Misconceptions about Romance Novels

Say the words “romance novel” and waaaay too many people think of “bodice ripper” book covers and stories about damsels in distress waiting for the white knight to come and rescue them. It’s unfortunate that the early days of the Harlequin romance novel created the stereotype that still persists today.

In reality, the romance genre has been around forever. Think Romeo and Juliet, written in 1595 and based on an Italian tale translated in 1562. A classic love story albeit without the happily ever after ending.

Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice in 1813. It’s considered one of the first romantic comedies in the history of the novel. This popular story has been made into movies no fewer than four times starting in 1940. It’s also been made into three TV serials. There’s also a Broadway musical version of the story. The popular movie Bridget Jones’ Diary is a loose adaptation of the novel with Mark Darcy modeled after Austen’s Mr. Darcy.

Today’s romance novels feature strong women – think Stephanie Plum in the wildly popular Janet Evanovich series, or the heroines in the novels of romance mainstay Nora Roberts. A romance is really just a story that contains a central love story with the “plot centered around two individuals struggling to make the relationship work” and has an emotionally satisfying ending. Many novels – I’d venture to say most – contain romantic elements. Even the novels by renowned western writer Louis L’Amour contain romance.

And the romance doesn’t have to be between a man and a woman. Diana Gabaldon follows up her popular Outlander series with a series about Lord John Grey in which his undying love for Jamie Fraser (the hero in the Outlander series) underlies any other romantic relationship Grey attempts. In case you didn’t get it, Lord John is gay and his homosexual lifestyle adds a sense of danger to the Outlander and Lord John series both set in the 1700s.

All the “eeeewwwww, romance novels” attitudes are contradicted by the numbers. Romance sells! Of those who read books last year, one in five read romance novels. With the exception of religious/inspirational, romance outsold every other category in 2006. That’s more than westerns, mysteries, sci-fi, etc. Romance fiction generated $1.37 billion in sales in 2006. (2007 numbers aren’t in yet but they will, no doubt, show similar results.)

Who reads romance? Just about everybody – even men. According to a poll conducted by Corona Research (a market research firm in Denver), in 2002 seven percent of romance readers were men. In 2006, that number jumped to 22 percent. Forty-two percent have a bachelor degree or higher. Geographically, in the US readership is split fairly evenly between Southern, Midwestern and Western states.

People are reading romance and not even recognizing that it is romance. One of my friends commented the other day that she never reads romance yet one of her favorite authors is Barbara Taylor Bradford, arguably the number one best seller of women’s fiction over the last 30 years. “Women’s fiction” is just another way of saying it’s a novel with strong romantic elements, which puts the work under the romance umbrella.

So how do we put these misconceptions to rest?

When I hear the “eeewww, romance” reaction, I like to ask people to name their favorite books and then note which ones are really romances or contain romantic elements. I get a lot of “oh, I didn’t think of that” reactions.

That tells me that, bottom line, overcoming the stereotypes means focusing on stories that are so well written with well developed plots and compelling, three dimensional characters that the non-romance reader won’t automatically slot the book into their mental “bodice ripper” category. If quality writing and compelling stories hook the reader, maybe they’ll forget all about the “eeewww” factor.

Book Buying Behavior

At lunch the other day my colleagues and I were talking about books. (Most of the people I work with are avid readers.) The conversation turned to what prompts them to pick up a book when they're browsing in the book store (or library).

One said she goes solely by the back cover blurb. That impressed upon me how important that short paragraph is in getting the essence of the story across. It also made me realize the similarity between grabbing a reader with that blurb and grabbing an editor or agent with "the pitch".

One said that she goes solely by the cover. Ouch! That's one that authors can't always control. Even when an author submits their cover ideas, there's no guarantee that the publisher's marketing department is going to listen. So do you trust a graphic designer in the marketing department to be able to translate the essence of your story correctly? I guess this is one area where a strong relationship with your editor and an assertive agent will come into play.

A friend of mine looks at how much dialogue there is. She won't buy a book that has more than one page without any dialogue.

What prompts you to pick up a book? Take the poll (click on the link at the right side of your screen) and let me know. I'll share the results.

Happy?? Endings

Nineteen Minutes is one of the most riveting, heart wrenching books I've read in a long time.

According to amazon.com:

Set in Sterling, New Hampshire, Picoult offers reads a glimpse of what would cause a 17-year-old to wake up one day, load his backpack with four guns, and kill nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes.

But. (And it's a BIG but) Picoult adds a romance between two major characters that really detracts from the emotional intensity of the story. It's almost as if someone told her to throw some romance in there to soften it up.

Too bad. The effort to achieve the requisite "happily ever after" ending falls flat. The relationship between the judge and the detective feels contrived. Slapped on as an afterthought. And it makes the judge character appear shallow and heartless. Picoult misses an opportunity to end this powerful novel in a powerful way.

As one of my book club buddies said, "The romance muddies the waters."

One of the "rules" in the romance genre is that the story must have a happy ending. Sure. I expect that from a romance.

Nineteen Minutes is a far cry from a romance. In fact, anyone who's experienced being bullied at school will relate to Peter, the 17 year-old shooter, as he struggles through life never quite fitting in, never quite living up to expectations. And never really knowing why.

I especially appreciated the way Picoult was able to show the story through Peter's eyes. My book club buddy insists that Nineteen Minutes should be required reading for every high school student. I think it should be required reading for every parent. A lesson in why it is so important to take the time to appreciate the uniqueness of our children. To learn who they are and give them the room (and security and encouragement) to be just who they are rather than trying to press them into some mold.

The story also touched me because my teenage grandson has Asperberger's a variant of austistic spectrum disorder. It's characterized by social isolation and eccentric behavior in childhood. We've had first hand experience with how cruel people at school - students, teachers and administrators - can be when they're dealing with someone who doesn't "fit in". But that's another post for another day.

Mary Castillo's Five Things One Needs To Be A Writer

There's an uplifting post over on The Writing Playground. Mary Castillo writing about the five things one needs to be a writer.

The five qualities that I've seen in authors are: generosity, discipline, patience, joy and writing.

Check it out. Castillo gives a great perspective that's so different from the usual "butt in chair" or "Know the market" perspective.

Beauty In The Sky

My house is near a small bird habitat area overseen by the Audubon Society right next to a golf course and a plant nursery. In the fall, Canadian geese migrating south over eastern Nebraska use the area as a resting place at night. This time of year I can hear them every day calling to each other.

The other day at sunset, just as a bank of clouds moved in from the east, I was stopped at a red light near my house and saw a flock of geese flying really low. Against the backdrop of clouds, the setting sun made them appear to be made of silver. The beauty of it awed me.

When I glanced around at my fellow drivers stopped at the light, I was even more impressed. Everyone, and I mean every one, was staring into the sky watching this spectacular sight. Some people even rolled down their windows and put their heads out to get a better look.

Expressions of wonder and amazement on the faces of busy adults at a red light = priceless.

Nature has a way of putting things into perspective.

Fellow Writer Cheering Section

A few days ago I wrote about professional jealousy. (Boy, what a negative post that was!) That kind of drag-you-down-and-kick-you attitude is in the minority. Thankfully.

I'm a member of Romance Writers of America and qualify for PRO status within the organization. Basically it means that I'm actively seeking publication. There is a PRO email loop and I have to say that I've met some really nice people there. We commiserate with and encourage each other in a way that no one else can. Because, bottom line, no matter how supportive your family and non-writer friends are, they can't really understand.

One of the PROLoopers (affectionly referred to as Oat Cakes) said it best:

I try to comfort myself with all the wonderful positive phrases that I've clung to over the months and years of rejection. But for a day, I feel as if maybe I've got it all wrong and I'd probably be more successful selling origami...or oat cakes. But alas, both the optimist in me, along with my passion for writing, barrel their way through any realistic thinking in calling it quits, and insist I press on. . . . As rejections hit the mailbox and eventually the shredder, I remind myself: I am a writer and my stories must be told. To deny myself this joy is to deny my passion, my spirit, my yearning for something so sweet even a little taste now and again keeps me going.

We keep writing because to stop would be to die.

Good Rejections

Rejections are a fact of the writing life. They fall into two general categories: "sorry not for us" and "good rejection".

The "sorry not for us" kind are form letters. Usually a photo copy of an original that's been photo copied to death. Sometimes not even a good photo copy - fuzzy and misaligned on the page. The "sorry not for us" letters are often unsigned. And they leave writers scratching their heads trying to figure out why the story wasn't right. I have a stack of the "sorry" rejections.

The other kind - "good rejection" - is a personalized letter explaining why the story wasn't acceptable. The editor points out specific flaws that make the manuscript unpublishable and offers words of encouragement. Oftentimes the "good rejection" includes an offer to take a look at something else the writer has done. This kind of rejection gives the writer a boost. Makes them feel like it is worth going on in the writing life.

I got my first "good rejection" yesterday from Kimberley Young at Mills & Boon. (Read an interview with her at the review site wewriteromance.com) Is it silly to send a thank you to an editor for giving you a good rejection? I don't know, but I sure want to!

Her positive comments gave me encouragement and her specific feedback about the problems with the manuscript give me something I can sink my teeth into as I work on honing my skills.

Using Technology to Build Reader Loyalty

I was reminded today of how old I am when I mentioned that I could remember when computers didn’t have sound. Actually, I remember the first electronic word processor I had and how thrilled I was to be able to edit my manuscripts without having to re-type pages upon pages.

What brought all this to mind is Victoria Alexander’s e-book Lady Amelia’s Secret Lover from Harper Collins. The book includes video of the author talking “candidly about the plot's turning points and her vivid characters.”

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to hear Victoria Alexander speak, you know you’re in for a treat. She has a quick wit and well-honed sense of irony. The video portions promise to be entertaining! Victoria’s sense of humor shines through in her writing. The Effington’s are among my favorite characters.

Okay – enough of a plug for one of my favorite authors!

Using technology to give readers a sense of interacting with their favorite authors is, in my opinion, a great way to build that all-important reader loyalty. Alexander’s e-book is probably about 1/3 the length of one of her print books – just enough to give new readers a taste of her style. The e-book contains six video clips – enough to give Alexander fans a sample of what this author is like.

Including an excerpt of the next book at the end of the book that’s currently on the shelves has become a standard promotional practice. Harper Collins incorporates that strategy here too by including an excerpt of Secrets of a Proper Lady, which hits bookstore shelves the end of September.

I imagine Harper Collins did their market research before launching this new promotional strategy, and I expect we’ll see a lot more of it as other publishers follow suit. Readers like connecting with authors. Authors like connecting with readers. I’m glad to see established publishers thinking outside the box and coming up with innovative ways to help readers connect with their favorite authors.

So Many Books . . . So Little Time

I love a good book. Even better, I love writing a good book. Like many writers - published and unpublished - I started writing as a child. My creative urges took off in junior high. It's only been in the last few years that I really started to believe my dreams of being a writer could be a reality.

In her book The Artists Way, Julia Cameron talks about "shadow artists" - people that are really artists but don't believe in themselves as such. They take jobs in fields that let them hover on the edges of their artistic interests without having to acknowledge their inner artist. I used to be one of those shadow artists.

At any rate, my goal here is to share both my own work and that of others that grabs my attention.