It’s all category, all day, here and at RomanceNovel.tv where both Candy and I are yammering in a video about category romance, while Jane from Dear Author is writing at the rn.tv blog about her experiences reading categories. Below is my entry on the subject.
Since I started my steady diet of category romance, I have learned the following three things:
1. I’m something of a judgmental wanker and I owe all category authors an apology. I dismissed this particular facet of romance because I didn’t think it was enough bang for my buck – I read so fast, it takes me about 2 hours to finish a category, at the most, and my prejudice was based on the fact that 2 hours is not a lot of enjoyment for the cover price. I was SO wrong. I’ve got plenty of enjoyment, like merde and mon dieu (TM Nathalie Grey). Yeah, my head? Was up my ass. I was SO wrong. Seems my own attitude needed adjustment, because as Marisa from RN.TV said while we were taping last week, category romances can be a perfect “quick fix” romance read, and so far, I’ve enjoyed many of the ones that I’ve read. So? I was wrong. I stand so very, very corrected.
2. Beyond my prejudice that size matters, I also dismissed the subgenre because I felt vaguely insulted by the concept: here’s a bunch of books this month! Next month, more, with similar titles, but not the same contents! It’s like WCKG FM in Chicago’s promo: “This may not be your favorite song, but it’s got a lot of the same notes.” As a consumer I felt like the category industry looked at the books as interchangeable parts, that one sheikh was as good as two billionaires (especially if they’re IN THE BUSH OMGLOLHAHAHA!) and I was all snorty about what I perceived as dismissal of me as a reader. Remember what I said about my head, relative to my ass? Yeah, that.
A wise category insider took pity on me and told me the following bits of info, which, as they are from one source, are unverified. Seems the titles that drive me so freaking nuts, oh, how they irritate the shit out of me? They’re all based on “hook words” that are tracked for their sales power. And books that experiment with the formula by using non-hook-word titles? Do not, in this individual’s research, sell as well. So all that sheikh virgin mistress baby boardroom tycoon billionaire title mix & match that drives me so bananas? Sells like crazy. And I have to wonder why the hook words work – my first guess is the reassurance that shopping by keyword guarantees a similar storyline every time. But I could be wrong.
3. Harlequin’s decision to issue all their titles as ebooks? Freaking brilliant. Well played, y’all.
Thanks Poison Ivy and Sandra Schwab for the recommendations! And Joy for the good advice. I’ve written them all down and will be heading to my local library and a favorite used bookstore tonight for some category romance fun. 🙂
I’m very strict about my romances. They MUST be medieval, they MUST be humorous, or make ME giggle at least, they MUST have loads of adventure and magic is a possibility as well, though not a requirement. I prefer big books because I live out in the middle of nowhere and don’t have the ability to go back into the big city and go through the racks for what I like. Also, it’s gotta get my attention. So, those hook words that get everyone else’s attention? Won’t work on me.
But, YA’LL have my attention now, simply because what you say is important to me. Ya’ll have good tastes and I respect that taste. So, if you say that they are decent, I’ll take a second look to see if there’s any that grab my attentions. (God it sucks to live where the biggest place to shop is the local WALMART. =w=;; )
PS. – because of my strict preference in my romances, I think my writing comes out similarly, but maybe not exactly the same. XD I’ve been writing a lot of Fate/Stay Night crossover extravaganza fanfiction on FF.net featuring my two ultra favorite characters Saber and Lancer in their most raw forms, (Cuchulainn and Arturia “Arthur” Pendragon) all mixed up in a world that is mostly of my making and set in the future. I really like shoving the human race back to the medieval ages. XD My friend who’s an actress told me that my writing style is similar to Tolkien. Dunno about that, but I was reading The Dark Queen earlier and impressed myself. XD
I adore some of the Harlequin authors who were writing when I was young (back in the Middle Plasticine Era): Essie Summers, Mary Burchell, Joyce Donnelly, Doris E. Smith, and Betty Neels.
I read once that some guy found out that the books that sold best were books about doctors, books about dogs, and books about Abraham Lincoln. So he wrote a book called Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog.
Aren’t some of the next big authors going to come out of category romance? Or do you think that has changed. The list of authors that started out in category romance is pretty impressive: Janet Evanovich, Suzanne Brockmann, Kay Hooper, Iris Johansen, Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Debbie Macomber, Tami Hoag, et. al
First off, I freaking love this website. I’ve been lurking for a long time and now that there’s a conversation I feel confident to post about, I’m jumping in.
I write for Harlequin Superromance and if you’re looking for a good read, might I shamelessly suggest my January release?
Category is great for all the reasons that everyone has mentioned. The very fact that so many talented big name authors got their start there, I think, says a lot. Don’t let the titles scare you. We don’t have any control over that stuff. All we authors can control is the content and we do our best to create a satisfying read that fits within our specified word length. 🙂 So, as someone else said, there’s not a lot of room for sloppy plot threads.
Here’s some recs: Samantha Hunter writes for Blaze and she’s got some fun titles; In fact, PICK ME UP, won a few awards, including most downloaded Blaze at the eHQ website. Brenda Novak with Superromance always delivers with a good read; Kay Stockham and Amy Knupp are entertaining, Knupp especially if you like heroines with an edge (like me); and the list could go on but there’s a few to start.
Love Essie Summers. Here is a site with info about her and a complete list of her books:
http://groups.msn.com/EssieSummersAdmirers/
The first Summers book I read was the last she wrote for Harlequin Mills & Boon, “High Country Governess.” I liked it so much that I glommed every book of hers I found. I think that Harlequin should reissue hers the way they have others, like Betty Neels.
Kay
Jane Drew wrote:
So, now I’m terribly curious: how does one get into being a writer of category romances? I mean…. ok, this might sound silly, but the way it’s being described, I can’t quite see an author slaving away at “The Billionaire Virgin’s Tycoon†for years and sending it to an agent and/or publishing house to be pitched the same way a non-category romance would be sold.
Is there some kind of “apply here to be a category romance writer†process? How structured are the schedules—“Oops, sorry; we have too many millionaire babies this month; can you switch it and make that one an amnesiac sheikh instead?â€
Do category writers get assigned their plot outlines, etc? Do they all get herded into a room once a month, with plenty of cheap booze and a big box that they pick random key words out of to give them titles to work off of? (“Boardroom” “Baby’s†“Italian†“Bodyguardâ€; “French†“Pirate’s†“Marriage†“Vendetta”)
Interesting questions… I’m a relatively new writer for Harlequin Presents (my first book is out this month) and amazingly, perhaps, the process of writing/publishing a category book is very similar to that of writing any other book—I write mainstream historical fiction as well, published by a UK publisher.
You write a story you care about. You revise it. You send it to a publisher. They get back to you with feedback, or a straight acceptance or rejection. Just because the titles are cookie cutter doesn’t mean the books are, as people have commented already.
Authors have *nothing* to do with the titles, and I don’t know a single author who likes them. That’s just marketing. They also come way after the book has been plotted, written, and accepted for publication.
And yes, for Presents/Modern, which seems to get most of the criticism over the titles, you have to work within a format: billionaires, tycoons, sheikhs, mistresses, revenge, blackmail, etc. But even so there is a lot of scope for creating your own characters and story. I like the challenge of writing my own story in my own voice and yet still adhering to the constraints of the genre. Of course, I also like being able to write other things too.
Kate Hewitt
Kay, I second the motion! I’ve only been able to find a few Essie Summers books over the years (Beyond the Foothills is my favorite – LM Montgomery references FTW!) and I’ve always got my eyes peeled for more.
I used to make fun of the Passionate Pagan in a Misty Spin titles, but it didn’t stop me from reading the books. Masculine Noun’s Feminine Property-style titles offend me to the point where I don’t even look at any Harlequin Presents any more (I would buy a new Sophie Weston if there were one). On a couple of occasions while I was still in the market I found the title not just offensively unimaginative but downright spoilery. If you’re going to put Bride in the title, I think there should be a Bride in the story by chapter 2 at the latest. I read one called something like The Riccioni Pregnancy in which the Riccionis don’t even have sex until somewhere in the second half of the book, and then it takes a little while longer for the heroine to realise she’s pregnant. Feh.
orderly,
Well if there were requirements like that, it would be even more restrictive than category romance is being currently accused of.
I suppose even if ‘Bride’ in the title is what had me walk away with the book, all I need to know is that there is a bride or a wedding somewhere in the book and that I get to witness the wedding! 😉 *^_^*
I read a book where it sounds like the guy is using the woman just to get into her circle of people but does no such thing, and it’s quite clear from the male’s POV in The Italian’s Rags-to-Riches Wife.
And really, I picked up a book called The Boss’s Christmas Baby and expected that the matter about an expected pregnancy to come up towards the end and not at the beginning. I picked it due to what was said on the back cover but obviously the title caught my eye. 😉 *laughs*
And with Christmas books that come out in December, I find that they actually don’t begin the story in December but months in advance like July which is 5 months before. Except for when I read Their Christmas Wish Come True by Cara Colter. But that was part of the Harlequin Romance line instead of Harlequin Presents.