weird little things about being a romance writer

Things no one tells you when you set out to write for a living in romance.

Not all publishers and editors are for every writer. You think a publisher does romance, so do you. Hoocha hoocha hoocha, boom. Not so. And different editors within that publisher have different loves. Fight to find the best fit for you.

Romance is an underappreciated genre. Not by readers, thank God for them, but by the literary machine and by many writers themselves. Don't be ashamed. Be proud of our genre and sing its praises as what it is. Romance is the only female dominated genre in the world. Celebrate that!

Everyone will tell you about the book they want to write/want you to write. This can be annoying if you let it, but I prefer to let it make me proud. This means I am making a living at the very thing hundreds of folks wish they could do and admire.

Your family will come to RT and goggle and say, "This is what you do?" Well, one week a year. Maybe a few more if you do some of the other cons. Frankly, the rest of the time I sit in my PJs with my bassets and type...

There will be haters. Anytime you do a job where the general public is involved in deciding your fate, there will be people who threaten to burn your books. (I heard an author say this about a publisher's books at AAA and was amazed that someone who had no beef with them that I knew of could be so nasty for no reason). I say don't let this get to you. Say hooray for the haters, because that means you're big enough for someone to notice and be jealous/angry/freaked out about you.

It's all about the readers. Every time someone tells me," I loved book X," or, "You made me cry" I have this warm glow all over. Write romance for the love, for the happy ending, and for the reader. Do that, and it will all be okay.

XXOO

Jullia