Tag: writing romance

Coming in July… Romance Subgenres

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We’re devoting the month of July to chatting about the myriad of subgenres in the romance genre. We don’t have enough weeks for all of them, but here are the ones we’re going to chat about this month:

July 1st Paranormal

July 8th Contemporary

July 15th Suspense

July 22st Historical

July 29th Science Fiction & Fantasy

Come let us know about your experiences writing different subgenres, whether you’ve written in that subgenre, have thought about writing in that subgenre or would never write in that subgenre ever… join us Sundays at 4pm PST/ 7pm EST.

Guest Post: Consent Is Key In Romance

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Tamsen Parker took on the tough topic of consent in romance, as per our chat this Sunday, and she makes some great points for us to think about.

Consent has become a bigger part of the romance conversation than ever before, and it’s a conversation that is essential to have. We don’t live in the era of the bodice ripper anymore when I’d argue that women were demonstrating agency by writing stories in which they could still obtain sexual pleasure without receiving society’s censure for acting “unladylike,” or for, heaven forbid, admitting that they wanted sex. We don’t have to do that anymore. Which raises the question: what is our responsibility in regards to consent in the romances we pen?

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Coming Feb. 25th… Consent

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It’s Flirty February! Join us for a whole month devoted to romance-specific chat topics.

Romance Writer chat topic February 25 Consent

The role of consent in society and romance is an ever-evolving conversation. The genre’s “bodice ripper” reputation is a throwback to when leading ladies weren’t allowed to want sex without coercion, but many authors and readers have moved on to more sex-positive narratives. This Sunday February 25th, we’ll talk about what consenting relationships look like (even if you like them rough and/or dark), as well as the past, present, and future of consent in Romance.

Coming Feb. 18th… Love Scenes

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It’s Flirty February! Join us for a whole month devoted to romance-specific chat topics.

Romance Writer chat topic February 18 Love Scenes

Writing love scenes is hard (hehe). Sometimes it’s hot and heavy, sometimes it’s slow and sweet, sometimes it’s something in between that’s difficult to define. Better yet is when they break the boundaries of the physical intimacy we’ve read before with something unique and new. But no matter what, love scenes have to play a part in the plot and the development of the characters. How do you write meaningful love scenes amidst all the “skip to the good part” pressure? Join us Sunday 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

  

The ‘Do’s and Don’t’s’ of the Author/Reviewer Relationship

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RWchat romance writer chat reviews graphic

We appreciate when reviewers and librarians chime in during #RWchat to share their insights, so we’re thrilled to share this post from Maria Rose on how to build a good relationship with book reviewers. Also make sure to check out Frannie’s post on Making the Library Your *Fan(girl).

 

Hello everyone! My thanks to Alexis Daria for inviting me to write a guest post for RWChat on the topic of book reviews. Hopefully it will give you some insight into the reviewer perspective of what should be a positive and mutually beneficial reviewer/author relationship.

A little bit about me: I’m a long time reader of romance and in 2014 I started writing reviews for Goodreads (a book review site owned by Amazon) and book sale sites. I now write for 3 main review sites as well as guest review for others. There may be other reviewers with different perspectives than mine, but these are some of the issues I’ve seen come up with authors and fellow reviewers that I think are worth discussing. Note that my thoughts relate to non-professional book review sites/blogs, not RT, Library Journal, Kirkus etc.

Whether you are a new or established author, self-published or traditionally published, everyone can benefit from having their book reviewed. As part of a marketing plan, reviews can help bring visibility to your story, your name and your brand. Here are some tips to make your book stand out in the crowd.

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Okay, I need a newsletter. Now what?

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RWchat newsletter graphicMay is Marketing Month on #RWchat! Our latest post combines newsletter advice collected by guest contributor Sofia Tate and #RWchat co-host Alexis Daria. And be sure to check out Robin Lovett’s earlier post, “Do I have to have a newsletter?“

At the LSFW conference in March, I attended the “Buzzing Your Book & Building Your Brand” workshop led by Liz Berry and Jillian Stein from 1001 Dark Nights. They had a ton of great advice on newsletters, and the session dispelled a lot of the fear I felt about starting one. On top of that, RT is going on this week, and Sofia Tate (author of the Davison & Allegra series) was kind enough to share her notes from the newsletter session led by Sarah Wendell (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books) and Mel Jolly (Author’s Atlas). I’ve combined our notes below to give you a double helping of tips and tricks to make your newsletter shine. Continue reading →

5 Things to Include on Your Author Website If You’re Not Yet Published

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When I started building websites in the 90s, it was hard. Now, we’re living in a golden age where anyone can turn a free theme into a functional author page. My intention when I started querying was to turn my online art portfolio into an author site—but a hacker wiped it! Rather than rebuild from scratch, I gave my rarely-used WordPress blog a fresh layout. But one question remained: If you aren’t published yet, what do you include on an author website? Below, I’ll give you some easy elements to add to your site, including the one that netted me several comments from agents. 

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The Ups And Downs To Getting A Contract

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Next in our publishing origin stories is ROBIN LOVETT’s whirl wind journey to her first big five book deal. (Don’t forget to check out Alexis Daria’s story.)

I was lucky. Getting an agent came pretty easy for me. Well, easy if you count writing three books before sending out my fourth to query. I made decisions based on market research, what I’d heard at writing conferences from editor and agent panels. I gave up on my dystopian romance book and wrote an erotic contemporary–because that’s what they said was selling. And it worked, for getting an agent at least.

Rachel Brooks of the L. Perkins asked for a Revise & Resubmit (R&R) then signed my dark erotic romance. There’s some stuff I can’t tell you about here — see Kim Bell’s The First Rule of Pubclub. This was winter 2015.

But my luck ran out there. Unfortunately, for that book, the ending is not happy. It was on submission for a year and did not sell.

That’s right–a year.

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Guest Post: How to Write a Workshop Proposal

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By Kate McMurray

At RT in 2017, I’m going to be teaching as part of the pre-conference writing workshop, which I’m pretty excited about. I’ve been teaching at conferences for a few years now, and I really enjoy it. Presenting a panel or workshop at a conference is a great way to get in front of readers or share knowledge. I got my start at small conferences and have worked by way up to panels and workshops at the big conventions like RT and RWA.

So here’s how you put together a stellar workshop proposal.

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