Have you ever seen that movie “Erin Brockovich”, about the saucy single mother who happens upon a water poisoning case? At one point in the film, her boss asks her what makes her think she can get the information they need and she answers, “They’re called boobs, Ed.”
Now, this is not to say that having big boobs means you’ll rule the world, but to quote the eternal Lorelei Leigh, “Well, it certainly helps.”
Truth is, boobs can do a lot for a girl. I know I get extras from bartenders (to say nothing of the mousse guy when I had no idea the girls had slipped the leash at a Nationals party). I’m pretty sure if I gave em a good shake at the right time, I could get a whole construction crew to build my house. (Or at least offer to.)
But when it comes to marketing my contemporary romances, well…I’m flat-chested.
My books are straight, contemporary romances about people falling in love and overcoming their conflicts to find their happily ever after. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a little difficult for a book of this kind to be seen when the marketing for the whole romance genre has gotten, well, boobs.
I’m not talking about the hint of cleavage from the days of old. I’m talking in-your-face, see-them-coming-round-the-corner boobs that give you time to comb your hair. The current marketing trend is hotter, fleshier, flashier and lets be honest here, there’s often a lot more people in the bedroom these days than there used to be. Books that aren’t hot at all can often have suggestive covers and blurbs in the hopes of grabbing that titillation-hungry buyer. And it’s working. Which can leave a “vanilla” / “B-cup” writer scratching her head wondering how to effectively promote a book without misleading readers who might not appreciate the bait-and-switch.
Now I was talking to a guy friend of mine about my slight intimidation in the market and he said the words every fan of romance hates to hear: “I wonder if shopping for books is like shopping for porn.”
Don’t worry, I was just about to fillet him when he got with the defining his point of view.
Apparently–and this was news to me–folks can be picky about the things they look for in that genre and according to him, if he sees something that really turns him off, he’ll close out the site and look elsewhere. Unfortunately, that means that if something he would have preferred was there, he won’t be looking at it because he jumped ship. After the circuitous explanation, he asked a very important question.
“So what happens to those readers who like straight contemporaries but aren’t comfortable sorting through the steamier books to find them?”
I started thinking about the people I’ve seen at the bookstore, perusing the aisles near the romance section, fingers trailing blindly over spines while their eyes drift to where I’m standing in the romance section. They want to come over, they do. But something keeps them out. Is it the regular taboo of not being taken seriously because they read romance? Or is it that they don’t want to see something they’re not looking for?
And once I started thinking, I started wondering. In today’s digital society, we have blogs, we have communities and we have forums for all kinds of different things. How do readers go about finding the genre they’re looking for? How do they find books if they’re looking for a meaty story and not just boobs? What marketing tools are available for a writer who wants to reach those folks afraid to peruse the scary mixed shelves? And for you writers out there, what have you done to stand out?
Or does it not matter at all? Does grabbing a reader hang entirely on the story? What do you think, when you go looking, what is it that grabs you–boobs or no boobs?
PS: This post was not written with any prejudice against boobs of any kind, but rather as an example most females will be able to relate to. 
No related posts.
Actually, I have an answer for you, but it’s such a long one that I wrote a whole article about it a while back. I just haven’t gotten around to submitting it here. I’ll go edit it and get it in.
As a blogging book reviewer, I hear and see a lot. I know what happens to those disinfranchised Romance readers and I have ideas on how to get them back.
If the article goes up, it’s entitled, ‘The Reader’s Emotional Investment.’
I’ll keep an eye out for that Kimber. Very curious about your ideas.
Dee
PS–oh yes, me and my boobs are real buddies. I firmly believe they’re the only things without opposable thumbs that can change their own destiny, lol.
This isn’t just about straight contemporaries.
This is about a crowded market.
In a crowded market,
it is all about relationships.
Relationships with readers, reviewers, bloggers, booksellers, librarians, etc.
They filter the crowded bookshelves
for readers.
I told a NYT bestselling author once
that I sell my novel one book at a time.
She told me she did the same,
except she sells to bookbuyers
and they ‘buy’ thousands of copies.
Your point about a crowded market is likely true. It can feel very much like you’re the only author with a book like yours, but there are plenty of–in my case–straight contemps, or inspirationals or historicals of a certain era. Being seen in the sea of romance is a bit like being seen on tv in the crowd of a football game.
So what you’re saying is…maybe authors need to start personally courting the booksellers instead of using semafore to reach the reader directly?
The readers are important,
don’t get me wrong.
They’re the reason we publish
(’cause it sure isn’t for the rejection slips – grinning).
But that’s a one to one sales ratio.
You’ll never sell many books if you have to sell them yourself to each reader.
Not every romance novel is on shelf.
Not every romance novel is reviewed.
Not every romance author gets quoted in the media.
There are filters in place.
The best selling authors have figured out how to get past these filters
(part is writing a great book, of course)
Heh! I love your disclaimer about boobs…
I’m not a writer, I’m a reader. As a reader, I can tell you that sometimes I’m in the mood for boobs and sometimes I’m in the mood for character driven stories. I tend to look for these character driven stories in contemporaries. So yes, I search and search those shelves at the store — please give us some more!
LOL Hilcia, I was actually worried to offend women who might not be as boobalicious as others. You just never know how folks will take a reference.
Sometimes, I’m totally in the mood for boobs. But I thank you from the depths of my soul for checking out the stories for what you’re looking for. Reminds me it’s not all impulse buy.
Dee–
Ha! You crack me up. Actually, the whole idea behind category romance is to create groups of books that have certain consistencies, in tone or sexual content, so the reader who wants a certain type of story need look no farther than whatever Harlequin line meets her expectations.
Basically, I do nothing to stand out because I don’t have to. Harlequin does a better job reaching readers than I ever could.
In the single-title world, though, it’s different. If (when) I ever have a single-title book, I guess I’ll have to worry about what kind of bra my book will wear!
Kara, one of your B-cup colleagues, LOL!
Dee: I’m a straight-contemp reader; I rarely read anything else. And while I don’t have a problem with boobs, I do get tired of wading through the stacks of them (and vampires) to try to find what I’d like to read.
So the answer to your question is that I tend to shop online instead. I read reviews and blogs and search far and wide for books that are strong, emotional, character-driven stories–and my friends do the same. I buy more authors through blogs, word of mouth, and ads (in RT, online, and in RWA) than I ever have before, and rarely darken the bookstore doors anymore…
I can appreciate your dilemma when you don’t write extremely explicit romances and the market seems to be driven in that directions. However, the conversation seems to be boobs OR character driven plot. To use your metaphor.
But…there are stories out there with both. That may not be your personal choice to read or write, but don’t dismiss those books as fluff. Dolly Parton has breasts aplenty but she’s a smart lady too. One asset does not preclude the other. To say it another way, boobs and brains are NOT mutually exclusive.
Good point, Francesca!
I do, most heartily admit, my books do have boobs and I certainly hope they have brains. But my MARKETING isn’t really in that vein. In fact, the one of my books that WAS marketed in that vein became readily known–I kid you not–”The Boob Book”.
*Shrug* What I’m really getting at is whether a book is being sold because of it’s boobs or it’s content. Not that they’re mutally exclusive.
Dee
I think most of us would LOVE to give you more, but we’re often hampered by what the publisher think the readers want. One big hit, and everyone jumps on the bandwagon.
I’m almost always into books for the characters. And I’ll confess to perhaps missing some good reads by automatically bypassing anything that says, vampire, werewolf, shifter, etc. etc. I tried a few. They didn’t work for me. Not that they were ‘bad’. Just nothing that swept me away.
When I look for books, I am looking for the situation. The back cover is the most important for me. I am looking for “funny” over “heart-wrenching” and anything that involves something bad happening to a child automatically goes back on the shelf. Honestly, I don’t really care about sex in books. I care about what happens in the characters’ heads, and not so much the intimate things they do with their bodies. I generally skim over that part (esp after the first scene). But that’s just me.
I’m not going to catch much attention for my bust size. : ( But I hope that my good qualities shine through. Same with my books. I’m not going to wow anyone with threesomes and upside-down-hanging-in-midair sex. And that’s okay. Most true-blue romance readers are looking for great stories with heart. A hot cover sells, but an emotional payoff brings them back.
It’s all about inner beauty, Dee!
I find it increasingly difficult to rate a book by its blurb or its cover. Both can be very misleading. I know authors have little control over their covers and was shocked myself by my latest cover which was much hotter than my book. I do fear it misleads readers into thinking they’re going to find something a lot steamier inside than what’s there. I also fear it will turn away some readers who are looking for something with a lower heat level than the cover suggests. I too check out reviews on line and also Rt.
Your post made me laugh. As much as I love reading romance, I hate standing in the romance section of the bookstore. I think it’s because of the overwhelming amount of pink. Seriously, next time you’re there, take a look at how many covers are pink (or pastel). It’s sickening. I want a decent romance story with a cover that’s not hideously embarassing – that doesn’t announce the whole world that I’m reading something where a woman “falls into her hero’s arms”. Because even when that doesn’t happen, the cover makes you think that it does!
As for the amount of sex — well, I like the spicier stories. But what’s most important is the story – a compelling, modern couple, overcoming challenge and living happily ever after. They should get along in the bedroom too, and their sexual tension add to the romance. Stories with no sex don’t feel real. But stories which explore sex and just happen to involve a man and a woman (or more…) are in a different category entirely and their covers deserve the naked torsos.
I think the over crowding in the market is the problem. I have trouble finding what I want at most stores and find myself relying a lot on reviews and recommendations.
I would love to see the genre shelved differently — romantic suspense separated from historical romance which would have a different shelf from paranormal romance and a nice section just for straight contemps. I am sure my dream will never come true but still, it’s nice to dream
As a reader who enjoys a variety of genres including romance, my shopping process starts with finding the ’shelf’ first. By that, I mean if I’m in a physical book store, I’ll go to the section I assume holds the type of book I think I’m in the mood for. Nowadays it is hard to find a ‘clean’ shelf that isn’t mixed with cross-genre stuff.
But that’s OK, the next step is the cover. That’s when I expect the cover to be true to the contents. If I’m looking for something paranormal, the cover hopefully looks spooky or mysterious. If it’s got a guy’s bare chest or something else that hints at erotic content and I am not in the mood for that, then I keep browsing for something else on the shelf.
Sometimes even when I’m not looking for a type of book suggested by a particular cover, I may give it a ‘blurb’ or ‘first page’ look if I really like the cover (interesting graphics, nicely done, something about the color scheme or typeface, etc.).
Once I flip over to the back, it’s critical decision-making time. If the blurb on the back doesn’t hint at some story nugget I feel is interesting to me at that moment, I will look elsewhere. If the back cover has review info only, I may look inside and skim the first page. That’s when the first sentence or first paragraph better sound really intriguing, or I’m off to the next book.
ONLINE shopping is a totally different story. The shopping process is the same – except finding the ’shelf’ is pretty darn difficult, because sometimes entire publisher sites are just one huge shelf of erotica – as I’m finding many ebook publishers today have turned to erotica as a mainstay.
If I am not interested in that kind of book, I don’t visit those sites. Most of the time, when I go book shopping, it’s because of a review, some comment in a group, or curiosity about an author I’ve heard about, or some snippet that makes me start looking for a book.
If I go to a place like Fictionwise, I have to know ahead of time what kind of book I’m looking for and be very specific, or the sheer volume of choices can be overwhelming.
So, in a nutshell, (sorry to have rambled on), I shop a publisher when I know I’m interested in the (usually ONE) type of book they offer, or go to a general site like Amazon if I’m looking for more than one genre of book or feel like shopping in more than one genre.
Bottom line, covers DO matter. So does the story summary (blurb). If it looks like it has ‘boobs’ and I’m not in the mood for that, then I’ll pass. If it looks like it has ‘boobs’ and I AM in the mood for that, then the book inside should have what it advertises on the cover.
I don’t think any reader likes the bait and switch routine, but I’m guessing a lot of authors think, ‘If I could just get readers to LOOK at my story, they’d love it even if they think they don’t like sexy romance…’ But really, that’s like trying to get a coconut-hater to eat coconut pie by telling them it is lemon meringue. And who wants an unpleasant surprise like that? I would rather deal straight on with what I’m trying to buy. Anything else is just false advertising.
So, ‘boob’ when appropriate, but no bait and switch please – let the readers make up their own minds by being able to tell what the book is about from the outside without getting an unpleasant surprise after the purchase. Nothing’s worse than forking over hard-earned money on a book that sounds promising, only to find when you start reading that it is nothing close to what you thought it was.
Thanks!
Very funny post, Dee! But even in a crowded market, I don’t always find the kind of book I’m looking for. There may be many books, but not enough variety. Because often the type of book I’m looking for has to do with my mood.
I search the back blurbs, looking for something that speaks to me – it could be the plot – it could be the location – it just depended. Sometimes I walk out buying nothing and feeling disappointed because I really wanted to find a book I could lose myself in.
I know for a fact that my mom has real trouble finding books with less sex in them. I think if she could she would only read books that didn’t have any in them at all. She ends up getting books baced on charitors and then just flipping thru the pages about the sex. I on the other hand have moments where I like sex and moments where I would prefer to do without it. I find the marketing annoying in this because as you say a book will have boobs writen all over it and then have little to nothing of boobs in it. But if you are LOOKING for that book with no boobs you won’t find it. Mostly because of the marketing.
Terrific post, Dee. I’m in boob envy here!