Following The Rules in Genre Romance-How I FINALLY Sold
Warning, this is a LONG post because it took me a LONG time to get published. You may want to take a second and grab a snack. Or perhaps your favorite adult beverage.
I am, by nature, a rule follower. Well, when it comes to driving, paying my taxes, doing unto others and such, but not when I write. I like to write stories I’d like to read, which because I AM such a rule follower in my everyday life are stories that blur the so-called genre rules. Stories that might not fit a ‘line’ or about subjects considered unmarketable by the powers that be.
About ten years ago, I sat down and wrote my first ‘masterpiece.’ I then found MY PEOPLE when I walked into my local RWA chapter’s monthly meeting. (Land of Enchantment Romance Authors) Soon I was encouraged to enter their contest and lo and behold I won first place! The final judge, an editor at Harlequin, requested a full and I thought, So what’s so hard about this? Yeah, I soon found out via my first ego shattering rejection letter. The missive pointed out my many flaws as a writer. But she loved my voice. So I had one little thing to hang onto….
So over the years I wrote a few other stories that didn’t strictly follow the rules but I enjoyed the heck out of writing them. Then with practice I got a little better at the writing part, but still not at the rule following aspect. Did these publishers really think readers were going to notice when that imaginary line was crossed if their eyes were blurry with tears of laughter? I said, nay! *throwing my fist above my head for emphasis. But alas, I was wrong once again.
So I said PFFFFT to that and decided to get serious and write a short Harlequin-style fun book to get my feet wet in the publishing world. My evil plan was to win them over with my VOICE, and then maybe they’d gloss over the non-rule following I was trying so hard not to do, but did anyway. You can imagine how that went, too. But I did win a Golden Heart award for that book so I had the satisfaction of knowing there are some closet-rule-breaking editors out there ;0)
Backing up a bit, the Golden Heart final meant I had an excuse to ask the agent I really wanted (who’d told me earlier I was a strong writer, but I needed to comply with a certain word count) if she’d consider taking me on. When we talked on the phone I promised I would really, really try to toe the line in the future. Either I simply exhausted her with my fast talking ways, or she decided to be charitable that day, Jill Marsal asked if I wanted to give it a go with her. YAY.
So we submitted my Golden Heart book with added word count to one publisher. Then I took away the extra word count, and restructured the ms more Harlequin style and resubmitted elsewhere. In the meantime we shopped another book. As time passed and editors kept saying, “I loved the voice, but…” I finally asked my agent what I needed to write so she could sell it. She told me small town contemporary is selling well, but it has to have something unique. It can’t be generic. Easy peasy, right?
Not.
I slaved, and I sweated, and I wrote, and I deleted for nine long months. I endured many pursed lips and head shakes from my critique group telling me to go back and try again. (Damn that straight and narrow path! But I LOVE my critters more than chocolate) By the time I typed ‘The End’ I HATED my small town, unique contemporary ms that followed every stinkin’ rule I could find. It was almost 80 thousand words exactly, it followed a three act structure, I tried to add humor, some extra heart and to make the setting a character, and still, I worried no one would ever want to read such drivel.
But I’d done my best and that’s all I could do short of slitting my wrists, so I attached the ms I titled Best Kept Secrets to an email and sent it to Jill. This was on a Monday morning. The next morning the phone rang right before eight o’clock. I glanced at the caller ID and my stomach clenched. It was Jill. There was no way she could have read my WHOLE book in one day; obviously this was going to be bad news. So I drew a deep breath, thanked God for my day job, and said, “Hi, Jill?” She said, “Hi, Tammy. I’m calling so early because I want to tell you how much I LOVED this book!” Other words were spoken and I may have slapped a hand over my mouth to stop the screams of joy as I jumped up and down, but it’s all such a blur I can’t quite recall.
About a month later we had three offers for Best Kept Secrets. Two digital first from NY and one from Montlake. We tried for print deals from NY, but to no avail. It seems you have to write Harry Potter or some such to get a print deal as a debut author these days. (Or perhaps just a better book than mine. ;0)
So after much consideration, I am happy to finally say I am going to be a published author– we took the Montlake deal. I have to change the title though. Sandra Brown decided to make the NYT list last month with my title but I guess I can be a good sport and let her have it. (I’m considering a few other titles but my favorite is: Secrets, Lies and Chocolate Mousse Pie. So if you were thinking of using that title, don’t! I WILL come after you!)
I’m already busy writing the second book in the series and still talking to a different editor about my Golden Heart book. Crossing fingers that one sells too. So if I haven’t put you to sleep by now with my long tale, may I please give those of you trying to sell a manuscript a piece of advice? STICK TO THE RULES….at first anyway. Stay tuned to see if I can break some rules after my fourth or fifth book ‘cuz that’s still my evil plan. ;0)
What drives or drove you nuts about the path to publication?