A number of the manuscripts that have been submitted for critique have not been formatted correctly. This isn't complicated, but it's evident that a number of you don't know what standard format is. So, we'll review it here. Although it might seem rather strange, the intent of manuscript formatting is to make the mss look […]
First of all, congrats to those of you who have submitted partial manuscripts to the TPL for me to critique. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the calibre of work has been quite high. Kudos all around! That said, I have a couple of general comments. • There is a standardized format for manuscripts […]
In addition to the usual linked posts for Wednesday, I've added a new post to the queue about Manuscript Format. This is because a number of the mss that have come in for critiquing are not formatted according to protocol, so this is obviously info that people need. It'll be posted shortly. Today's linked posts […]
Publishing is a reasonably formal business – there are protocols for how book manuscripts should be formatted and how they should be submitted. Some houses provide this information on their websites. Some houses don’t, because they don’t accept submissions from unagented unpublished authors. Generally speaking, an author previously unpublished in the romance genre will sell […]
Today we have two guests – Ingrid Weaver and Brenda Harlen – to talk about writing category romance. I've never written category romance so thought this was the perfect opportunity to bring in some experts! Category romance comprises a large percentage of the romance book market, and it is where many authors begin their careers. […]
Some posts about book structure this week: • Stage Management • Stage Management II • Stage Management III • What is Episodic? • Fixing the Plot of the Episodic Book • Fixing the Character Arc of the Episodic Book • Prologues & Epilogues • Flashbacks
It’s pretty common for aspiring writers to accumulate a lot of rejection letters before making that first sale. And few people talk about the fact that authors, even after publication, continue to get the occasional rejection letter. This week, we’re going to review a number of common reasons for receiving one of those letters, and […]
Nancy Warren is one of those charming and energetic people who is impossible to dislike. She's both prolific and bestselling, so is perfect candidate to tell us the elements of a great romance novel. Please welcome guest blogger, Nancy Warren. Nancy Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 novels and novellas […]
More links today about the romance genre – and some ideas about why readers love it. • "Bodice Rippers" • The Rollercoaster Analogy and • Books for Writers, because I forgot about it last week.
Today, we’re going to talk about the romance market from the business side. If you followed all the links last week, you've already read a bunch about what I think makes a good romance novel, as well as RWA's definitions. We'll have another perspective from another guest on Friday. This week, we’ll talk about the […]