by Ann Durand
copyright 2005
their authors would have a tough time pitching their books to Harlequin or
Silhouette. Likewise, Shakespeare would be hard-pressed to convince the editors
at Mills & Boon that Romeo and Juliet was right for their list. And if these classics
can’t cut it in today’s market, how can a writer new to the business ever expect to
break into it? What does a writer of romance need to know these days? Just what is
romantic fiction anyway, and how much of it is actually selling?
Romantic fiction is, of course, a love story between a man and a woman, though
even that is changing with the advent of gay and lesbian publications. To stay true to
the genre however, all romance stories must end happily with an emotionally
satisfying result. The girl must get the guy, or the guy gets the girl, or the guy gets the
guy, or…you get the picture. The villain, too, must get his or her just desserts.
Everyone gets what’s coming to him or her, and the reader is happily sated.
If Romeo and Juliet were a modern romance novel, Juliet would have awakened in
time to stop Romeo from drinking the potion that killed him. They would have
embraced and gone home to boldly announce their love to their families. And
Cinderella would have spent more than a mere evening with her Prince before falling
in love—maybe even months of evenings as she struggled against her baser
instincts to fall passionately into his arms.
Sleeping Beauty, too, would not have succumbed after just one kiss—and not even a
very good one, stolen as she lay dead to the world. Contemporary heroines kiss
back, and they feel every inch of it. If Nora Roberts had penned this fairy tale, she
might have allowed Sleeping Beauty’s eyes to flutter open in the midst of a hot lip-
lock, her heart going thumpity-thump as she stared into the Prince’s eyes, but under
no circumstance would she have permitted Sleeping Beauty to admit to the Prince
that she found him attractive. Instead, she’d have spent the bulk of the book clashing
their wills through spicy events and dialogue that tested his masculinity and her
integrity. The feuding might have lasted for days, even weeks or months.
Romance readers today don’t want an instant relationship. They’re interested in
watching it grow. They want to be there as the sexual tension mounts…and mounts
until no one can bear to hold off any longer—not the hero or heroine and certainly not
the reader. The sexuality doesn’t need to be explicit or graphic, though the market
for erotica is currently thriving. On the soft end of the scale, sweet romances may
end in a simple kiss, or even a promise, but what they all have in common are strong
characterizations, powerful relationships and happy endings. It is necessary to build
the characters and their relationships so that the reader can feel like they know them
well enough to believe in their actions and care about what they do.
In broad terms, these are the basic features of romantic fiction. It’s a love story that
ends happily, and it’s emotionally intense. And yes, it is selling, better than any other
genre. According to a 2004 report from Romance Writers of America, sales in
romance fiction in 2003 totaled $1.41 billion, 48.8% of the entire paperback market.
Romance sales are a whopping one third of total popular fiction sales, which
includes all paperback, trade and hardcover fiction. And as the genre splits and
multiplies into sub genres, such as romantic suspense, paranormal romance,
futuristic or sci fi romance, readers from other disciplines such as mystery and
science fiction are defecting to the parallel genres in romance. Now, a mystery lover
can pick up a romantic suspense and expect a good amount of intrigue. A history
buff can revel in the backdrop of an English romance set during the reign of King
George III. The line between the genres grows blurrier as romance readership
expands, but a true romance is still driven, primarily, by the almighty love story.
Writers of romance may choose from any one of the many sub genres, and there are
likewise many venues to submit their work, from the traditional publishing houses to
the more experimental and rapidly growing electronic publishing industry. I will
present these and other opportunities in this column, as well as the latest contests
and events for romance writers. We will explore the genre and its sub genres in
depth, learn how to win contests, develop plot and characterization, market our work,
and find out exactly who our readers are. Look for these and other surprises in this
column each month. Next month, we’ll focus on the romance reader. Who is he or
she, where do they live and what are they buying, and WHY? Here’s where you can
find out about your readership.
You may also ask me any question you like about the material presented in this
column—or just romance in general, and I will do my best to answer it. I’ll close with a
few July contests from Romance Writers of America that non-members may enter.
Please check back next month, and do email any questions, ideas or suggestions to
AnnDurand@TRI-Studio.com.
Happy Heartbeats!
Ann
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