On Writing Romance (38 page)

Trust your gut feelings. Does the feedback you receive give you new insights? Does it leave you feeling that you now have ideas on how to improve your work? Are you confident that you're capable of applying what you've learned?

Critique groups vary in structure, size, goals, experience level, and frequency of meetings. Some meet weekly, some monthly. Some meet in members' homes, some in public rooms. Some allow a floating membership, others are small groups that do not easily excuse absence and only occasionally invite new members to join. Some require new members to listen for a few sessions before offering an opinion or putting forward their own work for critique.

Sometimes critique groups remain too static. If everyone gets to know the author's story just as well as the author does, the group may lose its objectivity and stop learning. While there is no magic number for the life span of a critique group, it's unlikely that any group will remain healthy and useful forever.

Whatever the structure of the group, make sure it fits with your goals. What are you seeking from a critique group, and how does this group fit into your life and writing style? Are others in the group writing in the same genre or category as you are? If not, do they have wide reading experience? If you're writing historicals, a group of people who read and write only contemporary romances will be of considerably less help to you than a group familiar with the special requirements of historical fiction.

Critique groups that include published members may be of more practical assistance than those that involve only prospective authors. But publication does not guarantee that a member's advice will be helpful. More important is whether the group works with the writer's own strengths. Critique groups have been known to ruin work by offering too many bits of conflicting advice or by trying to turn the story into what someone else would prefer; it can be difficult to sort the helpful feedback from suggestions that lead only to deeper confusion.

Romance Writers of America (
www.rwanational.org
) is a professional organization open to published and unpublished writers of romance fiction, as well as to editors, agents, booksellers, and others interested in the field. It is one of the few organizations for professional writers that welcomes the unpublished into membership and is open to writers around the world.

The organization provides its members with a monthly magazine, offers annual contests for published and unpublished writers, and holds an annual conference where writers can meet with editors and agents, network with other writers, and attend workshops and seminars.

RWA chapters are local branches of the national organization. Most major American cities have chapters, and there are online chapters for special-interest groups or members who can't easily attend a local chapter meeting. Writers must belong to the national organization in order to join a local chapter. Each chapter has considerable autonomy, within RWA's requirements, to organize itself and run its meetings to best serve its own members. Many hold monthly meetings that include a speaker or demonstration or exercise. Many sponsor critique groups that meet separately from the chapter meetings. Some sponsor contests or hold local or regional conferences.

In the United Kingdom, the Romantic Novelists' Association (
www.rna-uk.org
) is a group of more than seven hundred members promoting romantic fiction from category romance to women's fiction. RNA is open to published and unpublished writers, agents, editors, publishers, booksellers, etc., and offers contests and conferences.

Romance Writers of Australia (
www.romanceaustralia.com
) is open to published and unpublished writers from around the world, as well as others interested in romance fiction. It offers contests, conferences, and a program where writers who are isolated and unable to attend meetings are matched with mentors.

Your library will probably have a listing of other national and local professional organizations for writers. Each will have different requirements for membership and offer different benefits.

Writing contests provide encouragement; incentive to meet deadlines; practice in accepting feedback and failure; and great benefits to finalists and winners, including a credit that can be included in future letters to publishers and useful in getting an editor's attention.

But contests can also be expensive. Between entry fees, copying costs, and postage, you can easily rack up a hundred dollars in expenses for each contest you enter.

And contests can be dangerous. Because many of them require the submission of a first chapter only, some writers go no further — they write and polish the first twenty-five pages, then go on to the next contest entry without ever finishing a project. Writers who become contest-addicted may never write an entire book.

The contests that are most useful to a new writer are those that encourage judges to write comments directly on the manuscript. Most such contests promote this aspect in their advertising. Contests that provide only a score with no comments are much less helpful to the writer who doesn't happen to place in the finals.

Choose your contests carefully, and limit how many you enter. Be prepared to receive wildly varying scores; if five judges look at your manuscript, you may find that two love it, one hates it, and two are lukewarm. Judges' opinions are personal and subjective. If, however, several of them comment about the same things — either positive or negative — you'll have a good indication of the strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript, no matter what your final score.

Commercial publishers occasionally run contests, often when they're revamping a line (or opening a new one) and wish to attract attention and submissions. Usually these contests do not charge an entry fee.

The RWA's monthly magazine,
Romance Writers Report
, lists reputable contests, as does
Writer's Digest
magazine. Most romance-writing contests are sponsored by RWA chapters and therefore abide by RWA's rules and ethical code for contest practices.

Some authors offer contests, usually accepting entries by e-mail, as part of a promotional campaign for their own books and Web sites. Usually there is no fee, but there are often nice prizes in addition to attention from editors or agents as well as readers. Writers' e-mail loops, chat rooms, and discussion groups often pass the word about these contests.

A few writing contests are scams in which every contestant is named a winner and invited to buy an anthology of entries. Though these are more common in poetry and short story writing than in romance, it's wise to check that the contest sponsor is reputable.

Critiquing and editing services work with your manuscript-in-progress, advising you about strengths and weaknesses, sometimes brainstorming ideas, and helping you shape your work to fit the marketplace. The value of a critique depends on the experience of the person providing it.

The freelance editors offering their assistance through ads in writers' magazines are often experienced, insightful, and very helpful in making a book salable. Many have worked for the same publishers you're trying to submit your work to, either as authors or editors, and their advice can be invaluable.

Others are more interested in the numbers on your check than in anything else you compose.

Ask for — and check out — references. Ask who will actually critique your work, and what that person's credentials are. Ask how long the editor has been in the business. Ask which publishers she has worked with. Ask whether manuscripts she's edited have subsequently sold, and which publishers bought them. Check the going rates for editing before agreeing to a fee.

Make sure the terms of any agreement are clearly spelled out in writing. And don't ever pay out money that you can't afford to lose entirely.

The best writing classes are usually taught by people who themselves are actively writing. Before choosing a class, consider the teacher's strengths and experience, and think about what you want to get from the class.

Which class is right for you depends on what sort of feedback you need at the time. A college class in creative writing may improve your characterization, but if the instructor is not familiar with the romance genre, the class isn't likely to be of great assistance in the finer points of polishing your romance novel.

Online classes have opened up the classroom to people around the world, no matter what their schedules or other obligations may be.
Writer's Digest
(
www.writersonlineworkshops.com
) and Gotham Writers' Workshop (
www.writingclasses.com
) offer classes on the Internet. Some RWA groups offer online classes, as well.

Finishing your book is actually only the beginning. The publisher isn't likely to show up on your doorstep asking to see it, so it's up to you to target a market and make a sale.

Legend has it that, when Margaret Mitchell contacted a publisher about
Gone With the Wind
, she hauled two stacks of manuscript pages as tall as she was into the publisher's hotel room and said, “Here it is.” Part of the manuscript was typed, part was handwritten, some pages were drenched in spilled coffee, and some chapters were included in multiple versions.

Today, she'd probably be politely asked to haul it all home, boil it down to a two-page query letter, and get an agent.

These days, almost no publisher will read the entire book right up front. They haven't time, so instead they ask to see summaries. If the summary intrigues them, they'll ask to see a section. If they like the section, they'll ask to see the whole manuscript. The likelihood is that, even if they like the manuscript, they'll ask for revisions — and only then will there be any discussion of actually buying the book. (Books are seldom sold until the publisher has seen the entire manuscript. If it's the author's first work of fiction, it almost certainly won't get a firm offer unless it's finished and ready to publish.)

The business aspects of writing and publishing are complex and can be scary. In this chapter, we'll hit the high spots of marketing — deciding on an agent, researching a publisher, writing a query, constructing a synopsis, submitting a proposal, interpreting an editor's letter, and making a deal.

In some cases, having an agent to act for you in selling your work is absolutely necessary. In others cases, it's possible to act for yourself.

If you want to write single-title or mainstream books, you must be represented by an agent in order to be considered by publishers. Most publishers of these kinds of books will only look at submissions that have already convinced an agent of their worth. A manuscript submitted by an author directly to these publishers will most often be returned unread.

If you want to write category romance, you do not need an agent. Publishers of category romance are among the few in the book business that still read unagented and unsolicited submissions.

Even if you don't strictly need an agent to represent you, you may still want one.

If you want to concentrate on writing, an agent can help to steer you through the maze of financial and contract details.

If you aren't sure where your writing strengths lie, or if you want to write more than one type of book or work with more than one publisher, then having an agent who can help to guide your career can be an enormous advantage.

On the other hand, if you have an aptitude for reading legal fine print and educating yourself on the industry, and you can keep business (i.e., money) discussions separate from editorial considerations, you may be better off without an agent — especially if you're the sort who will be checking and second-guessing every decision the agent makes. You can be far more attentive to the details of your career than an agent who is simultaneously handling a number of writers.

Contracts for category romances are fairly standard, without much room for negotiation, so you can feasibly act for yourself. While an agent might negotiate a higher advance, it's unlikely that the long-term payout of a category book will be much improved by having an agent. (Keep in mind that if you negotiate the contract yourself, you won't have to pay the agent's fees.) Contracts can be complicated, however, so an agent's advice can be invaluable in preserving your rights and protecting you from unpleasant surprises down the road, especially if you want to move into other fields in the future.

Whether or not you have an agent, don't sign any agreement you haven't read or don't completely understand.

Since finding an agent to act for you in selling your work is often just as difficult as selling a manuscript directly to a publisher, many writers of category romance submit to publishers and agents simultaneously. If a publisher shows interest in a manuscript, the author can then go to an agent and ask the agent to negotiate the details of the deal.

If you've submitted directly and an editor is interested, the call will of course come to you; if you plan to hire an agent, be careful not to agree to terms that might limit the agent's ability to negotiate for you.

Locating an agent is easy; there are thousands of them. Finding one that's right for you is much more difficult — and having the wrong agent is in many cases worse than having no agent at all. If your agent doesn't understand romance or know the difference between category and single title, he will send your book to all the wrong places.

You can find agents who specialize in romance by consulting the Web site of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR) at
www.aar-online.org
and searching its database. Agents who belong to AAR agree to follow the organization's code of ethics, which is also posted on the Web site.

Literary Market Place
, a directory of the publishing industry available at most libraries, includes agent listings. Writer's Digest Books updates its directory of agents,
Guide to Literary Agents
, every year.

Romance Writers of America lists agents in a members-only section of their Web site (
www.rwanational.org
) and periodically in their magazine
Romance Writers Report
. RWA also maintains a list of agents with whom members have reported problems.

Most agents have Web sites, which give more information about the services they offer and the kinds of books they prefer to represent.

Agents attend many romance conferences and seminars, and most accept appointments with writers who wish to pitch their story ideas. If an agent is interested in a book, he will generally invite the author to send more material for review before agreeing to represent her.

It can be so difficult to get an agent interested in your career that, once you do find an agent, you feel like he's doing you a big favor by representing you. Don't forget that the agent works for you, not the other way around. Don't hesitate to ask questions before signing with an agent. For example, consider asking:

• Which publishers has the agent has sold to in the last year, and how many sales has he made?
  

• Is the agent knowledgeable about the kind of book you're writing, and does he have relationships with the publishers you want to sell to?
  

• Is the agent a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR)? (No licensing is necessary to be an agent, but membership in the national organization is a strong indication of professionalism.)
  

• What other agencies or publishers has the agent worked for?
  

• How long has he been an agent?
  

• How many clients does he handle?
  

• Who would be handling your work — the agent himself or an assistant?
  

• How does the agent view his job — does he provide editorial input and career guidance, or concentrate on selling? Does his philosophy fit with your needs?
  

Finally, be sure to get your agreement in writing, and make sure there's an out clause that provides a reasonable way to conclude the partnership in case the two of you don't work as well together as you'd hoped.

An agent is paid when the author is paid. Usually, the publisher sends a check to the agent, who takes out his percentage (usually 15 percent) and forwards the rest to the author. Some publishers split checks and send each party's percentage directly.

Though some agents absorb the costs of phone calls, courier service, photocopying, etc., it is more common for an agent to charge the author for the outof- pocket expenses he has incurred in selling a book. An ethical agent itemizes those charges and deducts them from the author's check — the agent should not charge the author before the author has been paid.

Some agents ask authors to pay a fee in advance to cover the costs of submitting a manuscript. This practice is not approved by the AAR and agents who do this are not allowed to join the AAR. An agent who asks for expenses to be paid up front may be perfectly legitimate, but some have been exposed as scam artists who collect submission fees but do not seriously market the work — it's prudent to avoid agents who ask for fees up front.

A few agents charge a monthly fee for representation. This provides an incentive for the agent to keep your work dangling as long as possible, rather than try to sell it. This practice is also not approved by the AAR, and agents who charge such fees are not allowed to belong to the AAR. Authors should avoid such agents.

If the agent is paid and reimbursed for expenses only when he sells the work, he has an incentive to try harder.

In no circumstances should you pay an agent a fee to read and consider your work. That's the agent's job — to read submissions and select the ones he feels he can sell.

It can be a challenge to decide where your book fits among the many categories and types of romances, and among the many publishers. Reading publishers' editorial guidelines can help but won't necessarily provide a clear answer. For instance, there's a distinct difference between a Harlequin Superromance and a Silhouette Special Edition, but their word counts are similar, and some of the descriptions in their editorial guidelines (or tip sheets) make them sound quite a lot alike.

In fact, many tip sheets are purposely written in very general terms. Here are some snippets from the many Harlequin/Silhouette tip sheets:

• “We're looking for energetic writing and well-constructed plots based on contemporary, credible, appealing characters.”
  

• “Writers can push the boundaries in terms of characterization, plot, and explicitness.”
  

• “Set in small towns and big cities, on ranches and in the wilderness, from Texas to Alaska — everywhere people live and love.”
  

• “As wide as the world itself.”
  

• “Submissions should have a very contemporary feel.”
  

• “We are looking for fresh new voices, so the ability to take popular emotional themes and develop them through innovative, dramatic, and compelling storytelling is an important factor in getting published.”
  

The editors who write these guidelines are trying to differentiate one category from another without defining a formula that would unnecessarily restrict submissions. Unfortunately, the resulting tip sheets are full of general statements of limited use to the writer.

When reading a tip sheet, look for specifics, which in many cases are negative. The line that says its romances take place “from Texas to Alaska” isn't going to be interested in a story set in Polynesia; a line that asks for “highly emotional” work isn't going to buy romantic comedy. If the editors say they're looking for “girl-next-door,” your princess need not apply, but if they're looking for “glitzy,” a second-grade teacher isn't going to get past the first reader.