless a sex scene reveals character or furthers plot, it has no reason for being in the story, and both a good writer and her editor know this. Another long-standing myth is that romance novels primarily appeal to sexually repressed, voyeuristic women who lack healthy sex lives. In reality, an InfoTrends study commissioned by RWA revealed the heart of the genre s readership is women aged who are currently in a romantic relationship. CHARACTER GROWTH. Romance is all about people falling in love, true, but the characters also have to reach a place in their emotional maturation where they can love unselfishly and sustain that love, which usually involves overcoming other obstacles that are standing in their way. These defining traits aren t meant to imply that romance writing is formulaic. I ve written 35 novels, the latest 12 of which have been romantic suspense, and I ve never heard of a publisher stipulating how many love scenes must be included, how explicit they must be, where they should be placed in the manuscript, or any other formula of the sort. Rather, writing successfully for any genre is about understanding the reader s expectations and being sure to deliver. 10 Ways to Make Your Match With that in mind, how can you make your story stand out to agents and editors in the genre? There are 10 elements that can distinguish a great romance novel from a good one: A STRONG HOOK OR CONCEPT. Anything that helps a publisher promote you and your novel is a plus. If you have what s called a high

4 concept (like Dan Brown s shocking secrets about the Catholic church, or Jodi Picoult s issue-related stories) and can communicate it simply and clearly in your pitch, you ll have a better shot at getting noticed. Popular hooks in romance novels currently include secret babies, amnesia, marriages of convenience and mistaken identities. SYMPATHETIC, MOTIVATED CHARACTERS. Be sure your protagonist always has something important and personal at stake. When choosing your point of view, tell the story from the viewpoint of the character (or characters) with the most to lose. In romance, readers typically prefer a strong heroine whose sole purpose isn t to find a man. She is most often successful in her own right, at least on some level (even if she s facing a difficult time), and this makes her the perfect complement to a strong hero. Paula Eykelhof of MIRA Books, who edits my work as well as Debbie Macomber s, says, Readers will care about what happens next only if they can care about your characters, connect with them in some way and feel interested in their personalities and their fates. EVOCATIVE SETTING. Use it for more than just backdrop. Make it interesting on its own merit, and even more interesting when peopled with your characters. HIGH-STAKES CONFLICT. Any HEA is more enjoyable if it s hardwon. Although many of the conflicts in romantic fiction may be internal (depending on the subgenre), plot needs to grow out of character. The greater the challenge keeping your characters apart, the more compelling the story will be. Make those challenges difficult but not impossible to overcome. UNIQUE VOICE. To Jayne Ann Krentz, who also writes as Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick and has penned many New York Times bestsellers, voice is what sets one author s books apart from all the rest. Voice contains an author s core values and worldviews and cannot be duplicated. Give one plot to 10 different authors and you ll get 10 very different stories. CREDIBLE EMOTION. Emotion is the lifeblood of a quality romance novel. Readers want to be quickly enveloped in the fictional world and fall in love along with the characters. Because most people fall in love only once or twice in a lifetime, this is a way to relive that heady and

5 exciting experience. TIGHT PACING. Today s busy reader prefers a story that moves quickly and doesn t rely too much on interior monologues. Avoid letting your story become static. Keep the reader in the action. Use non-cliché metaphors and similes, and evoke the five senses wherever possible. As in most good writing, avoid passive verbs. SKILLFUL LAYERING. Plots, characters and themes are all more interesting when there s some subtext involved. Rely on the intelligence of the reader to pick up on subtle clues instead of making your story overly simple or obvious. REVERSALS. Don t play it straight. Add intrigue, surprises and new challenges, constantly ratcheting up the tension. AUTHENTICITY. Avoid contrivances, coincidences and overly dramatic writing. They throw the reader out of the story and may ensure you never get her back. Finally, writers hoping to make it in today s market need to bring a high level of commitment and consistency to their work. Plan to be prolific. I think more and more writers need to be able to deliver two books (at least) a year to be able to build reader recognition and establish a name, says Shauna Summers, a senior editor at Random House who has worked with such popular authors as Suzanne Brockmann, Karen Marie Moning, Mary Balogh and Laurell K. Hamilton. Beyond that, success in this business is a magical blend of voice, storytelling and luck working together at the right time and in the right way. The competition in every publishing realm is fierce, and it s no different in romance. It s not easy to break in, or even to remain published. The story and the writing have to be unique and top-notch. But for writers who are passionate about the genre, there are incredible opportunities in this increasingly popular segment of publishing and you may just find your very own happily ever after. WD New York Times bestselling author BRENDA NOVAK has three romantic suspense titles forthcoming this summer White Heat, Body Heat and Killer Heat.