Current Hot Trend in Romance
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I'd say it's still (STILL!) paranormal and erotic romance. But it's not the current hot trend that's important--it's the hot trend on the horizon.
We're starting to see a resurgence in heartfelt, emotional contemporary romance (the kind of books that have more of a women's-fiction voice, but definitely have a romance at their hearts). And some agents I've been talking to think that the current British trend of glitzy, sprawling women's novels (a la Tilly Bagshawe) is heading this way, just like chick lit did.
i sure wish it were sf romance (but not time travel). something grittier. oh well.
historicals are cycling back in, but is that really a trend?
historicals are cycling back in, but is that really a trend?
Crinklish said:
*perk* Really? This is great news for me because I'm just about done with my women's fiction story. Yippee!
While I love the vampires, I'm struggling to find something really super-fresh in that department. I think The Powers That Be are going to have to be careful that vamps don't become the next chick-lit(love great chick lit, but the not-so-great stuff, blech!)
Crinklish. That's interesting.
Could you explain if that is anything to do with romantic suspense...like women's fiction blankets everything written for women?
I don't want to start a whole "resurgence" of the subject of what women's fiction covers...we already did that on another thread didn't we?
But I hope it's "anything" to do with a women's lives, including romance.
Josie
Could you explain if that is anything to do with romantic suspense...like women's fiction blankets everything written for women?
I don't want to start a whole "resurgence" of the subject of what women's fiction covers...we already did that on another thread didn't we?
But I hope it's "anything" to do with a women's lives, including romance.
Josie
I'm definitely going paranormal thriller with a heavy romance element. My agent has his finger on this pulse and has reported to me that 70% of the acquisitions edtiors he's met face to face have been young gals in their 20s and 30s. This is not to say that strong male SF MCs will be ignored in the review process, but I think it's time for me to use a gutsy female protag in a magical setting, and give her a Roman God and a wizard/magician as love interests.
God bless women. They purchase 65% of all books, and I think it's about time I gave them what they wanted. I'm not afraid of love anymore. I'm not afraid of choice sex scenes. Matter of fact, I'm lurking in the shadows of the Romance forum, hidden under a bed, and scribbling notes furiously. Love and relationships are the strongest emotions that we have to explore. It's about people. Period. Fighting, shooting, swords, adventuring and escaping calamity is secondary and supports the exploration of the relationship adventure.
I don't do vampire or were-creatures. But it sure is fun to find an obscure Roman or Greek god in literature and inject them into an urban fantasy setting and wait for all hell to break loose. Quite the fun romp.
I also call it dark urban fantasy--it's the same ole dang thing. Love and magic is a powerful combination. It just took me a long time to figure out that Love IS magic.
Tri
God bless women. They purchase 65% of all books, and I think it's about time I gave them what they wanted. I'm not afraid of love anymore. I'm not afraid of choice sex scenes. Matter of fact, I'm lurking in the shadows of the Romance forum, hidden under a bed, and scribbling notes furiously. Love and relationships are the strongest emotions that we have to explore. It's about people. Period. Fighting, shooting, swords, adventuring and escaping calamity is secondary and supports the exploration of the relationship adventure.
I don't do vampire or were-creatures. But it sure is fun to find an obscure Roman or Greek god in literature and inject them into an urban fantasy setting and wait for all hell to break loose. Quite the fun romp.
I also call it dark urban fantasy--it's the same ole dang thing. Love and magic is a powerful combination. It just took me a long time to figure out that Love IS magic.
Tri
When I say "women's fiction," I'm using it in the slightly narrower sense of a novel that centers on a female protagonist's emotional journey, which probably has some romantic elements but doesn't have to end with a couple or a completely happy ending. I think of romantic suspense separately, although you're right in that women are the primary buyers for both.Josie said:Crinklish. That's interesting.
Could you explain if that is anything to do with romantic suspense...like women's fiction blankets everything written for women?
I don't want to start a whole "resurgence" of the subject of what women's fiction covers...we already did that on another thread didn't we?
But I hope it's "anything" to do with a women's lives, including romance.
Josie
Romantic suspense was a bit glutted for a while, but for the right author, it's still a good way to transition into "bigger" books.
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triceretops said:
Hey, Tri--
What I'm finding is that the romance community is not only amazingly loyal -- they are very, very vocal about their expectations. And, specifically, for a paranormal romance, many readers are looking for a "happily ever after" (HEA). And that means the hero and the heroine wind up together at story's end. (Indeed, many romance readers will say that the HEA defines romance--without it, it's a love story, not a romance. A subtle but important difference.)
That being said, the boundaries between paranormal romance and dark fantasy are blending more and more every day. I'd say that as long as the romance is core to your story, you'll do well targeting this market. Or, heck, write the story and let the agent/editor determine how to market it. I wrote HB as a dark urban fantasy, and it was marketed/published as paranormal romance. Many reviewers are calling it "paranormal/dark fantasy," which suits me just fine.
Hah, you hit it, Jackie. Paranorma/dark/fantasy. My agent loved Felcity Fortune (title-changed to Once Upon a Goddess), and knew that we really had something there. But...it was a medium/light urban fantasy and he suggested that I darken it, sex-it up, and keep the Bitter-sweet ending. So I started right in on it and just about finished it before I got an offer on it, pre-the rewrite. So I went with the smaller company, but I did all of the suggested rewrites to give it that grittier, sexier appeal.
He had it lined up with Kensington. But we'll never know now, since I went with the smaller company. The current one is exactly on target now and I'll definitely hold onto to it for the majors. It will get the HEA for sure.
In 1988 I joined the Orange County Chapter of the RWA. I was the only male member there in a sea of 280 members. A great, supportive group and very exciting to learn the craft of romance. Learned a lot about historicals too.
Loved your excerpt on your website. Actually, I studied it and came away with a fresh outlook on the genre. Well done!
Tri
He had it lined up with Kensington. But we'll never know now, since I went with the smaller company. The current one is exactly on target now and I'll definitely hold onto to it for the majors. It will get the HEA for sure.
In 1988 I joined the Orange County Chapter of the RWA. I was the only male member there in a sea of 280 members. A great, supportive group and very exciting to learn the craft of romance. Learned a lot about historicals too.
Loved your excerpt on your website. Actually, I studied it and came away with a fresh outlook on the genre. Well done!
Tri
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The conferences are saying paranormal but NOT vamps and weres.
The problem with writing toward trend is that by the time you submit the trend has shifted.
The problem with writing toward trend is that by the time you submit the trend has shifted.
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My writing partner largely writes paranormals. I do not. I'm not drawn to paranormals or fantasy at all. But I'm good at playing in worlds I don't have to create, so she does a great deal of world building, and I happily follow her lead. In other words, we're currently counting on the current popularity of paranormals to break out of the epubs and small publishers to get into a bigger house.
One thing that kinda makes me laugh is the current list of books at Juno Books. Our first novel was sold there and it's coming out in Sept. It's a time-travel, but pretty gritty. It's also the LEAST rooted in fantasy/paranormal, based on the blurbs.
One thing that kinda makes me laugh is the current list of books at Juno Books. Our first novel was sold there and it's coming out in Sept. It's a time-travel, but pretty gritty. It's also the LEAST rooted in fantasy/paranormal, based on the blurbs.
I love vampire and werewolf for writing, but realize the market is glutted with these creatures.
So perhaps I may attempt to veer away gently from paranormal, as I don't want to go into shock if I have to write a "straight" story. I do like writing with a romance in the background, not necessarily a HEA, more a secondary plot. Dark paranormals seem to be so popular right now. Unfortunately I can't write that darkly, it ends up like a satire.
Oh well, at least I'm writing. And as Dragonjax mentions, I'll write from my own self and sees what comes out
I'm enjoying this thread. Thanks everyone.
Cheers.
So perhaps I may attempt to veer away gently from paranormal, as I don't want to go into shock if I have to write a "straight" story. I do like writing with a romance in the background, not necessarily a HEA, more a secondary plot. Dark paranormals seem to be so popular right now. Unfortunately I can't write that darkly, it ends up like a satire.
Oh well, at least I'm writing. And as Dragonjax mentions, I'll write from my own self and sees what comes out
I'm enjoying this thread. Thanks everyone.
Cheers.
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I've heard rumor of action-filled historicals, and the usual paranormal.
This fills me with high hopes, since I'm currently polishing a manuscript that blends both.
I've heard urban fantasy continues to be hot, but from what I understand, it's now a very tight market, since everyone's writing one now.
This fills me with high hopes, since I'm currently polishing a manuscript that blends both.
I've heard urban fantasy continues to be hot, but from what I understand, it's now a very tight market, since everyone's writing one now.
I thought I read somewhere that stories with psychics are going to be big. EC has something going and I thought I saw there was a track of programing about it at RT.
That's interesting, Lila.
By "track of programming on RT about it"
do you mean the website of RT and under what heading?
Thanks, Josie
By "track of programming on RT about it"
do you mean the website of RT and under what heading?
Thanks, Josie
Vamps are out? But...but I love the vamps. ;_; I have, like, six vampire story ideas on the backburner. I'll agree though that there is a bit of a glut of them, which normally I wouldn't complain about, except sometimes it seems like theres vampires just for the sake of having vampires. Like, they're written so that it's like it's a regular old human guy who just prefers going out at night and has a liquid diet. I dunno, maybe that was just the last book or so I saw though--and there's still plenty of wild vampire goodness out there.
I do hope that publishers aren't starting to shy away from vampries though, at least not well written/original ones...I'm just getting into them, darnit. ;_; I've got some stuff with more unusual supernatural creatures, but those are still more at the vague idea stage and need to percolate in the back of my head for awhile.
I do hope that publishers aren't starting to shy away from vampries though, at least not well written/original ones...I'm just getting into them, darnit. ;_; I've got some stuff with more unusual supernatural creatures, but those are still more at the vague idea stage and need to percolate in the back of my head for awhile.
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this is something i've wondered about ALOT. I love paranormal/fantasy like no other. I write it read it prefer it. My first series has shape-shifters in it but not werewolves it incorporates wolves and ravens. My newer series will involve vamps but also the fae and a demon realm so perhaps put a different spin on things and pull in the reader base that normally loves vampires but are looking for something fresh.
Then again I also love to write about places that don't exist and mythical creatures. Hence my current WIP involving dragons and magick. Personally I hope the trend for paranormal and fantasy is on the rise. I've done contemporary and have no problem writing it but my heart will always stay with the things that go bump in the night.
Then again I also love to write about places that don't exist and mythical creatures. Hence my current WIP involving dragons and magick. Personally I hope the trend for paranormal and fantasy is on the rise. I've done contemporary and have no problem writing it but my heart will always stay with the things that go bump in the night.
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Robyn:
If you feel that strongly about "things that go bump in the night" then of course you must write it.
The love you feel for the genre I believe will show in your stories and you'll find publishers.
IMO
If you feel that strongly about "things that go bump in the night" then of course you must write it.
The love you feel for the genre I believe will show in your stories and you'll find publishers.
IMO
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Vamps are not out, tired old storylines on vamps are.
And it's no use asking what the next trend is. The books coming out this month were bought a year or more ago. By the time you finish and start shopping the current trend, a new one has replaced it.
Write what you love and write well. That's the only trend that endures.
And it's no use asking what the next trend is. The books coming out this month were bought a year or more ago. By the time you finish and start shopping the current trend, a new one has replaced it.
Write what you love and write well. That's the only trend that endures.
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Hi Crinklish. The ms I'm shopping fits this description. I haven't been approaching agents who say they rep Romance, since the love story isn't the whole plot -- it's about half, and gives readers what they expect. I probably should know this, since I read this forum a lot, but who do you mean when you say "we"? And, to your knowledge, is "seeing" translating into "repping/buying"? I haven't sent any new queries since November, but now I'm brushing off my letter and getting back at it.
Thanks!
Caren
The "we" is the Royal Editorial We , in my position as an editor at a Major Commercial House (going unnamed to maintain my anonymity and ability to mouth off on these boards). So at the moment, the resurgence is mostly in increased sales to those authors already working in this vein--Catherine Anderson, for example--but it means we're on the lookout for new stuff like it, and agents are beginning to get it in. Without knowing anything about your particular book, I'd say it sounds like it could be pitched either as women's fiction or as romance, depending on how the happy ending delivers. Dust it off and give it a shot!
, in my position as an editor at a Major Commercial House (going unnamed to maintain my anonymity and ability to mouth off on these boards). So at the moment, the resurgence is mostly in increased sales to those authors already working in this vein--Catherine Anderson, for example--but it means we're on the lookout for new stuff like it, and agents are beginning to get it in. Without knowing anything about your particular book, I'd say it sounds like it could be pitched either as women's fiction or as romance, depending on how the happy ending delivers. Dust it off and give it a shot!- Status