On Writing Romance_ How to Craft a Novel That Sells - Leigh Michaels [4]
Today's romance novel allows an author wider latitude than ever before. Romance readers—and writers—have their favorite types of books. Just as a reader of mystery expects she will not be getting an Agatha Christie drawing room mystery when she- picks up a new Janet Evanovich or Sue Grafton novel, the romance reader knows Nora Roberts, Julia Quinn, and Jennifer Crusie aren't going to produce the same kind of stories.
Let's take a good look at the most popular types of romances and their guidelines.
KINDS OF ROMANCE NOVELS
Entire volumes—how-to books as well as reference books—could be written about the many categories of romance novels. The list that follows is intended not to take the place of in-depth study, but to introduce you to the wide variety of romances available in the industry today and to share some of the basics about the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges involved in writing specific romance categories.
As the romance industry grows and matures, various types of romances wax and wane in popularity. Some memorable, though now defunct, categories include Silhouette's Shadows, which featured paranormal plots verging on soft-core horror; Harlequin's Lucky in Love, which required a main character to suddenly strike it rich; Berkley's Second Chance at Love, which starred older, widowed, or divorced heroes or heroines; and Bantam's Loveswept, which was an early step toward more erotic romance.
The most common romance categories are listed below, along with their defining characteristics. (Because guidelines vary between publishers, the word counts listed here are wide ranges.) For a list of publishers and the specific sub-genres they are interested in buying, see Appendix E. An up-to-date list of publishers is also available at www.leighmichaels.com.
Anthology: Made up of three or more novellas with a common thread or theme, each by a different author. Some anthologies are based on holidays (Christmas, New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day), while others are based on a theme (stories about the same dress or necklace or quilt as it is passed down through a family; stories about the bridesmaids at a big wedding; stories about witches). The majority of anthologies are historicals, the Regency period being the single most common setting.
Most anthologies are commissioned by publishers who ask established authors to write the novellas, although some anthologies are proposed by one or more of the authors. Anthologies are not usually open to beginning authors.
Word count: 25,000 to 35,000 for each novella
See also Historical, Regency
Chick-Lit: Builds on the success of television shows, movies, and general fiction about twenty-something women who are often more interested in building a career than in finding Mr. Right. In fact, many of these young women aren't even pretending to look for Mr. Right, but they're quite interested in Mr. Right Now—someone to date, maybe to live with, and perhaps to marry ... someday.
The heroine is younger—usually in her mid-twenties—and less well established than more traditional romance heroines. She's more likely to live with roommates and work at a dull or entry-level job. Chick-lit stories break some of the other common rules of romance as well. The heroines might smoke, binge-drink, sleep with more than one guy, swear like a sailor—all things that aren't commonly associated with romance heroines.
The ending may involve an understanding between heroine and hero, or the story may end with the heroine uninvolved in a relationship but more mature. The storytelling style is different as well. Many chick-lit books are written in first person, some are in present tense, and most are up-front, breezy, and less introspective than the average romance. Word count: 90,000 to 100,000 See also City Girl, Hen-Lit, Mom-Lit
Christian: A common but mistaken term referring to inspirational romance. There is no Christian romance category