Regency Romances

mscelina said:

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think of Regency romances? Are they dead--swamped under by historical romances with broader sexual promiscuity? Given the rise of Jane Austin's popularity again over the past few years, I'm thinking interest in the Regency period is resurgent. Is the same true for Regency romances--like Georgette Heyer and May Jo Putney used to write? Are there too few publishers that have Regency lines now or is there too much competition to get in?

Any thoughts are welcome.

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Apparently, they're alive and kicking. I seem to recall seeing that one more than one agent's blog.

Go for it!

A few months ago I read an erotic romance set in the regency period. Would have been awesome if the writing quality had been better. I regularly read regency, scottish, and medieval romances when I can't get fantasy ones, and Pride and Prejudice has long been one of my favorites.

They do well at HQ and I know many of the e presses are interested in seeing them.

All About Romance has useful lists of Regency and Georgian romances, and I note that quite a few are borderline erotic.

My sister reads them by the ton, and for a while she was even signed up to get four a month from Harlequin. I don't know how that translates into general sales, but they seem to be doing fine to me.

Many years ago a good friend of mine published several Regencies. I think her publisher was Zebra, but the books are in another room so I can't check. I know she had an awesome NY agent.

At that time the parameters for Regency were very tight, and it wasn't just the time frame. Setting, clothing, language, behavior of characters. There could be no sex, even a glimpse of ankle was verboten. She wrote the first one as a gift for her daughter, and it won Best Regency of the year (somewhere in the 80s) from RT. She went over the ms with a fine toothed comb. She said that readers of Regency knew all the details, and would savage you if you messed up.

MM

Yeah, a traditional Regency romance is a la Jane Austen (no sexxoring!) and has really tapered off in popularity, replaced by single title historicals set in the Regency/Georgian era.

The biggest difference is less rigidity to historical details (like social mores) and more heat --many of the heroines have modern sensibilities (who needs a chaperone? I'll just wander into the stews of London in search o'the villain because surely no one will bother me!) but are plopped into the Regency setting. The single title historicals set in the Regency era still seem to be going strong.

Georgette Heyer books are being reprinted which means they are still selling as publishers will not waste time with non-sellers.