Sil. Desire - Logline/Pitch contest on eHarlequin

Susan Gable · Apr 29, 2009

Okay, for those of you who have something you'd like to pitch to Silhoutte Desire, they're having a contest on eHarlequin. You submit a logline. 5 entries will be chosen by one of the Associate Eds. Those 5 people will be allowed to pitch to the editor on June 24th.

For complete details: http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/write-stuff/editor-pitch-silhouette-desire

Here's what else it says:

Editor Pitch: Silhouette Desire

by Rae-eHarlequin on April 7th, 2009, 1:11pm
We're at it again! And this time, we've got another of your favorite lines for you to send your powerful, passionate and provocative entries too! Silhouette Desire is looking for YOUR manuscript and Associate Editor, Diana Ventimiglia will be on hand to take your pitch!
To enter, send a 1-2 line logline of your manuscript to Hosty Rae by June 15th.
Five entries will be chosen by Diana Ventimiglia and those will be announced on or around June 19th.
Pitches will happen June 24th, at 1:00 pm edt. But read the rules below to ensure your entry can be accepted.
• NO multiple submissions.
• NO Attachments. Please include your entry in the body of the email. If your submission is sent via attachment, it will not be entered.
• You MUST be able to enter and post inside the eHarlequin.com chat room. If you are unable to use the chat room and your submission is chosen, we will be unable to offer you another venue option and it will be unfair to an entrant who is able.
• You MUST have a completed manuscript that is targeted to Silhouette Desire. Editors have the option to request partials or full.
• You MUST be available at the given chat time. As stated above, we will be unable to offer another venue or time option.
• Please include your member name, your full name along with your submission.
Logline Specifications

Challenge Specifics: This challenge is 1 or 2 lines (as written by the author, please grammatically ensure the sentences do not run-on in order to fit more in.). This should not look like a large paragraph. Challenge Description: A logline is a 1 or 2 line description of your ENTIRE ms, primarily what marketing hooks each ms might have (ie: Beauty & The Boss, Cowboy Lover, Pregnant Bride) but it's more than that. You will need to lay out the hooks, the conflicts, the characters and the plot premise concisely.
In a query, it would go at the top of the letter, for a pitch, it might be all you use, and you have a better chance of getting editorial attention if you know this skill well because they now have a speedy way of discerning what you're trying to do in the story.
Also loglines help keep the query pages short and you can be more expansive in the synopsis. (I've also found that if you put it all into those two lines, you now have a small thesis statement from which to build the synopsis itself.)
EX
When pregnant Lindsay Lawson is left at the altar, no one is more surprised than Hank Handler, the man she works for, that he steps in as the role of the groom. But is the handsome, quiet rancher there to help her save face...or does it have something to do with the long-standing rivalry between their families?

Good luck!

Susan G.

sunandshadow · Apr 29, 2009

Here are the Silhouette Desire writing guidelines if anyone wants them, I looked it up out of curiosity:
http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=553&chapter=0

I think it's interesting that they specifically require their heroes to be wealthy and have an arrogant alpha personality. Nothing I write would be even remotely suitable, lol, even ignoring the fact that I don't usually write het romance. I also thought it was odd that they don't specify whether they want modern or historical, fantasy elements or no fantasy elements, how many sex scenes and how explicit and how kinky. And they specify they want an intense plot, but then say they don't want suspense or 'character-driven concerns'...

Must be hard to write these 'what we want' summaries. And someone wanting to write for a specific line really needs to read some of their books to get a feel for it, or maybe most of their authors already read that line because it's their favorite kind of story and that's why they want to write it.

Hmm, maybe that would make a good writing exercise? "Write a statement describing the kind of books you want to write from the pov of an imaginary publishing line."

Susan Gable · Apr 29, 2009

sunandshadow said:
Here are the Silhouette Desire writing guidelines if anyone wants them, I looked it up out of curiosity:
http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=553&chapter=0

I think it's interesting that they specifically require their heroes to be wealthy and have an arrogant alpha personality. Nothing I write would be even remotely suitable, lol, even ignoring the fact that I don't usually write het romance. I also thought it was odd that they don't specify whether they want modern or historical, fantasy elements or no fantasy elements, how many sex scenes and how explicit and how kinky.

Well, one must also do the homework of reading the line before you try to write for it. <G>

And if you've read them, you'd know that they're contemporaries. Hot, but not erotica hot. No fantasy elements if by fantasy you mean paranormal. Plenty of fantasy elements if by fantasy you mean billionaire heroes.

I don't do billionaires, and I don't do arrogant alphas, either. But apparently tons of readers like them. Desire is one of the best selling lines. The other one is Presents, and they do billionaire arrogant alphas, too.

:Shrug:

Different strokes for different folks. <G>

And someone wanting to write for a specific line really needs to read some of their books to get a feel for it, or maybe most of their authors already read that line because it's their favorite kind of story and that's why they want to write it.

Exactly. You have to read a bunch to be able to write them. And you also have to find the line at H/S that best suits your own tastes/writing style/voice.

Susan G.

cindystubbs · Apr 29, 2009

Desire line

Exactly, I thought everyone read those books, there are millions of them around and I guess they assume everyone knows what they want. I found some old Harlequins and they are suprisingly exactly like the new Harlequins, (not much has changed in all these years!) If you scrounge garage sales like myself you will quickly see how many people read these books!!!! I'm an avid reader and I will read anything! Still, even if they look the same I can say some of the authors are so great anyway, and then I tend to forget the author's name!!! You don't forget Dean Koontz! I read something about this, how romance readers buy by the line and not by the author. The books tend to homogenize or something but I've actually read some great books by, yes, Harlequin!!
Long post I know but one book was so great, about a girl whose father was wealthy and owned a newspaper and she wrote a society column. The guy at the rival paper had a radio show with her and he told her to take the silver spoon out of her mouth and see how the real world lives because she had no idea. So she leaves her fancy apartment and rents a place she can afford on her salary and without help from Dad and the guy is Horrified!! It's a bad neighborhood, she doesn't have sense enough to live that way he thinks and so he is obliged to find her something more suitable and she ends up in his own apartment building. It was really a cute story so well done! It was one of the few romances I've seen about money, and seeing wealthy people in a negative light. How he accidently runs into her again & again is simply realistically possible, then he thinks fate or something more may be involved. HOw did he get hisself in this mess? Write me if you know the author!

sunandshadow · Apr 29, 2009

This contest calls for people who already have a finished manuscript or can come up with one by June, so rather than getting people to write specifically for their line they will probably get people who have already written a romance novel and are looking for anyone willing to publish it.

Since the SD guidelines were talking about ranch owners and secret babies and marriages of convenience, that sounded like historical to me, lol. If it's all contemporary I can probably safely say I've never read one, because I don't read contemporaries that aren't science fiction or fantasy. I've probably read some Harlequin Historicals. But anything from Harlequin, Silhouette, or Mills&Boon is not usually my first choice because they tend to be shorter and less in-depth than I like, and the beginnings often feel rushed because of their "X must happen in the first chapter" rules.

I decided it would be fun to make up my own romance line guidelines so I am. ^_^ I'll post them in a new thread when they're done, maybe others will find them amusing or write their own. I had fun drawing a logo too. (Yes this is cat vacuuming, but I did a ridiculous amount of chores today and spending some time goofing around is my reward.

)

Lainey Bancroft · Apr 29, 2009

sunandshadow said:
This contest calls for people who already have a finished manuscript or can come up with one by June, so rather than getting people to write specifically for their line they will probably get people who have already written a romance novel and are looking for anyone willing to publish it.

I decided it would be fun to make up my own romance line guidelines so I am. ^_^ I'll post them in a new thread when they're done, maybe others will find them amusing or write their own. I had fun drawing a logo too. (Yes this is cat vacuuming, but I did a ridiculous amount of chores today and spending some time goofing around is my reward. )

I somewhat disagree with the first statement, Sunandshadow (and I want to delete the and in your name and just call you Sunshadow, because I think it sounds cool. lol sorry) They may get some 'spagetti on the wall' entants, but having cut my teeth on the eHarlequin forums (a few major writing contests there made me finally sit up and say, "Hey, maybe I can do this writing thing!") the majority of eHarlequin members--and there are hundreds...thousands?--are hard core Harlequin readers of one or two specifc lines and very much write to target. So any time these 'calls' for editor pitches etc. go out, there are usually hundreds of hungry romance writers with completed manuscripts in the sidelines waiting for a way to avoid the general slush pile of their target imprint.

:Shrug:

Sadly, I don't do the Greek-Alpha-Millionaire-Sheik-secret baby-cowboy thing, so I haven't found a home with any of the category lines that accept unagented submissions...although I am toying with a Sil Nocturne Bite idea...

As far as your second paragraph goes, I can't WAIT to read your romance guidelines.I think we should all make them.

Susan Gable · Apr 29, 2009

Lainey Bancroft said:
ISadly, I don't do the Greek-Alpha-Millionaire-Sheik-secret baby-cowboy thing, so I haven't found a home with any of the category lines that accept unagented submissions...

Uhhhhhh...Superromance doesn't do Greek-Alpha-sheiks. We DO, however, do secret babeis and cowboys. <G> (But not Greek Alpha billionaire cowboys. Or the secret babies that belong to them. <G>)

And pretty much ALL of the category lines are unagented. You only need an agent for Mira, which isn't a line, it's a "whole" different publisher/imprint/something-like-that. Mira definately ISN'T category.

Susan G.

Lainey Bancroft · Apr 29, 2009

Susan Gable said:
Uhhhhhh...Superromance doesn't do Greek-Alpha-sheiks. We DO, however, do secret babeis and cowboys. <G> (But not Greek Alpha billionaire cowboys. Or the secret babies that belong to them. <G>)

And pretty much ALL of the category lines are unagented. You only need an agent for Mira, which isn't a line, it's a "whole" different publisher/imprint/something-like-that. Mira definately ISN'T category.

Susan G.

Sorry, Susan. I meant no offense. The Greek-Sheik-billion-alpha-naire comment was directed at the Desire guidelines quoted. (and I mean no offense by that either. These stories are MAJOR sellers. I just don't read 'em or write 'em)

I know superromance--along with Har. American, and SSE-- have terrific mainstream, contemporary stories and the writers guidelines aren't as restrictive.

Far as I know, all the category lines remain unagented. I just meant I don't 'color in the lines' well enough to make myself a fit for the category imprints. (I did 2 R 'n R's for supers and they still didn't want to include the particular 'issue' that I felt contributed to forming my heroine's character)

All my characters have 'issues' of one sort or another, so I'm targetting more MIRA or HQN...or or or...

sunandshadow · Apr 29, 2009

Lainey Bancroft said:
I somewhat disagree with the first statement, Sunandshadow (and I want to delete the and in your name and just call you Sunshadow, because I think it sounds cool. lol sorry) They may get some 'spagetti on the wall' entants, but having cut my teeth on the eHarlequin forums (a few major writing contests there made me finally sit up and say, "Hey, maybe I can do this writing thing!") the majority of eHarlequin members--and there are hundreds...thousands?--are hard core Harlequin readers of one or two specifc lines and very much write to target. So any time these 'calls' for editor pitches etc. go out, there are usually hundreds of hungry romance writers with completed manuscripts in the sidelines waiting for a way to avoid the general slush pile of their target imprint.

Sadly, I don't do the Greek-Alpha-Millionaire-Sheik-secret baby-cowboy thing, so I haven't found a home with any of the category lines that accept unagented submissions...although I am toying with a Sil Nocturne Bite idea...

As far as your second paragraph goes, I can't WAIT to read your romance guidelines.I think we should all make them.

Interesting - I guess I have a wrong stereotype of Harlequin &similar readers and writers in my mind. For some reason I assumed readers of the big romance lines would be non-writers, and writers for the big lines would be the more business-minded type who turned out manuscripts every six months or every year. Oh well, not the first time assuming has 'made an ass of me'. I'll have to go explore the forums there sometime, see who's writing what and why.

Make-your-own-romance-guidelines thread is up, enjoy!

Bubastes · Apr 29, 2009

sunandshadow said:
and writers for the big lines would be the more business-minded type who turned out manuscripts every six months or every year.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.

Susan, thanks for posting this!

Susan Gable · Apr 30, 2009

Lainey Bancroft said:
Sorry, Susan. I meant no offense. The Greek-Sheik-billion-alpha-naire comment was directed at the Desire guidelines quoted. (and I mean no offense by that either. These stories are MAJOR sellers. I just don't read 'em or write 'em)

No offense taken, Lainey. None at all. I just wanted to be sure you knew that there were lines that don't do billionaires, and don't thrive on the arrogant alphas. <G> Blech. <G>

Far as I know, all the category lines remain unagented. I just meant I don't 'color in the lines' well enough to make myself a fit for the category imprints.

Ohhhhhh...okay. See, I misunderstood that. I thought you didn't know. <G> Sorry!

(I have trouble coloring inside the lines myself. <G> That's why I ended up at Super -- the boxes are bigger at Super. LOL.)

All my characters have 'issues' of one sort or another, so I'm targetting more MIRA or HQN...or or or...

<G> I hear ya. I'm an issues girl myself. I'm sure my ed will be shaking her head at me when she reads the proposals I just sent in. LOL.

Susan G.

Susan Gable · Apr 30, 2009

sunandshadow said:
Interesting - I guess I have a wrong stereotype of Harlequin &similar readers and writers in my mind. For some reason I assumed readers of the big romance lines would be non-writers, and writers for the big lines would be the more business-minded type who turned out manuscripts every six months or every year. Oh well, not the first time assuming has 'made an ass of me'.

Most romance authors, category or single title, probably strive to write about 3 books a year. Two a year is a minimum. Those who write the shorter category novels actually have been known to write 5, 6, or 7 books a year.

We romance authors are damn hard workers. <G>

And then there's Nora. She's in a class all by herself.

She writes single titles, and she must write...what do you think, guys? 5 single titles a year? A triology, usually, and then a couple of other books. Hmmmm...it's got to be more than that. A NR trilogy, a NR single book or two, and then probably one or two JD Robb books. And then a novella here and there. <G>

Nobody can say she hasn't worked for where/what she's gotten.

Susan G.

Sil. Desire - Logline/Pitch contest on eHarlequin

Susan Gable

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Susan Gable

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

cindystubbs

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Lainey Bancroft

Cover Me!

Susan Gable

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

Lainey Bancroft

Cover Me!

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Bubastes

bananaed

Susan Gable

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

Susan Gable

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales