So, I had an interesting phone call the other day. First of all, I always thought getting a call from a publisher was supposed to be good news. I must be special because I've had not one, but TWO rejection phone calls from editors in the last couple of months. Honestly, I felt pretty good about it. Used to be, I received a rejection form letter email saying "Sorry (insert author name), but your book (insert title) isn't right for us. Good luck." I bet you can all relate. But this time the editorial director of the romance division of a large publishing house picked up the phone and apologized for not getting back to me sooner! She also said she was very interested in me, BUT (you knew there was going to be a BUT, right?) she wasn't thrilled about my proposed series. She didn't think it would sell well. And that isn't a risk a publisher wants to take with a print series.
So, let's talk about what sells in today's market because I honestly found our conversation fascinating. It also made me lose sleep over what market perception says about society (and women) in general. First, I write romantic suspense. Maybe other sub-genres have different requirements, but I'm guessing a lot of this crosses over from one to the next. I (in my infinite ignorance) decided to change things up a little (okay, a LOT) when I wrote the first book in this new series. You may remember COUNTERSTRIKE is a series about a black ops type group that rescues kidnapped victims. She really liked that idea, by the way. BUT (that word again) I did not create a band of brothers headlining the group. I have both men and women working together.
The heroine of book one, Deadly Encounter, is a bad-ass sniper who kills bad guys and saves people. She quits the team, but danger follows her, and she continues to be a bad-ass throughout the book. The hero, an author of thrillers, sort of comes along for the ride. He pulls her but out of trouble a few times, and he offers moral support. He is very self-confident and successful in his own right, and he doesn't feel threatened by her bad-ass-ness. Okay, maybe he does a little, but he works through it. And he does save her butt in the end! Apparently strong, kick-ass women who used to be snipers aren't relateable. And that is key in the romance market. What sells in romantic suspense is Alpha males who save every-day, relateable women. I turned the trope on its head. I thought I was being original. Turns out, the editor was very clear in saying publishers don't want original. They want what sells. She wants heroes who are military or cops and other similar hero-ish professions. She wants heroines who have spunk and personality but have careers women can relate to.
So, then we talked about book two. My heroine is a professor and a scientist who has discovered a cure for dementia. Until she loses her memory after she's kidnapped and takes a blow to the head. The editor was not a fan of that trope, even though I use it as an ironic foil to her life's work, and she does get her memory back, and the story isn't about how she forgot she loved the hero or anyone else, for that matter. The hero is the team medic who saves her and continues to protect her as trouble stalks her throughout the book. The editor didn't think a scientist, super-smart woman was very relateable, either. She's not every-woman.
So, I have to ask myself, do women who read romance really only want to read about strong men and unexceptional women who need to be saved? My oldest daughter read Deadly Encounter and said it was her favorite book of mine. She loved that my heroine was a bad-ass woman sniper. But then Tara is a super smart, bad-ass woman who races triathlons and kicks most boys' butts. She could relate. Apparently Tara isn't my target market. The editor said, as a woman, she isn't thrilled about the stereotype, but as an editor, she has to buy what sells. So, do publishers assume women who read romance can only identify with heroines who are average (not scientific geniuses) and need a man to save them? Or is that what most women truly relate to? I always assumed romance readers came from all demographics, but perhaps I was wrong. So, chew on this, each of you lovely ladies who believes in strong women... If I had reversed the rolls of my main characters in Deadly Encounter and made the man the sniper and the woman the author, I'd probably be signing a contract right now.
As it is, I've decided this series isn't the right vehicle to pitch to an agent or attempt to sell to a different big publisher. I'm going to self-publish it and HOPE that there are romantic suspense readers out there who CAN identify with a bad-ass heroine. I guess we'll find out. I won't release this series until 2019 since I still have my final Siren Cove book coming out in November about a very relateable heroine who sells antiques! The editor I talked to did say she would happily read another submission from me in the future. As long as I make my heroines more womanly and my heroes more Alpha. I've done it before. I may even do it again.
In the meantime, my entire BORN TO BE WILDE series and BURIED TRUTH are still on sale for .99 cents for the rest of the month. Give them a try. And if you like them, leave me a review. I swear, most of these heroines are relateable! Happy reading!
27 comments:
That's a tough one, Jannine. I think of Nora's/J.D. Robb's IN DEATH series that features a kick-ass, in-charge female cop, coupled with an ultra-sexy but also kick-ass businessman/former crook. He takes care of her as if she's a child at times, which annoys her, but she grudgingly submits. I wonder if the first book would have been published without Nora's name behind it. (She announced she'd be releasing a new, edgier series under a pen name.) I love the books, BTW, and am glad they were published. I think your new series sounds fabulous and I'm glad you've decided to release on your own. You know I'll be buying.
So, you told me about this a week ago, and I’m still not sure what to say. Aside from my disappointment, for you, at the rejection, there’s more disappointment for the reason. Strong women don’t sell. That’s devastating to me, as a woman. There’s more I want to say about the contradictions between society in general and the alpha male hero I won’t go into here. I think it’s an excellent idea for you to self publish these books, if for no other reason than people.women need to have the chance to buy them. I, personally, loved the book, kick-ass heroine and all. The fact your daughter though she was your best heroine EVER gives me hope.
...more disappointment for another reason, not the reason. And ....your daughter thought, not though. Geez. Auto correct can be a bitch. LOL
Leah, the editor mentioned female cops, etc. in a straight suspense/thriller sub-genre being more accepted. Apparently James Patterson has one out. I honestly have never read one of his books (my bad). I also don't read Nora's JD Robb persona but have always loved her Nora romantic suspense books. I guess when you throw the romance into the mix as a major component, they want the traditional alpha male saving the little woman. So, it's the romance readers they're assuming want this stereotype. Mind you, she said she didn't think breaking the mold would lead to break-out sales (as opposed to so-so), which is what she would want to see from someone new-ish to print. Which is too bad because why not TRY to promote something a little different to see if readers would embrace it!
Wow, talk about stereotypes. I’m discouraged to hear that “most” women still want to be saved by a big alpha male. Unwritten Rules has been my biggest seller, by far, and it basically uses the same tropes as the first book in this series—the only difference being that the hero is FORMER CIA. I’m glad to hear Tara is bucking the trend. I understand we’re writing to women’s fantasies, which for basic biological and societal reasons, haven’t changed much in centuries, but it’s still discouraging.
I haven't finished my first cup of coffee, Margo, so I didn't even notice the type-o's. I think more than the bad-ass sniper heroine rejection, it bugged me that my brilliant, scientific-minded heroine was deemed not a relateable woman. Good God, can't women be smart in STEM subjects and be relateable? Are we trying to dumb-down women, or is she saying romance readers aren't smart? As always, thanks for the support when I was feeling a little like punching something.
Yeah, I feel disappointed too. For one thing, it sounds like a terrific series and I always get riled when the traditional wins over a new idea. I'm glad you're going to self-pub. I think publishers are slow to catch on to a new or good idea. Too afraid to take the risk. I hope you prove her wrong. My husband reads a lot of the crime type books and says he's tired of every detective being female. He wants to know what happened to the strong male in these books. I think that's the genre that has allowed the female lead but has flipped too far. So Patterson and the others are doing it there. BUT (here's my but) in the current climate of this U.S., I can understand the idea that a very large percentage of women still want the alpha male and want to be the withering rose. I know romance is still the biggest seller. I can only GUESS that of those readers the biggest percentage of them are the women who support the kind of men running this country. I don't mean to get political. I'm trying to approach it from a cultural angle, and the current mess we're in today speaks to our cultural. I could go on and on but you wouldn't want me to. And I'm only offering unsupported theory anyway.
I agree, Alison. And I thought about your series when digesting her comments. Granted, violence at the hands of my heroine is at a different level in my first book, so maybe that made her cringe. Had it been the hero killing a bad guy, I'm pretty sure it would have been just fine. I'm disturbed by the concept that women still want to be saved. It seems to hark back to a different time in society when women weren't encouraged to think for themselves. But when I look at the political situation, that is EXACTLY what is being used to stir up voters--the idea that the good old days were better. And a lot of women are agreeing with it.
See my previous response to Alison, Brenda. It's exactly what I think, too. (And I was trying to avoid turning this into a political discussion, as well.) Maybe that group is the largest demographic of romance readers. While Tara reads my books, she certainly doesn't go out and buy romance from other authors. So it's clear to me that women like her AREN'T the target market. And it's interesting that your husband is over the female detectives in the thriller books. Maybe he should switch to romance if he wants the strong Alpha male!
Funny, Jannine. We were typing basically the same thing at the same time. I read an article the other day about why we women are still like this. Centuries of learning are not going to be easily changed. You know, the old stereotype of romance novels and romance readers is not far off today's mark. I think the stories have come a long ways, but basically romance is still supposed to be about a woman being saved or swept off her feet. And as for the reader, where once she was a housewife stuck at home using romance books to carry her away? Well she might be out earning the bread, but she still sees the knight on a white horse as her rescuer. BUT you know what? It only takes a book of a different angle to enter the market and gain interest. I think your editor might be wrong in that these same women could lose themselves in a new image. You still have romance in the book which is basically what they're after. Our heroes are extraordinary in what they say and do and how they treat women so the thrill is still there. Yeah, go for it, Jannine.
That's very disappointing, and in my opinion, the editor is wrong. I think women are dying to relate to strong bad-ass characters. And I think your series will do very well self-published. In fact, I think it's going to take successful indie sales to show mainstream editors what we want. I'm sorry you got that news, but I'm glad you're not letting it stop you.
Thanks, Brenda, I intend to! I liked the idea of making the hero a confident man who isn't a stereotypical alpha male. And the romance that appeals to the fantasy life of women is definitely still there. My girls have said I set the bar of expectations for men way to high for them when it comes to real life. LOL They say the guys they meet are NOT like my heroes.
I think so, too, Jennifer. I do think indie books can lead the way in changing mainstream. The challenge is getting the word out to readers. That's where I've always struggled. But honestly, I'm not sure big pubs succeed much better in the digital world with authors who don't have a name.
What a shame this attitude is. You definitely did take one on the nose for the rest of us. I'm a girly girl and I like to read about them, but it would be so boring if we all wrote about (or wanted to read about) the same types of protagonists. I think she was dead wrong.
Liz, she was speaking for what sells for them in romantic suspense. But I do think variety should be encouraged, and if you only publish one "type" of romantic suspense, you aren't going to know if something different would be equally successful. However, maybe it would take a bigger name in RS to break out of the mold and lead the way. I don't have star power behind me.
Jannine, your comment about Tara got me thinking. I wonder if the average age of romance readers is skewing older. My daughter and her friends largely read fantasy—often with romance as a secondary element. The female characters are always strong. These young women grew up with Harry Potter. They completely related to Hermione Granger. It’s possible that editors and publishers are missing the boat when it comes to attracting the next generation of romance readers.
That's an interesting thought, Alison. It definitely could be an older demographic that publishers are targeting. Honestly, I don't think the younger generation reads as much as we used to. But we had 3 channels on TV growing up. They have endless choices in entertainment. My girls binge-watch Netflix instead of reading books when they have free time. I should have asked the editor I spoke with what their target market is. I can't relate to fantasy, but my girls were big fans of the Hunger Games. Katniss was another bad-ass female protagonist!
I think Alison Henderson has a great point. Current romance readers might very well be older women who want the stereotypical strong male. These are also the older women who go to used book stores and buy them cheaply or only buy $0.99 eBooks. (Ugh) I was disappointed to hear that strong women aren't in vogue since I just submitted a historical romance with a women as the strong heroine. (Sigh) I think we need to write what we're comfortable with, but I do know that all the younger people I know are into fantasy and paranormal which may become the norm as they age.
Judy, that could also be why book sales across the board are down. Younger people don't buy books the way older ones do. If that's your target market, your market is dying off! Maybe big pubs need to rethink what they publish to reach that younger generation instead of sticking to the tried and true. When I mentioned wishing I could sell like Nora Roberts to my daughters, they asked, "Who's that?" Uh, that kind of says it all.
What an interesting conversation you had with that editor, Jannine. I'm also finding the comments here interesting, especially the ones about the age of romance readers. I wonder if younger readers find it difficult to relate to the romance heroines who are not the kick-ass kind of women they read about in fantasy novels. I'll bet if you self-publish these books, you'll do just fine.
I'm glad I was able to spark such an engaging conversation, Jana! I appreciate your vote of confidence!
Here’s hoping your rejection was just the result of one editor/publishing house’s conclusion and maybe NOT because readers are getting older and dying off. In fact, according to a survey commissioned by RWA last year, the average age of a largely (82 percent) female readership is 35-39 with the highest percentage in the 25-34 age bracket. These kids are also of the everyone gets a trophy generation. It’s interesting that the very heroes sought in romance books, can sometimes be vilified, deserved or not, in real life. I’m with the group in believing that kick ass heroines are the wave of the future. Can’t wait to see what yours does as a self pub. I thoroughly enjoyed it! LOL
I have a hard time believing that survey is accurate. But my reference point (early 20's) isn't in it, so maybe kids start reading more later in their 20's. But what sub-genres are they reading? That would be an interesting study. Honestly, I think the "everyone gets a trophy" stereotype is no more accurate than a lot of the perceptions about older women. If anything, I think the competition for young people now is even more fierce than it was when we were young. And if that's true, you would think women (young and older) would want to read about kick-ass women who are forced to succeed in a still male dominated and controlled world.
I'm appalled at what the editor told you sells. I thought the idea that the man has to rescue the woman went out with burned bras. I've often felt that self-publishing is leading the way in what the public wants. Even though I'm a lot older than the demographic that publisher is targeting, I really like reading about kick-ass women who save the guy and the day. LOL In fact, that's what I write. No wimpy girls in my books. At least, we all have more options these days for our stories. Good luck! Make sure you let us know when those books come out.
I think self-pubbing does test the market, Diane. Hopefully it stretches it! Don't worry, I'll definitely let you know when the new books come out. It won't be until next year, though. I still have Hidden Secrets to promote in November!
I've felt for a long time that agents and editors are the reason that romance still has a ripped-bodice reputation. It's not that authors don't write stories with kick-ass heroines; it's that we struggle to get them published. Every manuscript that I wrote BEFORE I learned the romance rules has been termed nontraditional, i.e. doesn't fit the mold. Sometimes, I think too many (not all) agents/editors believe romance readers are stupid. I've been told to dumb-down stuff many times. I think publishing is so out of touch with today's readers of both political parties, BTW. If the industry doesn't wake up, it will be unrelatable.
Well said, Diane. I feel the same. Completely out of touch! Maybe if they provided something different, they'd find a whole new market.
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