Romancing the Blog | Romance Authors and Readers Who Blog

There is nothing like RITA-nominations to get me all fired up about romance again. The agency garnered 6 nominations for four of our clients: Hank Ryan, Kelly Parra, Linnea Sinclair, and Simone Elkeles. It was huge and thrilling news.

And then I had a horrible realization. I hadn’t taken on a new romance author in quite a long time. In fact, I was a little shocked at how long it’s been. Had the number of romance queries we received dropped? Was I being overly picky? What had happened in the last 6, 8, or even (dare I say it) 12 months? Seriously, it’s been a while and even though I took on 8 new clients last year, not one of them was in the field of romance (although one new client writes women’s fiction).

This needs to change as I love the romance genre. I’m probably not going to be able to answer this for certain but I did come up with a few hypotheses as to why I haven’t fallen in love with a romance project lately.

Hypothesis #1
Have you ever read a romance novel that was so good, everything you read after kind of paled in comparison?

I think that’s where I’ve been in the last year. It’s not that the submissions weren’t decent but I couldn’t help but think “but it’s not…. And fill in the blank.”

Hypothesis #2
I was just recently out in New York meeting with editors, and I have to report that there is a general sentiment about enough vampires already. Enough werewolves. Demons are the new vampires, etc. Enough already!

A lot of what we’ve been seeing here at the agency falls along these lines and although I’m not sick of paranormal (because any fresh twist could change my mind in a heartbeat), I have to admit to a tiny bit of ennui about seeing the same storylines and themes in the queries and sample pages we’ve read. It’s harder to feel the love when everything seems so familiar.

Does that make sense?

Hypothesis #3
I’ve been so focused on young adult and urban fantasy that maybe I got stuck in a genre rut. Time to break out.

And here’s the good news. I’m now on a mission to take on a new romance writer client. You know what that means, right? An agent actively looking is willing to take chances, request more sample pages, and generally do what it takes to make this happen.

Now all I need to do is feel the love.

I get this question every once in a while from unpublished writers inquiring about our services. It’s always been tough for me to answer it, since from my side of the table as the developer of websites, it’s hard to judge the real value of taking this plunge. The question behind the question is, of course: Can a website or a blog help an aspiring author make that first sale? I figured it was time to do some research on the topic by getting answers out of agents and of published authors who had a web presence before they sold.

Can a website or blog help you get an agent?

The short answer is: Yes. Agents (and to some extent, probably also editors) do visit your blogs and websites, and what they find there can impact their decision to request materials from you. All of the agents I surveyed said that if they find your query or partial interesting, then they’ll most likely visit any URL you’ve included in your query or cover letter. Agent Kristin Nelson said that in cases where she’s unsure about requesting more material, what she finds on a blog or website is more likely to sway her one way or another. While the agent’s decision to offer representation will depend on the manuscript itself, your web presence can help motivate the agent to take a closer look at it in the first place. For an even more encouraging example, agent Lori Perkins said, “I read about a book published by a small press, Googled the author, went to her blog, where I found an excerpt from the book. After reading it, I knew she could write, so I emailed her about representation.”

Can a website or blog hurt you in your search for an agent?

Definitely! When an agent visits your home on the web, she is looking for more info about your writing and info about you, the writer. The importance of professionalism can’t be stressed enough. Kristin Nelson points out that a site that’s obviously homegrown leaves a bad impression and can actually do more damage than good. Content that the agent finds off-putting can make her decide you’re not someone she’d like to work with or that you’re not serious about your career.

Keep in mind that your URL in a query or cover letter is not the only way an agent can find you on the web. They visit many of the same sites that you do and could follow any link you leave behind. They might be pointed to your website by an acquaintance. Or they might actually Google your name to see what they can find about you. Several agents admit to Googling writers they’re curious about, so consider that not only when you add content to your own site or blog but also when you post anything on other people’s blogs and message boards. If you come off as unprofessional or say something that rubs the agent the wrong way, you could get a “no thanks” instead of a request.

Do’s and Don’ts

So what are agents looking for on your blog or website, and what do they not want to see?

Samples of your writing are probably the most important. If your query or partial interests them, they might visit your site looking for more excerpts. Information about your other projects could be helpful, too. You could talk about your research and writing process. Mention anything positive as relates to your pursuit of a career as an author—conferences and workshops you’ve attended, contests you’ve won, and critique groups you’re a member of.

The number one thing to avoid is adding too much personal information. A “this is what I did today” blog generally won’t impress an agent, unless you write it in a way that shows off your voice and writing skills. Agent Marlene Stringer of the Barbara Bova Literary Agency said, “This is a great venue to show off your writing chops, and I can get a better feel for your writing style overall if you’re writing about other topics. This is especially useful if you’re writing in a genre that is hot at the moment, but might not be next year. Lets me see you can write other things.”

Marlene adds a warning that unpublished authors should be careful about dispensing advice on the publishing business when it’s clear they have very little actual experience to back it up. Agent Jessica Faust of BookEnds similarly cautions against talking about sensitive issues such as politics. It’d be very unfortunate if you got a rejection because the agent felt offended by your personal beliefs.

Finally, be careful about talking too much about your submissions. Agents prefer not to know that you’ve received X number of rejections for the manuscript they’re considering—they tend to find that discouraging.

Advice from published authors

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I’ve been reading Carl Jung lately. Not because I want to find out more about me, although I am, but because the more I understand what makes people tick, or how other people interpret what makes people tick, the greater my options are when creating characters that have depth.

I’ve often seen lists of How-To books on blogs and web sites, but I want to take an informal poll about those books that aren’t How-To, but Why?

Why do people find themselves in the same bad relationships over and over?

Why do some very successful people sabotage their lives, sometimes very publicly?

Why do certain people draw darkness into their lives?

What makes people seek out physical pain?

Why don’t more people change when they understand it would make their lives better to do so?

You know, the light stuff.

Here are some of the books I’ve read that have helped me in my quest (in no particular order):

He: Understanding Masculine Psychology Robert A. Johnson

She: Understanding Feminine Psychology Robert A. Johnson

We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love Robert A. Johnson

Why Men Are the Way They Are Warren Farrell

Archetypal Explorations: An Integrative Approach to Human Behavior Richard Gray

The Beginner’s Guide to Jungian Psychology Robin Robertson

The Undiscovered Self Carl Jung

The Hero With a Thousand Faces Joseph Campbell

The Sociopath Next Door Martha Stout

Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types Keirsey & Bates

Now for the poll – what books have helped you understand humans? What books would you add to my list? And, have you found that your writing or reading has changed the more you learn about what makes people do the things we do?

I can’t get this expression out of my head. If you’re a child of the eighties, you’ll appreciate the reference. If you hate blog posts that are overly optimistic or preachy, you might want to move along.

It’s been a tough year to be in epublishing. It’s been an even tougher year to be an advocate for epublishing, to remain fair, to comment on the “issues” without being inflammatory or mortally offending one person or a whole group of people. Balancing the line between informative and non-judgmental, maintaining a positive outlook while understanding that every industry has growing pains.

Unfortunately, our growing pains have taken place in a rather public and sometimes spectacular way, resulting in once-passionate advocates becoming disenchanted and increasingly cynical readers drifting away from their once staunch position of epublishing support.

To say the least, it’s discouraging. But over the past few weeks, as more epublishers fold or are embroiled in author dissent and unhappiness, this phrase keeps circling in my head. Goonies never say die.

Why that particular phrase? Because some days I have no doubt there are authors, editors and publishers who probably think it would be easier to give up. Some days I think that. But then I remember all the reasons I love epublishing. The diversity, the authors, the permissiveness in what we can publish, the enthusiasm of the readers for the stories, the characters, the authors. I love the convenience of ebooks, being able to go to the doctor’s office with one hundred reading choices in my purse. Truly, I love epublishing, warts and all.

I’m reminded there’s a lot to love about epublishing, a lot of reasons not to give up. But that doesn’t mean that, as a whole, we don’t need to be self-aware. Aware of how we represent ourselves both within the publishing community and in the reading community. And just maybe we need to start raising our expectations.

For their money, readers should expect that publishers and authors produce quality work, websites that are professional and easy to navigate, books offered at reasonable prices, blurbs and excerpts (relatively typo free) available for all the books, and good customer service that is helpful and responds in a reasonable and timely manner (i.e., within 24-48 business hours).

From their publishers, authors should be able to expect advance notice of release dates, professional editing—and time to look over each round of edits, marketable covers, royalties paid as promised and in a timely manner, an effective marketing plan, courteous communications within the company and company representatives who can conduct themselves professionally outside the company.

But authors should also expect more from themselves. This may be an unpopular thing to say, but first realizing that maybe not every book is meant to be published. Some books are a learning experience and will eventually be shoved under the metaphorical bed. That’s okay. It means you keep working to learn your craft, write the next book, and keep submitting. Choose your publishers carefully, read your contracts even more carefully. Authors should also expect professional behavior of themselves—online, in public and with their publisher and editor, treating epublishing obligations exactly the same as they would obligations to a NY publisher. Representing themselves and the industry they’re helping grow in a way that shows pride in themselves, their work and their company.

To make those outside the epublishing industry believe we deserve respect, we must first believe it—and represent it—not just demand it. We have had enough dirty laundry aired before readers and epublishing naysayers. It’s time for us to raise our expectations of ourselves, and each other, and move the industry forward. I’m not ready to give up on epublishing, I will never be ready to give up on epublishing. Instead, I will raise my expectations and forge the path forward. Because Goonies never say die.

I knew I had an RTB post coming up, but would have sworn I had more time to get it done. Normally I like to be a week ahead of the game and yet, today (Monday), when I received my notice to post tomorrow, I was startled. I really had a different topic in mind, but…

You see, it’s been a rough week for me personally and time had slipped away from me. In the midst of some painful things I have buried myself in comfort. Part of that comfort is food—you know gooey cheesy things, chocolate, richness, salty, crunchy, etc.—the other part is books and reading.

It’s been a while since I’ve done any marathon reading. In fact, lately books are taking me longer than usual to read, since I’ve been so busy. However, since I first heard this bad news last week I have immersed myself into reading. I read through the first book in a series, then the second and then the third. If I had the rest, up to twelve (where I began the series and fell in love with the author’s voice and the tone of these books especially), I’m sure I would still be reading the next, and so on. These books were light and fun, and hid a hint of danger, even though I knew all would be well in the end. Really, you can’t beat Stephanie Plum to pull you through and make you laugh.

Then I turned to another book in my TBR pile, and another. Began one that was too deep and made me think too much, and put that back for another time, when I could really concentrate on the world the author had created. Right now I need to be uplifted, to forget, to feel hope and know that everything will turn out well in the end.

For me books will always be a source of comfort. One of the things I like best about romance, and most of its various sub-genres, is knowing that everything will turn out all right at the end (and yes, I’m sure Stephanie Plum isn’t really a typical romance since there isn’t necessarily a romantic HEA at the end of the book, but at least they always wrap up nicely. Frankly, I’m good with Stephanie taking her time to decide between Joe and Ranger.) Reading these kind of books is like an old friend wrapping their arm around me, giving me a hug and brightening a time which otherwise would feel much too bleak.

Readers who find errors in mass-market romance novels often accuse the authors and publishers of “cranking out” the books with no regard for quality. Why can’t they just slow down and hire some proofreaders? is a question often heard.

As a Harlequin author (I write for Steeple Hill’s “Love Inspired” line), I’d like to answer that question in two parts: First, our books are by no means slapped together; they are reviewed several times by several editors, and we authors are fully involved in the process that turns our finished manuscripts into published books. And second, romance readers are probably not seeing nearly as many errors as they imagine.

The progress of my upcoming book through the Harlequin pipeline has been fairly typical: over the course of some five months, my manuscript found its way to the desks of my “regular” editor, the senior editor of my line, a freelance line-editor, and an in-house copy editor. My book has been vetted by no fewer than four professional editors who have combed the manuscript for everything from plot holes and weak character development to misplaced commas.

After my manuscript was line-edited, it was sent back to me. I reviewed the editorial changes, accepted most of them, and added a few last-minute changes of my own. I fired the manuscript back to New York, where the editors’ changes and mine were entered on the computer file and the book was typeset. After that, the typeset manuscript (page proofs) came to me for a final review. I found a number of additional errors, including several of my own. I made the necessary corrections and returned the page proofs to my editor. She will enter the new changes and send the manuscript to the printing department.

And when my book comes out it may very well contain a few minor errors.

How can that be, when the manuscript has been edited, corrected, and proofread by four different editors and the author? It’s quite simple: Every time someone makes a change in the manuscript’s file, a window of opportunity is opened. Existing errors may be compounded and new errors may be introduced. Someone might change an obvious typo like “hourse” to “horse,” never noticing that the word that best fits the sentence is “house.”

These books are proofread. Again and again. But even the most anal of authors and editors are still mere humans, so if my 250-page book contains a couple of typos and a superfluous comma or two, I’m still going to say we did a darn good job.

But are there really as many errors in today’s romance novels as some readers would have us believe? Surely much of what we readers perceive as omissions in books–plot holes and inadequate character motivation–can be accounted for by our own inattention or forgetfulness. Maybe my ringing telephone caused my eye to skip over a crucial sentence in the middle of Chapter Three. Or maybe I’ve been reading the book over the course of several days and am not perfectly recalling some important detail I read in an earlier session. Have you ever missed something in a book and gone back to look for it–and found it? I have.

Today’s romance novels are often criticized for containing improper grammar–and sometimes they do. But again, perhaps that’s not as common as we believe. In my upcoming book, a line of dialogue spoken by an old rodeo cowboy was changed from, “Have you boys seen that Help Wanted sign over to Jimmy Land’s place?” to “Have you boys seen that Help Wanted sign at Jimmy Land’s place?” I guessed that my New York editors thought they were simply correcting a typo. I might have argued that it’s quite common for an old man from central Texas to say “over to Jimmy’s” rather than “at Jimmy’s.” But being “right” is less important to me than being understood by the majority of my readers, so I let it go. And now I’m wondering how often readers unfairly characterize authors’ use of idiomatic expressions (whether in dialogue or narrative) as ungrammatical and wrong.

I’m not saying romance novels don’t contain real errors. I’ve seen plenty of obvious typos, bad punctuation, and any number of inexcusable grammatical goofs. The printing process isn’t error-free, either; an unknown number of copies of my first book were distributed with 32 pages missing, and I was every bit as annoyed as the fifty or so readers who complained to me about it. Such mistakes get a lot of attention, and that prompts some readers to complain that it’s next to impossible to find a beautifully written, meticulously edited, well-put-together romance novel. But considering the mind-boggling number of romance titles hitting the bookshelves every single week, I believe the overall quality of today’s books is actually quite good.

You see, I’m not just a romance writer. I am also a romance reader. And a few small mistakes here and there don’t negate the enjoyment I derive from reading a good romance novel.

I love ebooks. I’ve loved ebooks since I first found them a few years ago. Ever since, I have wanted to stick to ebooks only. When an entire shelf of books falls on you because you were less than careful in jiggling a particular title out, switching to ebooks has the potential to save your life.

But I didn’t make the switch. I couldn’t.

For one thing, fewer print books were on the online ‘aisles’ of ebook stores. I’m an equal opportunity reader and I like small e-pubs as much as big New York houses, but small e-pubs aren’t quite good enough when what you want is that latest release from Favorite Author who is NY pubbed.

Plus, I was a regular teenager. In other words, I didn’t have my own plastic, and therefore couldn’t buy ebooks. I’m inclined to say that this makes all that talk about young people getting into books through ebooks just talk at the moment, but I could be wrong. As a further digression from the main topic, I wonder if having us students do our research online instead of getting the research journals at the library means that more people will be switching to ebooks in the future—though to be fair, it could work the other way around and push people away from ebooks.

Skip a few years.

Right now, I’m at university, and living in a tiny hovel. It’s half the size of my room at home. I barely have space for myself, much less print fiction. Some of my friends think that our rooms are already fire hazards because of the reams of paper and textbooks, so maybe ebooks really will save my life. How’s that sound, ‘Save the trees, save the planet and save your life!’?

The point is that it all this points to ebooks for me, but only now. Not before.

Which brings me to this: is the perceived convenience of ebooks enough to make people switch? Or do they need a little bit more?

Since Borders announced the success it has been having with its new concept store in Ann Arbor, people in the book world have been speculating. What does the reduction in stock mean to the small press? Will more face-outs mean more opportunities for Borders to grab for co-op dollars? How will this change the relationship Borders has had with certain publishers?

While these are all very legitimate questions, I think it is important for you—the romance author, the publisher, or the publicist/marketer—to focus on what will be impacted the most: your genre section.

All the articles highlight the increased face-outs in sections that rely on eye-catching covers to sell titles: Cooking, Travel, Art, Photography and Childrens’ Books. Traditionally, facing out in these sections meant losing lots of shelf space due to the oversized dimensions of many of these books. For example, to face out a quantity of two or three of the same cook book title, you would lose the space where another six might fit when spined. Spining such a book, however, kills the impact of the cover—the main selling point of many books in these sections where they may not have widely read reviews or campaigns to help move quantities (whereas an eye-catching cover in fiction often still has to have the grassroots buzz, jacket copy, review quote love, or the history of the author’s other works to help complete the sale of the title).

That within the Borders concept store “fiction book shelves will also feature more face-out titles, but fewer than other sections” is not surprising. In most fiction sections across the country Borders already has shelves set aside just for displaying co-op titles, and an understanding that faced-out titles act as a sort of punctuation for the shopper’s eyes. That said, this only applies to the wall mounted Fiction (with a capital F) sections as opposed to the genres of Romance, Mystery and SciFi/Fantasy that occupy the free standing sections in the middle of the store.

Like Fiction, the genre sections already contain shelf space used specifically to display co-opted titles, but unlike the wall mounted shelves of their fiction brethren who keep their overstock shelved above, these sections are forced to keep their overstock hidden behind the books occupying the shelves. This placement of the overstock behind instead of above changes the engineering of the free-standing bookshelves. Space is provided behind a low wall the runs near the back of the shelf for the titles to be stored. The presence of this wall makes it almost impossible to face out a mass market title without overstock being present to prop it up or five or more copies to occupy the overstock and shelf space. (Not enough copies or support means books will flop or bend.) Given that this practice will most likely continue even in the concept stores with 20% less stock, this doesn’t leave a lot of room for the improvement of the mass market genre writer’s sales.

With Borders closing “nearly half of its Waldenbooks outlets” to focus on the superstores, and relegating mass market titles to only one of the several table displays present in every store, I believe genre sales are going to be affected. Mass markets—and those who publisher primarily in that format—are going to be affected due to their lower profit return on investment will grant them even less focus space. Trades and Hardbacks yield a higher profit return and conform better to the Borders concept store’s specifications (as laid out by the Washington Post article).

It will be up to the author to help make their presence known in their local stores to help facilitate those (possibly floppy) face-outs, and find space on the front tables. It’s up to the publishers to do what’s necessary to ensure their mass market genre writers get the display time they deserve. Bookstores, even chain stores like Borders, know how to react to a community’s buzz and support of a title, so it is more important than ever to focus on guerrilla ways of getting your book noticed. Updated websites, blogs, and virtual tours will become even more necessary to spread the word in their (almost) free format as well as continuing to cultivate your relationship with your local Indies.

And like Borders, you’ll need to rethink the ways you sell books.

There are some days when I love my job so darn much.

I had one of those yesterday, when I crossed my fingers and sent an email to 2000AD, Britain’s best selling comic magazine, and within two hours got a reply saying, sure, I could visit the offices of 2000AD next month and meet with one of their editors, to research how a comic is produced so I can put it in my next book.

Spend an afternoon at a comic book publisher? This is just so incredibly cool.

I’m not sure I’d have the patience to do the research necessary to write a historical novel. But writing contemporaries, I get to research things that are around right now. Like the phone calls I made to several private detective agencies to find out how they went about doing particular kinds of surveillance, for my P.I. heroine….or the massage I had to get because the P.I. heroine becomes an aromatherapist. Or the roller coasters I rode to get in the skin of my roller coaster designer hero of another book. The trip up the M4 at 80mph on the back of a BMW motorcycle, and the guy at Harleys R Us who modelled chaps for me. The art deco cinemas, art galleries, and restaurant refrigerators I visited and used as settings. Oh and of course the expensive restaurant or two I had to eat at when I had a hero who was a chef.

My husband works for rock bands as a guitar tech and tour manager, so I had a brilliant resource for my next release, where the hero is a rock star and the action takes place over the course of a nationwide tour. He read over my first draft and told me vital details, such as the fact that the bus door does not “hiss” open, which bunk is the “death bunk”, and what fret filage means.

Some of my favourite research was for my book about a fake psychic, where I went to both psychic shows and to magic shows, to see both sides of the coin. I wrote to the man who wrote the definitive book about how to be a fake psychic, and he kindly replied, and I actually got to meet him last month. I had coffee with a guy who pretends to read people’s minds for a living! And it was tax-deductible!

I never really had the guts to ask to do these things before I started writing. Doing research has given me an excuse to be brave. I wish I’d thought years ago about writing to authors of books I’ve enjoyed, for example. It’s a simple action, and it can give so much pleasure to both author and reader.

What’s the best thing you’ve done as research? What would you love to do, given the chance?

I don’t care if my romance heroes are handsome (I may have a teeny tiny weakness for the scarred hero, that dear tormented soul). I don’t even care if my heroes are rich (because in my fantasy world, they’ll shortly inherit billions). I do, however, insist that they be gainfully employed.

I’m silently singing Gwen Guthrie’s Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But The Rent . Silently. My singing makes those first round elims on American Idol look good.

Why a working man? Well, let’s just say I’ve known men (or, rather, a certain man) with nothing to do and it sure wasn’t my fantasy. They tend to follow other people (i.e. me) around the house. They break things simply so they have something to fix. They think up projects that no one needs done yet somehow include the wife (sigh). I wouldn’t wish on lifetime of that on the most TSTL heroine.

So what should the romance hero work at?

Garbage man, brain surgeon, full time Dad, I’m not fussy. There’s an unlimited selection of jobs.

I was flipping through a men’s fitness magazine and found an article on occupations women supposedly find sexy. Number one was fireman. Number two (which my Guitar Hero playing brother-in-law insists he falls into) was musician. I believe small business owner (my hubby’s category as he claims working in an office qualifies him somehow as a small business owner) was either third or fourth.

I don’t recall many romance heroes in these occupations (excluding small business owner, which if we include billionaire tycoons, we have plenty of). Sure, there are a few. Griffin in P.C. Cast’s Goddess Of Love is a fireman. Musician, ummm… oh, yes, Gabriel in Wylie Kinson’s Law Of Averages is a rock star.

We have many cops, spies, and doctors. Love those. Then we have my favorite category. The unusual occupations. The ones that immediately make you sit up and wonder “what type of man would do THAT?” Take Judd in Lori Foster’s Outrageous, for example. This romance hero is a male stripper. Yep, you read that right. The man shakes his near-naked booty in front of crazy, screaming women for money. That doesn’t stop him from finding love though.

What has been the most unusual hero occupation you’ve read of? What profession do you prefer your hero to work at? Authors, what has been the strangest career choice you’ve given your fictional men?