by Linda Kage
Hey, all you fellow aspiring authors out there. I’d like to know how many times you’ve received a rejection that said, ‘We don’t feel this story is right for us’? Have you wall-papered a whole room yet? Yeah, I’m almost there too. And what’s worse, they go on to say, “the writing is good and the plot is fine and the characters are well-developed.” Makes you want to pull your hair and scream, “Then why don’t you like it?” But that right there is the kicker. Maybe they do like it, (Gasp. Shocking, I know, huh?) but, honestly, it’s just not right for them.
You really may have a great story, but not just anyone is going to accept it. And that’s why targeting a certain line is crucial. If you want to see your name on the cover of a book, you need to write it with a specific publisher in mind.
Brenda Mott has posted an online article, Is Harlequin Superromance Right for You? It’s a little outdated. The word count for Superromance is currently 60 to 65K, not 80 to 85 as she quotes. But she makes a very interesting and significant comment about how they accepted something Harlequin American wouldn’t. She tried to submit a story in which a child dies and American told her outright they didn’t do that. Now, nowhere in their guidelines does it say, no babies dying. She had to learn the hard way, through—you got it—rejection. Ouch.
So, yes, read the guidelines a publisher supplies, learn it inside and out, but don’t stop there. If you’re stumped where to look next, good. Because I happen to have few tips that could help.
Read, Read, Read
When a publisher suggests you read what they’re publishing, then read what they’re publishing. Let me repeat, “read what they ARE publishing.” Don’t just think, hey, the word count fits, it’s a contemporary romance, it’ll work. Wrong. It don’t always work.
Make a List
While you’re reading these books under the same company in which you’d like to be published, start making a list. Are there any common traits you can find in every story? Do they have kids in their line? Are all their heroes rich and successful alpha-males or are they more average, home-town boys?
After listening Amy Knupp give a presentation, I learned how Harlequin Superromance usually focuses on characters with traumatic histories they need to overcome. Now, it doesn’t mention that specifically in their guidelines, but if you read through a couple Harlequin Superromance stories then, you know, you’ll find they do tend to have their main characters sporting bad pasts. Amazing, huh?
Contact Authors
And this brings me around to my last suggestion. Try contacting authors that are already published by the company you’re targeting. When you research your publishing house, you’re bound to find a list of their published authors. And they’ll even have a link to these authors’ home websites or an email address to reach them. If they like getting reader feedback, they usually say so, so jot these people a quick note and ask if there’s any good advice they can give you about their specific publisher. I bet you’ll be surprised how extremely nice and helpful they are. They’ve been where you are and know what you’re going through.
And most importantly, listen to the rejections you do receive. Some publishers actually tell you what they think is wrong with your story. I love these places because I can turn their negative responses into a helpful critique.
So, try a couple of these idea and see how they work for you. Good luck!
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Maybe it’s different in category romance, but in my field trying to target a publisher is a kiss of death. What they’re publishing now is what they bought two years ago, and tastes (and editors) change. You don’t want to write an editor X story only to find that editor X doesn’t like it, or has left the building, and nobody else likes editor X stories.
And if you write what you feel you ought to write, chances are your writing will read forced.
My question is similar to Catja. If you target one publisher, wouldn’t that render the story unfit for everyone else? So, I put tons of work into one story, only to have the targeted imprint reject and be unable to submit it anywhere else? How does that work?
I remember getting so frustrated hearing editors say to “write the story of your heart,” or “write your own story.” Wasn’t that what I was doing? FOR TWENTY YEARS!!! (And I have the rejections to prove it) Then I wrote a story that wasn’t targeted to any particular publisher and it wasn’t for anyone but me. That was the first Wolf Tales that ended up launching Kensington’s new Aphrodisia line in January 2006. Point being, don’t think of writing a book you can sell–write a book you love. And good luck–I’m proof that if you don’t give up, it can happen for you. I just hope it doesn’t take twenty years!
I guess it depends on your goals.
My goal wasn’t
money (holding my belly while laughing)
fame (Book 2 is about identity theft)
or
getting published (a couple dollars thrown at Lulu would have accomplished that).
My goal was
to share business lessons
while telling a great story.
Sure, figuring out what publishers were open to this funky mix of business and romance saved time and rejections but it didn’t change the writing.
Kimber An asks a good question. And yes, targeting a specific line can make the book hard to sell anywhere else, but that’s a risk you take when trying to fit in at Harlequin/Silhouette.
If you write a book targeted at Desire, chances are, you aren’t going to sell it anywhere else without major changes.
A long time ago, I tailored my writing for both Intimate Moments and Temptation, and discovered that my voice just didn’t work for those lines, no matter how badly I wanted to write for them. I realized that in tailoring my writing for those lines, it ultimately stifled me. When I began to “let loose,” I found who I am as a writer and sold to other publishers.
But that doesn’t mean that others, who have the natural voice that works for specific lines, shouldn’t give it a shot. I think you just have to realize that what you write will probably not be something that, if rejected, can immediately be sent out to just any other publisher. Harlequin/Silhouette has very specific needs. If that works for you, go for it! If you are more interested in writing works that can be submitted to several publishers, targeting and tailoring your voice/story might not work as well.
I think you just need to know what your goals are. I would still love to write for Harlequin or Silhouette, and I might still give it a shot, but I have to keep in mind that whatever I write for them might be a one-time shot, because if they don’t buy it, I probably can’t sell it elsewhere.
::getting published (a couple dollars thrown at Lulu would have accomplished that)::
No, that’s getting printed. Not published.
One thing you have to remember about targeting H/S, is that if the book doesn’t work for the line you submitted it to, it might work — with or without revisions — for another line. And editors are pretty good about redirecting the work. So one rejection doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dead in the water.
When I was targeting Sil Romance, I sold to Yours Truly. After YT folded I thought I had a book that would work for SSE, but they bought it for SIM. Now that SIM’s gone, I’m finally writing for SSE — but I never tried to analyze where my work would go, never read a gazillion books in the line(s). I read enough category to get the gist, certainly, but basically I had no idea what I was doing — never entered a contest, didn’t belong to RWA, didn’t (and still don’t) work with crit partners.
But I wrote a book that resonated with ME, within the general parameters of a “sweet” short contemp romance, and I was beyond fortunate that it also resonated with the editor I randomly picked to send it to. Another editor, another book, could have resulted in a completely different outcome.
That said, I know writers who did indeed read a thousand books from the line they loved, parse out the distinctive characteristics of that line, tailored their stories to fit, and they sold, as well. And continued to sell.
However, repeat after me: No matter what you do, it’s still a crap shoot. Selling any particular book depends on hitting the right editor at the right time with the right project (and it’s true, what’s on the shelves now was bought more than a year ago, so what would or wouldn’t fly then doesn’t necessarily apply today). Lines come and go, or change parameters. Editors come and go. An otherwise workable story might be rejected because the writing is weak; a brilliantly executed story might not sell because an editor feels it doesn’t have a broad enough appeal, or, conversely, it’s overdone.
IOW, you can work your butt off doing research and attending every craft workshop in the universe, and still not sell…or you can do just enough to not look like a total idiot, write whatever floats your boat whether it follows “da rules” or not, and find a publisher.
And any time you decide to switch subgenres, you get to start all over again.
“One thing you have to remember about targeting H/S, is that if the book doesn’t work for the line you submitted it to, it might work — with or without revisions — for another line.”
That’s so true! I know someone who submitted a manuscript to Desire, but when the story didn’t work, the editor sent it on to Intimate Moments, and the story sold after a few revisions.
And Karen is right — selling anywhere is a crapshoot. And it’s not any easier to sell to H/S than it is to sell anywhere else. You still need skill, willpower, and sometimes, a touch of luck can’t hurt!
Great post! Thanks.