Anyone Submitted to Avalon?

It's disappointing to hear that Avalon is churning out less than stellar stuff. Maybe you should hit the used bookstore and try a few more, just to get a more general view of the whole thing.
If head-hopping is acceptable, I'll celebrate, because I'm notorious for head-hopping! I always thought it was a bad thing, unless you're really good at it.

Don't even get me started with conflict...

or you could submit to another publisher! i think most novels under the "romance" genre tend to have very similar qualities. it's like there are certain requirements for the plots and characters. i think the publishers are afraid to provide anything different in that section.
i saw some danielle steel and nicholas sparks books that were definitely romance but sitting comfortably in the general fiction section. maybe you could try to market your novel as general and you may be subject to less cookie cutter romance tweaking

I have a friend who writes for Avalon. (She also writes for HQ.) She doesn't head-hop. She writes romcom, so her conflicts are, of necessity for what she writes, lighter.

So I don't think you have to "dumb down" your ms, not at all. (You might have to "down heat" the ms. <G> I do know that happens on occasion.)

If you have any specific questions you'd like to ask, I can get her to answer them. Her name is Holly Jacobs.

Susan G.

blackpen said:

or you could submit to another publisher! i think most novels under the "romance" genre tend to have very similar qualities. it's like there are certain requirements for the plots and characters. i think the publishers are afraid to provide anything different in that section.
i saw some danielle steel and nicholas sparks books that were definitely romance but sitting comfortably in the general fiction section. maybe you could try to market your novel as general and you may be subject to less cookie cutter romance tweaking

Click to expand...

We'll have to agree to disagree on this, blackpen. Most of the editors I know in the romance genre are complaining that they can't FIND anything different. They keep looking for unique, but keep getting rehashes of the same thing submitted. Also, keep in mind that Danielle Steele and Nicholas Sparks aren't considered romance authors. Their books lack the one true requirement of a romance novel--a "Happily Ever After" or HEA.

Don't be a bit afraid to offer something different. If the voice is strong and the plot compelling, it'll get purchased. Just ask dragonjax, one of our regulars here. Who would have thought that a demon succubus HEROINE would stand a chance on the market?! Yet, the reviewers (and the readers) are loving her "Hells Belles" which just hit the shelf.

I have a friend who also writes for Avalon--Sierra Donovan. You might also try her books for what the editors are looking for. Her first book, called "Love On the Air" won several awards, and her next book will be released in a few days--"Meg's Confession."

Never, ever, ever make your stories worse than they could be. You don't want to be remembered for being "okay" or even just "published," but for being extraordinary, right? Don't worry about other people's standards; live up to your own standards.

Anyway, I've submitted to Avalon (and am waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting .... [several more "and waiting" repetitions omitted here] for a decision on the full manuscript.

The thing to remember about the books, especially when it comes to the conflict, is that these are REALLY REALLY short books. About 60K, max, or just over 200 pages, if I remember correctly. (I wrote my submission a few eons ago, and have trouble remembering what I wrote today, so I'm really iffy on what I wrote eons ago.) There's really only so much you can fit into that short a page count. Also, remember that these are extremely "sweet" romances, so that also limits how deep the conflict can be, to some degree. And finally, one book is not reflective of the whole range of what's produced by a given publisher.

I don't know if you can find them, but a friend of mine wrote a couple books for Avalon a few years ago, and they were well received. Her name is Blanche Marriott. Oh, and Lisa Mondello wrote some, and she's now gone on to a larger publisher. Blanche's are lighter; Lisa's are more angsty. But they might give a better picture of the range of the books they publish.

JD

i don't write romance, so i have no idea what that market is like. it's interesting that only one thing can turn a romance into general fiction.
good luck everyone.

From what I understand, they're running a year or more from receipt of a full manuscript. I'm waiting until the 1-year anniversary before I follow up, so maybe I exaggerated a bit about the eons that have passed since I submitted.

JD

Waiting seems to be the name of this game. No matter which publisher.

Fingers crossed for you!

Susan G.

I'm wondering, Jan, if you ever heard?

Click to expand...

Nope, never heard. It's been a little over a year now. Sigh.

Dunno what their turn-around is these days. Last summer, I heard (purely grapevine stuff, nothing particularly reliable) that there had been a purchasing moratorium, but that it was due to be lifted, and I think I recall seeing that there were a few first sales to Avalon toward the end of last year, but I haven't heard anything more recently than that.

JD

It's hard to have a manuscript tied up for that long to only one publisher.

Click to expand...

I'm not sweating it, b/c the story I have sitting at Avalon has no other likely home. Too short for H/S or any other major publisher, too sweet for the epub venues I usually submit to, etc. So, for me, the exclusivity isn't a problem, b/c there's just nowhere else I'd consider sending it. Might as well sit in a slush pile as in a box in my closet.

Good luck with yours!

JD

For what it's worth, I know they lost an editor ages ago, and I think they had a little trouble filling that spot, so perhaps they're still backed up. It's amazing how the submissions pile up when you're down a woman (or man).

Yeah, stuff happens. That's another reason why I'm not sweating that submission.

I did revisions on another manuscript for Avalon a few years ago, working with an editor who thought I was brilliant and quirky, and then she had the audacity to change careers (so I couldn't even track her down to a new publisher), and passed the manuscript on to her replacement, who thought I was "pedestrian." Sigh.

JD

I submitted 2 ms. to Avalon in the past. Both went from partial to full requests, and both were turned down after close to 1 year. I didn't get any specific feedback on the first, but on the second, the editor told me the story wasn't "upbeat and happy" enough for them, even though it had a traditional HEA. I write sweet romance but I don't think it's in their style, so I probably won't submit to them again.

But good luck!

seaaircarol said:

And, Crinklish, I appreciate the fact that they lost an editor and that may be the reason for their long wait. I wonder, though, why don't they close off subs for a while to get caught up?

Click to expand...

'Cuz we're greedy . Well, partly because it's easier to keep you guys waiting then to close off the opportunity for That Perfect Book by officially declining submissions. Which sucks for the submitter, admittedly. But fair this crazy business ain't.

I think I've been turned down by Avalon.

Sorry you got a rejection!