Help for a confused author

[Florence]

Hi,
I've been checking my sales statistics. Rather my non-sales statistics because I put everything out there for free to see which of my published stories people read when they can read anything they choose without having to pick and choose which to buy. (Exception: Amazon won't publish anything for free unless I jump through more hoops than I can handle.)
Conclusion of my research? I write clean, sci-fi romance. And this after being told by an editor at a major romance publishing house that I DO NOT write romance!
Maybe clean romances are somehow different from other romances? Less initimate man-woman stuff and more story? Something?
Soooo..... my next book will be a clean sci-fi romance instead of the dystopian apocalyptic story with a small, clean romance in it that I've been crafting.
I'm finding that this is a huge change requiring a major mental shift on my part.
I've shifted genres before when the situation warranted but I have a question and this group is the place to ask.....
Does anyone look for clean sci-fi romance? Does anyone actually read clean sci-fi romance? Is clean sci-fi romance a sub-genre of sci-fi romance?
Or am I whistling in the dark and the sales statistics are just an anomaly?
Florence Witkop
http://FlorenceWitkop.com

[V.S.]

My experience on multiple writing forums of varying quality is that some people will read ANYthing. I think what you're asking, however, is if there is a market for your stories. Firstly, what do you mean by "clean" sci-fi romance? Does clean refer to the language? The situations? The bathing habits of the MCs? If it's language, don't even bother putting is as part of your genre tag. Plenty of books swear, plenty don't.

If it's the situations, then I'm more curious. By "clean" do you mean there are no sex scenes? Two people falling in love secondary to your book's plot means it's just a sci-fi. Even two people falling in love while stuff happens in the background doesn't always constitute a romance novel. If a romance publishing house told me that I didn't write romance, I'd listen.

Plenty of people read sci-fi romance. Plenty of people read sci-fi (dirty language or otherwise). I'm not sure how many would read a "clean" romance of any sub-genre.

Lastly, don't switch gears just for sales. Don't do anything just for sales, actually. Readers know when it's not genuine. Write the story you want to, whether that includes kinky space sex or a chaste kiss on the cheek. If you want to sell it, then listen to what others are calling it (It sounds like you have a sci-fi on your hands, no romance or clean or anything else) and go from there. If you tell the story properly, people will read it.

I hope this helped, and let me know if you have other questions.

Cheers

[Jim]

There exists among readers as much diversity as with any other segment of the population; so the answer is yes, there is a market for an element of romance in science fiction.

Romance does not have to be graphic or erotic to be believable and compelling. Many readers prefer that a romantic scene be narrated in such a manner that the detailed physical interaction is inferred rather than graphically detailed.

The important elements that determine the commercial viability of any book, regardless of genre or sub-genre, is that it be technically well written, skillfully narrated, and entertaining.

[Jacqueline]

Yes, all sub-genres have a segment of readers looking for 'clean' books, so I think it's a matter of marketing.

Make sure you add "(for readers 12+)" at the end of your blurb and label them YA. There's a market of young girls who have outgrown children's books. They're looking for adult romance, but aren't ready for, or allowed! to read the sexier ones. There are a lot of adult readers who look for the YA label because they don't want the sex. Just a thought.

There is currently a glut of free books on the market, so I'd recommend you put a few out there for free and tell readers it's a free intro. Charge for the rest even if its .99. If you don't say your books have value, who else will and if you say your books have no value, why should I read something worthless? This way, you're sending the message that your books are worth paying for and that first one is a gift as opposed to "all my books have no value". Mind you, I'm not saying your books aren't good. I'm talking about perception in the marketplace.

Again, just my opinion, but I hope it gives you food for thought.

[Florence]

Thanks, everyone. I now have food for thought.
In my books, 'clean' refers to no graphic descriptions of sex. They aren't romance, according to one editor, because the story can stand alone without the romance. But don't all sci-fi romances have a complete story without the romance?
Yes, I know not to write what I'm not good at writing. I learned that the hard way! But I can and do write in several genres and am comfortable going for the one that's most likely to give me a living wage, though, as I also learned through experience, every story I write ends up with a romance in it somewhere. Not always my idea, my characters just decide their own fates.
Again.... thanks.
Florence Witkop

[BR]

With respect to previous answers, for a book to be labeled a romance, the primary plot arc has to be completely focused on the romance. Everything else in the book is secondary and only there to provide a setting for the romance. If you have a book with a plot that focuses on anything else, and the romance is secondary, it is not a romance. Period. Check Romance Writers of America if you don't believe me.

As to a clean romantic SF book, look up Linnea Sinclair or Ann Aguirre. The answer is yes, there is a market.

[Jacqueline]

B.R. wrote: "With respect to previous answers, for a book to be labeled a romance, the primary plot arc has to be completely focused on the romance. Everything else in the book is secondary and only there to pr..."

Good point, B.R. I hadn't thought to question that, but I should have. Florence could be marketing to the wrong audience.

[Florence]

I'm aware that the definition of a romance is a story that will fall apart if the romance is removed. What I wonder, though, is whether that hold true all the time for a sci-fi story because in sci-fi the science is so important/overwhelming/prominent that it becomes a major part of the story. So what if the sci-fi holds up by itself if the romance is removed? Is it still a romance or something else?