There are actually 3 workshops on this site. How to Analyze the Books You Read was posted in order! Yay, me!
Not so with Goal Setting. That one is in backward. It goes from 8 to 1...but if you click the appropriate lesson on the archives list you should be able to read them in order.
10-Minute Solution is one long lesson. It's actually a short time mangement book I wrote a few years ago. That one's packed with good time management info.
So enjoy!
susan
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ! Introduction
INTRODUCTION
Hey, Good Morning!
If you’re reading this, you’re probably an author who has visited my website, who is looking for a way to make heads or tails of the books being published to see where your books fit, or maybe why you’ve been rejected when you were sure you hit all the marks of the publisher or line to which you submitted.
One of the problems you’re facing is the sheer volume of work out there! In the Romance genre alone, we have main stream romance, single title romance, historical romance and category romance. Category romance then breaks down into publishers and lines. And some lines have continuities, mini-series, and “flash” groupings, like Harlequin Romance’s DAYCARE DADS flash into which my October, 2007 release HER PREGNANCY SURPRISE was slotted.
It can be confusing.
The single most important thing I’ve learned in my twenty-something years in this business is this:
TO GET AND STAY PUBLISHED YOU MUST KNOW WHERE YOUR BOOK FITS
OR HOW TO MAKE YOUR BOOK FIT
OR HOW TO WRITE CONSISTENTLY TO A PUBLISHER’S NEEDS OR A LINE’S SPECIFICATIONS
OR WHAT IT TAKES TO BLAZE NEW TERRITORY
Because reader tastes change, some story types become hot or go out of fashion in the blink of an eye. So in order to consistently write books that sell, you need to keep up.
And how do you keep up? By learning to quickly analyze the books you read.
If you’re interested in learning my simple technique for analyzing, keep reading!
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11 Lesson 1: Getting Started
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
Hey, Good Morning!
If you’re reading this, you’re probably an author who has visited my website, who is looking for a way to make heads or tails of the books being published to see where your books fit, or maybe why you’ve been rejected when you were sure you hit all the marks of the publisher or line to which you submitted.
One of the problems you’re facing is the sheer volume of work out there! In the Romance genre alone, we have main stream romance, single title romance, historical romance and category romance. Category romance then breaks down into publishers and lines. And some lines have continuities, mini-series, and “flash” groupings, like Harlequin Romance’s DAYCARE DADS flash into which my October, 2007 release HER PREGNANCY SURPRISE was slotted.
It can be confusing.
The single most important thing I’ve learned in my twenty-something years in this business is this:
TO GET AND STAY PUBLISHED YOU MUST KNOW WHERE YOUR BOOK FITS
OR HOW TO MAKE YOUR BOOK FIT
OR HOW TO WRITE CONSISTENTLY TO A PUBLISHER’S NEEDS OR A LINE’S SPECIFICATIONS
OR WHAT IT TAKES TO BLAZE NEW TERRITORY
Because reader tastes change, some story types become hot or go out of fashion in the blink of an eye. So in order to consistently write books that sell, you need to keep up.
And how do you keep up? By learning to quickly analyze the books you read.
If you’re interested in learning my simple technique for analyzing, keep reading!
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11 Lesson 1: Getting Started
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ! Lesson 1
Lesson 1
Here comes the most important statement of the workshop…
It’s my opinion that if you want to write for a line or publisher, you should read and analyze EVERY book put out by that line or publisher. EVERY BOOK. For at least six months…maybe even a year.
For those of you who write single titles, don’t gasp thinking about companies like Ballentine that publish more than romance. If you want to write single title romance you don’t need to read anything that falls outside the single title romance division. (Like John Grisham.) And, the romance section of these publishers can typically be divided between historical and contemporary. If you want to write contemporary you don’t have to read the historicals and visa versa.
So, my first theory in book analysis is … if you’re targeting Desire, you should be reading every Desire every month. If you’re targeting Avon, go to your romance section and pull out all the Avons that suit your choice of contemporary or historical and read them all.
That’s the first step to good analysis. Get all the data.
The next steps get a little more complicated. But stick with me. LOL. There’s a method to my madness.
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11 Lesson 1: Getting Started
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
Here comes the most important statement of the workshop…
It’s my opinion that if you want to write for a line or publisher, you should read and analyze EVERY book put out by that line or publisher. EVERY BOOK. For at least six months…maybe even a year.
For those of you who write single titles, don’t gasp thinking about companies like Ballentine that publish more than romance. If you want to write single title romance you don’t need to read anything that falls outside the single title romance division. (Like John Grisham.) And, the romance section of these publishers can typically be divided between historical and contemporary. If you want to write contemporary you don’t have to read the historicals and visa versa.
So, my first theory in book analysis is … if you’re targeting Desire, you should be reading every Desire every month. If you’re targeting Avon, go to your romance section and pull out all the Avons that suit your choice of contemporary or historical and read them all.
That’s the first step to good analysis. Get all the data.
The next steps get a little more complicated. But stick with me. LOL. There’s a method to my madness.
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11 Lesson 1: Getting Started
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ! Lesson 2
Lesson 2: Quick, Easy, Convenient Way to Gather the Data
Now that you’ve got the books…What are you looking for when you read?
Well, I’m glad you asked, because I have a list. Actually I have a 5 x 8 Index Card…
This system evolved when I used an index card as a bookmark. Every time I came upon something that interested me about the book I was reading, or if I noticed that this book contained something I’d also seen in the book I’d just read, I began jotting things on the index card. Pretty soon I realized I needed to put the book’s title and author on the card. Then I realized I should also put the date. Then “questions” began arising for every story, so I put those on the card and before you know it, I had a whole index card of questions to answer for every book.
This card is convenient because having the questions pre-typed assures I answer every question I need answered, and in the same order, so pulling data off is easier, but it also gives me a place to jot down unexpected important things I notice. But we’ll get to that later. Let’s start with the questions.
These are the questions I have on my 5X8 index card…
How does the book Open: (Type of scene and amount of description/ backstory)
What’s the hook?
What is the Conflict?
When Does the Conflict First Appear?
Location: (Is location important to the story?)
Heroine…Unique?
Hero…Unique? (Alpha, Beta, combo?)
Does the middle sag? Why? Why not?
Any unique twists?
Black Moment?
Ending?
Was there anything great about this book?
Or did the book suck? Why?
How much narrative versus dialogue and action? (Do these characters “think” a lot? Or is there an unholy amount of description?)
That’s the questions for the front of the card.
On the back of the card, I write out things that tickle me, are unexpected, and/or are important. I also write out lines of incredibly good description, clever writing, or good dialogue. Not to copy! (Never copy anything!) But to remind myself what good writing looks like. Some days I forget. LOL On those days, a peek at one of these good lines or exceptional descriptions or sparkling dialogue will perk me up and make ME creative by reminding me of what creativity looks like!
That’s lesson 2. For your homework I’d like you to copy these questions into your word processing program and fiddle around with your printer and formatting so you can make your own card!
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
Now that you’ve got the books…What are you looking for when you read?
Well, I’m glad you asked, because I have a list. Actually I have a 5 x 8 Index Card…
This system evolved when I used an index card as a bookmark. Every time I came upon something that interested me about the book I was reading, or if I noticed that this book contained something I’d also seen in the book I’d just read, I began jotting things on the index card. Pretty soon I realized I needed to put the book’s title and author on the card. Then I realized I should also put the date. Then “questions” began arising for every story, so I put those on the card and before you know it, I had a whole index card of questions to answer for every book.
This card is convenient because having the questions pre-typed assures I answer every question I need answered, and in the same order, so pulling data off is easier, but it also gives me a place to jot down unexpected important things I notice. But we’ll get to that later. Let’s start with the questions.
These are the questions I have on my 5X8 index card…
How does the book Open: (Type of scene and amount of description/ backstory)
What’s the hook?
What is the Conflict?
When Does the Conflict First Appear?
Location: (Is location important to the story?)
Heroine…Unique?
Hero…Unique? (Alpha, Beta, combo?)
Does the middle sag? Why? Why not?
Any unique twists?
Black Moment?
Ending?
Was there anything great about this book?
Or did the book suck? Why?
How much narrative versus dialogue and action? (Do these characters “think” a lot? Or is there an unholy amount of description?)
That’s the questions for the front of the card.
On the back of the card, I write out things that tickle me, are unexpected, and/or are important. I also write out lines of incredibly good description, clever writing, or good dialogue. Not to copy! (Never copy anything!) But to remind myself what good writing looks like. Some days I forget. LOL On those days, a peek at one of these good lines or exceptional descriptions or sparkling dialogue will perk me up and make ME creative by reminding me of what creativity looks like!
That’s lesson 2. For your homework I’d like you to copy these questions into your word processing program and fiddle around with your printer and formatting so you can make your own card!
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ! Lesson 3
Lesson 3: Now what do we do?
Let’s pretend you’ve used your index card as a bookmark and as you read a couple of books you answered all the questions for those books.
Now what? You analyze. You compare data. But…here’s the big stickler…you are actually looking for two distinct categories of things.
First, you need to figure out the requirements for your line or publisher…THE GENERAL THINGS WHICH MUST BE IN YOUR BOOK OR RULES YOUR BOOK MUST FOLLOW before you can get into specifics.
These things are bare bones and generic. If you write for a category publisher you can actually pull a good many of these generics out of the guidelines posted on eHarlequin. If you want to write for a single title publisher, you’ve got to figure this out for yourself.
Once you have the generics, then you need to figure out specifics.
Beyond the generic, general, barebones requirements of the line there are things I call marketing musts, reader perferences, editor likes and dislikes and trends.
Ironically, you actually get both the generic things and the specific things required by a line or publisher by looking for lowest common denominators.
Let’s start with the absolute musts, the bottom line, bare bones requirements for your publisher or line. The generics.
Brian Tracy calls these bottom line requirements critical success factors. He says everything has minimum requirements. No matter what job you are doing there will be a minimum of three requirements, but no more than seven, that’s how generic these steps are. They are the absolute bare bones minimum. No fluff no frills.
For instance…
In a “romance novel” (a book that encompasses all genre and subgenre from single title romantic suspense to traditional and/or historical) the critical success factors are as follows:
Romance Novels:
1.Heterosexual Couple
2.Conflict
3.Happy Ending
Could you build a story from that? Heck, yeah. It wouldn’t specifically fit a line or publisher, but from those critical success factors, it’s easy to see the bare-bones guidelines for a “romance novel.”
Let’s do Silhouette Romance (which no longer exists, by the way. This workshop was written a few years ago).
1.Heterosexual Couple
2.Conflict
3.Traditional Hook
4.Happy Ending
5.Word Count 50,000 to 55,000 words
Again, very generic. But the insertion of Traditional Hook makes it possible for you to target a specific audience. The addition of a word count assures you keep your book the appropriate length. Miss any one of those five things and you don’t have a Sil Romance. If it’s 80,000 it’s not a Sil Romance. If it doesn’t end happily, it’s not a Sil Romance. If there’s no conflict between the hero and heroine…it’s not a Silhouette Romance.
Make sense?
How about Harlequin Intrigue…
1.Heterosexual Couple
2.Conflict
3.Suspense/Mystery Plot
4.Exciting Climax
5.Happy Ending
6.Word Count
Ah, three differences…The books aren’t simply longer than Sil Romances, they also contain a Suspense/Mystery plot and exciting climax.
Knowing your target publisher or line’s critical success factors makes it easy to see the real bottom line of “musts” for your line. But knowing your line or publisher’s critical success factors doesn’t simply assure that you “get everything in that you need.” Seeing the critical success factors also makes it possible to determine whether or not your book fits. And if your book doesn’t “fit” it’s easy to see what you would have to do to make your book fit.
Let’s try Blaze
1.Heterosexual Couple
2.Sexy Premise
3.Conflict
4.Happy Ending
5.Word Count
Blazes don’t require a suspense plot. They don’t require a hook. But they DO REQUIRE a sexy premise.
The sexy premise sets Blaze apart. In fact, without a sexy premise you don’t have a Blaze and that’s true all of critical success factors. Wtihout even one of the critical success factors, you don’t fit. Without a traditional hook, you don’t have a Silhouette Romance. Without a mystery/suspense, you don’t have an Intrigue. If you’ve got the wrong word count…you don’t fit!
Now, for those of you who are wondering why I don’t address the issue of sex scenes in the critical success factors…I’ll explain that sex in the books isn’t the big defining factor that everybody thinks it is. Ask the SuperRomance, Special Edition and Intrigue people. They will tell you that the ‘sex scene’ requirement is book dependent. There are also situations in which sex scenes are allowed in Traditionals (sometimes called sweet romances). Marriage of convenience for one. So having sex or not having sex is not a “mandate” or a “must” of the line, because it can change.
Okay. We’ve done enough for today! For your homework, see if you can figure out the critical success factors for the line or publishers to which you wish to submit.
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
Let’s pretend you’ve used your index card as a bookmark and as you read a couple of books you answered all the questions for those books.
Now what? You analyze. You compare data. But…here’s the big stickler…you are actually looking for two distinct categories of things.
First, you need to figure out the requirements for your line or publisher…THE GENERAL THINGS WHICH MUST BE IN YOUR BOOK OR RULES YOUR BOOK MUST FOLLOW before you can get into specifics.
These things are bare bones and generic. If you write for a category publisher you can actually pull a good many of these generics out of the guidelines posted on eHarlequin. If you want to write for a single title publisher, you’ve got to figure this out for yourself.
Once you have the generics, then you need to figure out specifics.
Beyond the generic, general, barebones requirements of the line there are things I call marketing musts, reader perferences, editor likes and dislikes and trends.
Ironically, you actually get both the generic things and the specific things required by a line or publisher by looking for lowest common denominators.
Let’s start with the absolute musts, the bottom line, bare bones requirements for your publisher or line. The generics.
Brian Tracy calls these bottom line requirements critical success factors. He says everything has minimum requirements. No matter what job you are doing there will be a minimum of three requirements, but no more than seven, that’s how generic these steps are. They are the absolute bare bones minimum. No fluff no frills.
For instance…
In a “romance novel” (a book that encompasses all genre and subgenre from single title romantic suspense to traditional and/or historical) the critical success factors are as follows:
Romance Novels:
1.Heterosexual Couple
2.Conflict
3.Happy Ending
Could you build a story from that? Heck, yeah. It wouldn’t specifically fit a line or publisher, but from those critical success factors, it’s easy to see the bare-bones guidelines for a “romance novel.”
Let’s do Silhouette Romance (which no longer exists, by the way. This workshop was written a few years ago).
1.Heterosexual Couple
2.Conflict
3.Traditional Hook
4.Happy Ending
5.Word Count 50,000 to 55,000 words
Again, very generic. But the insertion of Traditional Hook makes it possible for you to target a specific audience. The addition of a word count assures you keep your book the appropriate length. Miss any one of those five things and you don’t have a Sil Romance. If it’s 80,000 it’s not a Sil Romance. If it doesn’t end happily, it’s not a Sil Romance. If there’s no conflict between the hero and heroine…it’s not a Silhouette Romance.
Make sense?
How about Harlequin Intrigue…
1.Heterosexual Couple
2.Conflict
3.Suspense/Mystery Plot
4.Exciting Climax
5.Happy Ending
6.Word Count
Ah, three differences…The books aren’t simply longer than Sil Romances, they also contain a Suspense/Mystery plot and exciting climax.
Knowing your target publisher or line’s critical success factors makes it easy to see the real bottom line of “musts” for your line. But knowing your line or publisher’s critical success factors doesn’t simply assure that you “get everything in that you need.” Seeing the critical success factors also makes it possible to determine whether or not your book fits. And if your book doesn’t “fit” it’s easy to see what you would have to do to make your book fit.
Let’s try Blaze
1.Heterosexual Couple
2.Sexy Premise
3.Conflict
4.Happy Ending
5.Word Count
Blazes don’t require a suspense plot. They don’t require a hook. But they DO REQUIRE a sexy premise.
The sexy premise sets Blaze apart. In fact, without a sexy premise you don’t have a Blaze and that’s true all of critical success factors. Wtihout even one of the critical success factors, you don’t fit. Without a traditional hook, you don’t have a Silhouette Romance. Without a mystery/suspense, you don’t have an Intrigue. If you’ve got the wrong word count…you don’t fit!
Now, for those of you who are wondering why I don’t address the issue of sex scenes in the critical success factors…I’ll explain that sex in the books isn’t the big defining factor that everybody thinks it is. Ask the SuperRomance, Special Edition and Intrigue people. They will tell you that the ‘sex scene’ requirement is book dependent. There are also situations in which sex scenes are allowed in Traditionals (sometimes called sweet romances). Marriage of convenience for one. So having sex or not having sex is not a “mandate” or a “must” of the line, because it can change.
Okay. We’ve done enough for today! For your homework, see if you can figure out the critical success factors for the line or publishers to which you wish to submit.
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ! Lesson 4
Lesson 4: Analysis of Data
The general things are easy and obvious. But, believe it or it, so are the more specific things.
When I need to analyze the books of a line or publisher, I read several and write the answers to all the question on my index card.
Once I have a few completed cards, I set up a file in my computer called “types of beginnings” and pull from my index cards all the types of beginnings I’ve found. I set up another file for black moments and pull all the information about the black moments for that file. I do one for endings. One for character types. One for hooks.
One for every answer on the index card. Because having similar things in the same file is a quick way to see what’s repeating.
But finding the recurrences like “all the stories were marriages of convenience” (which I doubt would happen, but could) is only the beginning. In the same way that we found the critical success factors by reducing everything to its lowest common denominator, the trick to analyzing the recurrences of specifics is also to reduce everything to its lowest common denominator.
I first heard Tony Robbins give the definition of genius as someone who can recognize hundreds of patterns in something. Or hundreds of different ways to do the same thing. I later heard Brian Tracy give that same definition. If you stop to think about it, it’s true. Einstein saw more “patterns” or ways to look at things than his peers. Madona sees more ways to sing and dance, mutating only slightly each time so that she doesn’t lose her old audience as she acquires a new one. Nora Roberts sees more “romance plot” patterns than the rest of us.
So the definition of genius hinges on being able to see what’s in front of you – and you don’t really see what’s in front of you until you learn to reduce everything to the lowest common denominator.
In other words, if you see a repeat of the marriage of convenience hook you need to figure out the lowest common denominator of a marriage of convenience. And I’m going to give you a clue… It isn’t the marriage. A marriage is a very specific thing. It isn’t generic enough. You must ask…What does it mean to be married?
The answer is that the hero and heroine are “together.” Together is a very generic word that opens lots of doors because there are lots of ways heroes and heroines can be “together.”
Now, usually in a marriage of convenience, the next “generic” thing you will find is that they are not happy to be together. Don’t think about why. That’s too specific. Just go for the generic and write “the hero and heroine are unhappy about being together.”
The next thing you notice in a marriage of convenience is that there is always a reason they are together.
So, the lowest common denominator of a marriage of convenience is that the hero and heroine are unhappily stuck together for a reason. That means that any story containing a hero and heroine stuck together in a mutual problem would probably work for that publisher, line or editor.
You can do the same thing with hero types. If all the books for the month just happen to have heroes who are CEO’s you could think the line only wanted CEO’s. But…analyze a little further. Take it down to the lowest common denominator. What’s a CEO…He’s somebody who is in charge. Typcially he has money. He has power. He’s not a wimp. He’s a strong, decisive, powerful man.
So that line or publisher isn’t necessarily looking for CEO’s. It’s probably looking for strong, decisive, powerful men.
When editors say they want books that fall within the confines of their lines, yet are fresh, this is what they mean. They want you to look for the lowest common denominator of the stories they have out, and use that lowest common denominator as a base to make a new story or to put a fresh spin on the story.
They want you to look for the lowest common denominator of characters, hooks, beginnings, endings, conflicts, sexual tension…etc, etc. and put a fresh spin on that.
For your homework, if you have a few books you read recently enough to remember them, answer each of the index card questions for these books and see if you can come up with some lowest common denominators.
Tomorrow, we’ll take a closer look at fresh spin!
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
The general things are easy and obvious. But, believe it or it, so are the more specific things.
When I need to analyze the books of a line or publisher, I read several and write the answers to all the question on my index card.
Once I have a few completed cards, I set up a file in my computer called “types of beginnings” and pull from my index cards all the types of beginnings I’ve found. I set up another file for black moments and pull all the information about the black moments for that file. I do one for endings. One for character types. One for hooks.
One for every answer on the index card. Because having similar things in the same file is a quick way to see what’s repeating.
But finding the recurrences like “all the stories were marriages of convenience” (which I doubt would happen, but could) is only the beginning. In the same way that we found the critical success factors by reducing everything to its lowest common denominator, the trick to analyzing the recurrences of specifics is also to reduce everything to its lowest common denominator.
I first heard Tony Robbins give the definition of genius as someone who can recognize hundreds of patterns in something. Or hundreds of different ways to do the same thing. I later heard Brian Tracy give that same definition. If you stop to think about it, it’s true. Einstein saw more “patterns” or ways to look at things than his peers. Madona sees more ways to sing and dance, mutating only slightly each time so that she doesn’t lose her old audience as she acquires a new one. Nora Roberts sees more “romance plot” patterns than the rest of us.
So the definition of genius hinges on being able to see what’s in front of you – and you don’t really see what’s in front of you until you learn to reduce everything to the lowest common denominator.
In other words, if you see a repeat of the marriage of convenience hook you need to figure out the lowest common denominator of a marriage of convenience. And I’m going to give you a clue… It isn’t the marriage. A marriage is a very specific thing. It isn’t generic enough. You must ask…What does it mean to be married?
The answer is that the hero and heroine are “together.” Together is a very generic word that opens lots of doors because there are lots of ways heroes and heroines can be “together.”
Now, usually in a marriage of convenience, the next “generic” thing you will find is that they are not happy to be together. Don’t think about why. That’s too specific. Just go for the generic and write “the hero and heroine are unhappy about being together.”
The next thing you notice in a marriage of convenience is that there is always a reason they are together.
So, the lowest common denominator of a marriage of convenience is that the hero and heroine are unhappily stuck together for a reason. That means that any story containing a hero and heroine stuck together in a mutual problem would probably work for that publisher, line or editor.
You can do the same thing with hero types. If all the books for the month just happen to have heroes who are CEO’s you could think the line only wanted CEO’s. But…analyze a little further. Take it down to the lowest common denominator. What’s a CEO…He’s somebody who is in charge. Typcially he has money. He has power. He’s not a wimp. He’s a strong, decisive, powerful man.
So that line or publisher isn’t necessarily looking for CEO’s. It’s probably looking for strong, decisive, powerful men.
When editors say they want books that fall within the confines of their lines, yet are fresh, this is what they mean. They want you to look for the lowest common denominator of the stories they have out, and use that lowest common denominator as a base to make a new story or to put a fresh spin on the story.
They want you to look for the lowest common denominator of characters, hooks, beginnings, endings, conflicts, sexual tension…etc, etc. and put a fresh spin on that.
For your homework, if you have a few books you read recently enough to remember them, answer each of the index card questions for these books and see if you can come up with some lowest common denominators.
Tomorrow, we’ll take a closer look at fresh spin!
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ! Lesson 5
Lesson 5: A Fresh Spin
Now that we know what a “fresh spin” is, how, exactly, do we put one in our own story?
Taking our marriage of convenience example and putting a “fresh” spin on it, we could say a H&H stuck together in a cabin in a snow storm would work. A H&H trapped on a ranch, in a burning building, running for their lives together … all work.
Just remember, whatever “stuck” situation you choose, it has to last for an entire book…so the burning building might not sustain your word count! But the H&H running for their lives would…Except, would it work as a Harlequin Romance? Maybe. But it would clearly be a better Intrigue because Intrigues like the suspense oriented plots.
Another way to examine this is to say you want to write an actual marriage of convenience because you know they sell. How do you make YOUR story different? You put the “fresh spin” on why they are unhappy to be married. Or put the spin on the problem. Why the heck in this day and age would somebody enter into a marriage of convenience?
Taking a look at the lowest common denominators of the whys (or motivations) and the problem that forces them to marry gives you the opportunity to see all the ways a marriage of convenience can be done and find your fresh spin.
What if you can’t find a lowest common denominator? What if a line or publisher has every character type. They like both alpha and beta males. The heroes are everything from a king to a plumber. There are virgin heroines and a former prostitute. Some books have hooks, some don’t.
What do you do then?
You keep reading!
This is why I tell people to read all the books from at least six or more months. Because there ARE lowest common denominators. Readers read these books/stories for “something.” They want to feel something as they read. It’s your job to figure out what that “something” is. Sometimes it can be something as simple as the fact that these books make you cry. Harlequin’s former Flipside line had books which made people laugh. And you know what? In a line like that there may be no more common denominators than that. Readers bought the books to laugh.
But in most cases there will be lots of common denominators. As I said before, “Readers are reading for something…” If you’re having trouble coming up with lowest common denominators, it may be time to begin contrasting books from your line or the books from your publisher with the books from another line or publisher of the same kind of book. (For single title you would compare Avons to Berkley or Kennsington or Ballentine or Dell. Whichever company puts out books that compete.)
And that ends today’s lesson. As a little assignment, go to your bookshelf and assemble some of your books as if you were going to compare them. Put your Avons with the appropriate Pockets. Group all your category books by line.
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
Now that we know what a “fresh spin” is, how, exactly, do we put one in our own story?
Taking our marriage of convenience example and putting a “fresh” spin on it, we could say a H&H stuck together in a cabin in a snow storm would work. A H&H trapped on a ranch, in a burning building, running for their lives together … all work.
Just remember, whatever “stuck” situation you choose, it has to last for an entire book…so the burning building might not sustain your word count! But the H&H running for their lives would…Except, would it work as a Harlequin Romance? Maybe. But it would clearly be a better Intrigue because Intrigues like the suspense oriented plots.
Another way to examine this is to say you want to write an actual marriage of convenience because you know they sell. How do you make YOUR story different? You put the “fresh spin” on why they are unhappy to be married. Or put the spin on the problem. Why the heck in this day and age would somebody enter into a marriage of convenience?
Taking a look at the lowest common denominators of the whys (or motivations) and the problem that forces them to marry gives you the opportunity to see all the ways a marriage of convenience can be done and find your fresh spin.
What if you can’t find a lowest common denominator? What if a line or publisher has every character type. They like both alpha and beta males. The heroes are everything from a king to a plumber. There are virgin heroines and a former prostitute. Some books have hooks, some don’t.
What do you do then?
You keep reading!
This is why I tell people to read all the books from at least six or more months. Because there ARE lowest common denominators. Readers read these books/stories for “something.” They want to feel something as they read. It’s your job to figure out what that “something” is. Sometimes it can be something as simple as the fact that these books make you cry. Harlequin’s former Flipside line had books which made people laugh. And you know what? In a line like that there may be no more common denominators than that. Readers bought the books to laugh.
But in most cases there will be lots of common denominators. As I said before, “Readers are reading for something…” If you’re having trouble coming up with lowest common denominators, it may be time to begin contrasting books from your line or the books from your publisher with the books from another line or publisher of the same kind of book. (For single title you would compare Avons to Berkley or Kennsington or Ballentine or Dell. Whichever company puts out books that compete.)
And that ends today’s lesson. As a little assignment, go to your bookshelf and assemble some of your books as if you were going to compare them. Put your Avons with the appropriate Pockets. Group all your category books by line.
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT, 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY, 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH, 6/11
All part of the BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance!
HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ! Lesson 6
Lesson 6: Comparing Apples to Oranges
Comparing the books in your line to other books in that line, or the books put out by your single title publisher to other books by that publisher, is comparing apples to apples.
Comparing category romances to the books in another category romance line is apples to oranges.
Same with comparing single titles from one publisher to similar single title books from another publisher. Apples to oranges.
So what are you looking for when you compare apples to oranges? Two things.
What’s the same? What’s different?
Again, if you’re trying to figure out what makes a certain category romance line click and you’re failing, your next step is to read a bunch of books from ONE other CATEGORY LINE. If you’re trying to figure out what makes a single title publisher’s books click and your failing, you read a bunch of books from ONE other SINGLE TITLE PUBLISHER and answer all the question on the index card, then compare the answers for your original line or publisher against the other line or publisher by asking two questions.
What’s the same about the books? What’s different?
What’s the same about these openings, these heroes, these black moments? What’s different?
The answers to the “what’s the same” will probably be things that are hot on the market right now. But it’s in the “what’s different” that you’ll begin to see what’s specific to your line or publisher and the other line or publisher because it either won’t show up at all, or if it shows up it will be sporadic.
For instance…
You will notice that certain “hooks” repeat in both lines or publishers. No help there.
But…what if you notice that all or most of the stories for the books of one take place in a small town and only some of the books for the other company/line do. That may be a lowest common denominator for your original line or publisher that you missed.
Maybe all the stories are “city” stories. Or maybe it suddenly becomes clear that one group had “family” playing a big part in the stories. Or maybe you notice other characters besides the hero and heroine get a POV in one group but the other group books only have H&H POV? Or maybe there’s a difference in characters. In the one group you notice that the heroes and heroines are of varying ages, while the heroines in the other group always seem to be somewhere near 28.
As an example, let’s compare a Blaze to a Silhouette Romance. The differences/constants quickly become obvious. One has virtually no sex, though there can be lots of sexual tension. The other has tons of sex. One relies on traditional hooks to please readers with reader favorite stories. The other breaks new ground with story types that we may not have seen before.
From that we quickly see that Sil Romance readers like a certain type of story, while Blaze readers like “new” things. They also like sexier stories. To please readers Sil Romance authors must stay within clear cut guidelines while authors for Blaze can “blaze” new trails.
This kind of contrast and comparison can help you quickly see what kind of story you need to write and/or stay away from if you’ve targeted a specific line.
But, what if you haven’t yet targeted a line or publisher, and you have a story idea brewing? All you want is to see where it fits.
The apples to oranges kind of analysis can quickly show you what line or publisher is the best target for your story.
Also, when you make this kind of contrast and comparison, you discover nuances that might help you to hit your target and not veer from the mark! Remember publishers buy specific stories because they are trying to please readers. If you want to sell you must write a story that pleases readers. Doing a contrast and comparison analysis between your line and another line may quickly show you something that your line’s readers want to see … because you see it in all your line’s books but not in the books of the other line.
Now how about contrasting and comparing category romance to single title or as I like to call it Apples to Papaya? Is there a point to that?
Absolutely. Put your category romance line up against a single title or historical and nine chances out of ten you’ll learn more about the single title or historical than the category! (But you may be surprised!) Seeing the volume of subject matter, the diversity of emotion, of a single title, I quickly saw what I was not allowed to do in category romance! I saved myself time, rejection and heartache.
How did I save myself heartache? Because lots of times authors think they’ve discovered a “whole new angle” for their line, when what they have actually done is tripped over into single title or another line’s venue.
That’s why contrast and comparison with other lines and single titles is so important. You need to be at least marginally aware of what the other lines are offering, and familiar enough with single title that you realize that stretching too far puts you into another subgenre.
The same works in reverse. If you’re writing single titles, you need to understand what makes a category tick! Some of the better category plots started out as single title plots that became so well used they weren’t fresh for single title anymore and they’re now found in category. You don’t want to accidentally write a category idea as a single title just because you saw Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips or Linda Howard write that plot ten years ago as a single title!
Your homework? How about comparing one category romance to one historical or single title?
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH 6/11
All part of BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance
Comparing the books in your line to other books in that line, or the books put out by your single title publisher to other books by that publisher, is comparing apples to apples.
Comparing category romances to the books in another category romance line is apples to oranges.
Same with comparing single titles from one publisher to similar single title books from another publisher. Apples to oranges.
So what are you looking for when you compare apples to oranges? Two things.
What’s the same? What’s different?
Again, if you’re trying to figure out what makes a certain category romance line click and you’re failing, your next step is to read a bunch of books from ONE other CATEGORY LINE. If you’re trying to figure out what makes a single title publisher’s books click and your failing, you read a bunch of books from ONE other SINGLE TITLE PUBLISHER and answer all the question on the index card, then compare the answers for your original line or publisher against the other line or publisher by asking two questions.
What’s the same about the books? What’s different?
What’s the same about these openings, these heroes, these black moments? What’s different?
The answers to the “what’s the same” will probably be things that are hot on the market right now. But it’s in the “what’s different” that you’ll begin to see what’s specific to your line or publisher and the other line or publisher because it either won’t show up at all, or if it shows up it will be sporadic.
For instance…
You will notice that certain “hooks” repeat in both lines or publishers. No help there.
But…what if you notice that all or most of the stories for the books of one take place in a small town and only some of the books for the other company/line do. That may be a lowest common denominator for your original line or publisher that you missed.
Maybe all the stories are “city” stories. Or maybe it suddenly becomes clear that one group had “family” playing a big part in the stories. Or maybe you notice other characters besides the hero and heroine get a POV in one group but the other group books only have H&H POV? Or maybe there’s a difference in characters. In the one group you notice that the heroes and heroines are of varying ages, while the heroines in the other group always seem to be somewhere near 28.
As an example, let’s compare a Blaze to a Silhouette Romance. The differences/constants quickly become obvious. One has virtually no sex, though there can be lots of sexual tension. The other has tons of sex. One relies on traditional hooks to please readers with reader favorite stories. The other breaks new ground with story types that we may not have seen before.
From that we quickly see that Sil Romance readers like a certain type of story, while Blaze readers like “new” things. They also like sexier stories. To please readers Sil Romance authors must stay within clear cut guidelines while authors for Blaze can “blaze” new trails.
This kind of contrast and comparison can help you quickly see what kind of story you need to write and/or stay away from if you’ve targeted a specific line.
But, what if you haven’t yet targeted a line or publisher, and you have a story idea brewing? All you want is to see where it fits.
The apples to oranges kind of analysis can quickly show you what line or publisher is the best target for your story.
Also, when you make this kind of contrast and comparison, you discover nuances that might help you to hit your target and not veer from the mark! Remember publishers buy specific stories because they are trying to please readers. If you want to sell you must write a story that pleases readers. Doing a contrast and comparison analysis between your line and another line may quickly show you something that your line’s readers want to see … because you see it in all your line’s books but not in the books of the other line.
Now how about contrasting and comparing category romance to single title or as I like to call it Apples to Papaya? Is there a point to that?
Absolutely. Put your category romance line up against a single title or historical and nine chances out of ten you’ll learn more about the single title or historical than the category! (But you may be surprised!) Seeing the volume of subject matter, the diversity of emotion, of a single title, I quickly saw what I was not allowed to do in category romance! I saved myself time, rejection and heartache.
How did I save myself heartache? Because lots of times authors think they’ve discovered a “whole new angle” for their line, when what they have actually done is tripped over into single title or another line’s venue.
That’s why contrast and comparison with other lines and single titles is so important. You need to be at least marginally aware of what the other lines are offering, and familiar enough with single title that you realize that stretching too far puts you into another subgenre.
The same works in reverse. If you’re writing single titles, you need to understand what makes a category tick! Some of the better category plots started out as single title plots that became so well used they weren’t fresh for single title anymore and they’re now found in category. You don’t want to accidentally write a category idea as a single title just because you saw Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips or Linda Howard write that plot ten years ago as a single title!
Your homework? How about comparing one category romance to one historical or single title?
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH 6/11
All part of BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance
HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ! Lesson 7
Lesson 7: What if you’ve done all this or tried all this and you still don’t have your lowest common denominators? Or you still don’t quite understand what your single title publisher wants?
There could be several reasons for your problem.
1.You didn’t read enough books. Or maybe better said, you didn’t analyze enough books. Before I began writing I was a two-book-a-day reader. Having read thousands of books, I thought I understood everything about romance. When I decided to write, I quickly analyzed a book or two (thinking I knew everything from having read so much) and failed at getting published for the next six years.
Why?
Reading is not the same as analysis. You don’t catch nuances, see trends, or really understand anything about a line or the differences between the lines until you get things down on paper. Or in my case index cards.
2.You put too much faith in the wrong people. Lots of writers believe that the short cut to finding what a line wants is reading the “famous” authors or the “good books.” They define famous authors as single title writers who are doing guest appearances for a category line and don’t realize that single title writers might write exceptional books but they don’t always have to hit the marks of the line. Consequently, they get a skewed perspective of the line. This would be obvious if you read all the books for the line for six months. It would be quickly apparent that some authors really are so talented that no one wants to fuss with their work.
Conversely, it would also be obvious that bread and butter authors, people who do three, four or five books a year FOR THE SAME LINE never miss the marks. Frankly, they aren’t allowed. LOL
If you see something about books by these authors change…like if they begin writing Alpha heroes when they’d always written Betas, you can pretty much be sure that’s an across the board change for the line.
Why else might your analysis fail?
3.You put too much stock in reviews. Personally, most of the reviews I’ve read have been right on the money. But there are lots of ways and reasons a review can be off the mark. First, reviewers have personal preferences. Not a criticism, just a fact of life. Second, reviewers don’t always hold to the tenets of a line. Sometimes they don’t even know them. Third, reviewers aren’t consulted when a line is changing. They don’t know when marketing wants the line to “try something.” They could absolutely hate a book that’s too different not realizing that the line is about to shift completely in that direction. Fourth, they may not represent the taste of the readers. A reviewer may have been assigned a line or type of book she typically doesn’t read, which means she won’t be familiar with the things that are reader favorites.
Remember…your goal is to please readers. It’s a huge bonus if reviewers agree. It’s WONDERFUL when reviewers agree. But reviewers are only one piece of the puzzle.
4.Another reason your analysis may not be good is that you avoid “bad” books. If you never read a bad book the whole way through to the end you miss the opportunity to ask the magic question…
What’s the magic question? We’ll talk about that in the next lesson!
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH 6/11
All part of BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance
There could be several reasons for your problem.
1.You didn’t read enough books. Or maybe better said, you didn’t analyze enough books. Before I began writing I was a two-book-a-day reader. Having read thousands of books, I thought I understood everything about romance. When I decided to write, I quickly analyzed a book or two (thinking I knew everything from having read so much) and failed at getting published for the next six years.
Why?
Reading is not the same as analysis. You don’t catch nuances, see trends, or really understand anything about a line or the differences between the lines until you get things down on paper. Or in my case index cards.
2.You put too much faith in the wrong people. Lots of writers believe that the short cut to finding what a line wants is reading the “famous” authors or the “good books.” They define famous authors as single title writers who are doing guest appearances for a category line and don’t realize that single title writers might write exceptional books but they don’t always have to hit the marks of the line. Consequently, they get a skewed perspective of the line. This would be obvious if you read all the books for the line for six months. It would be quickly apparent that some authors really are so talented that no one wants to fuss with their work.
Conversely, it would also be obvious that bread and butter authors, people who do three, four or five books a year FOR THE SAME LINE never miss the marks. Frankly, they aren’t allowed. LOL
If you see something about books by these authors change…like if they begin writing Alpha heroes when they’d always written Betas, you can pretty much be sure that’s an across the board change for the line.
Why else might your analysis fail?
3.You put too much stock in reviews. Personally, most of the reviews I’ve read have been right on the money. But there are lots of ways and reasons a review can be off the mark. First, reviewers have personal preferences. Not a criticism, just a fact of life. Second, reviewers don’t always hold to the tenets of a line. Sometimes they don’t even know them. Third, reviewers aren’t consulted when a line is changing. They don’t know when marketing wants the line to “try something.” They could absolutely hate a book that’s too different not realizing that the line is about to shift completely in that direction. Fourth, they may not represent the taste of the readers. A reviewer may have been assigned a line or type of book she typically doesn’t read, which means she won’t be familiar with the things that are reader favorites.
Remember…your goal is to please readers. It’s a huge bonus if reviewers agree. It’s WONDERFUL when reviewers agree. But reviewers are only one piece of the puzzle.
4.Another reason your analysis may not be good is that you avoid “bad” books. If you never read a bad book the whole way through to the end you miss the opportunity to ask the magic question…
What’s the magic question? We’ll talk about that in the next lesson!
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH 6/11
All part of BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance
HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ! Lesson 8
Lesson 8: Why did an editor buy this book?
This is a magic question because when you figure out why a book you thought wasn’t as good as it could have been was bought, nine chances out of ten you will find one of the main requirements for the line or publisher.
For instance: Many years ago, (probably fifteen since I haven’t read a historical in a long time) I read a historical romance that I almost gagged through. Not only was there very little romance (the hero and heroine spent very little time together) but what romance there was wasn’t all that romantic. So, I asked one of my friends who was multi-published why she thought that book had been published.
And she said, “What’s it about?” I said, “It’s a marriage of convenience where two people get married because of a child and the child is visited by an angel who tells her how to get them together romantically not just “technically” since they’re married. The book spends more time on the angel and the child, than the romance.”
And my friend said…Then the publisher is probably looking for books with traditional hooks (marriage of convenience) children (the hero and heroine were married because of a child) and angels. At a conference only a week or so later a representative from the publisher was on a panel and very boldly said, “Right now angels and kids are hot. We’d prefer they blend into the story not be the story. But we’re very open about that.” And I said to my mentor, “Ha! The author may have had the angel and the kid but she blew the blending.” My friend shrugged. “Marketing is sometimes more important than craft.”
Ouch. Wicked truth. Publishers are in business to make money. Books about angels were making money, so when this publisher found one, it was bought. Craft problems not withstanding. So, though I don’t recommend mimicking the style of a book that clearly wasn’t any good. It certainly doesn’t hurt to mimic the marketing needs!
Those of you who have been around for a while have witnessed a similar phenomenon. Right now, kick ass heroines are all the rage. But it wasn’t always so. Bombshells came out with this being their selling point. This heroine didn’t need a hero.
The line wasn’t successful. It tried bringing back to the line some of the “original” tenets for romantic suspense, which is that the hero and heroine solve the problem “together.” The heroine isn’t saved…But neither is the hero. But by then it was too late.
The line was closed, but the “newer” heroine that it promoted is alive and well. Now, this kind of heroine isn’t a big shift since Silhouette Romantic Suspense, Intrigue and most single title publishers had already delved into this, but Bombshell’s boldness opened the door for publishers to push the envelope evenmore with heroines.
Now we’ve got some really sassy, spunky girls out there who might have been toned down in years past. Readers responded to the evolution of the heroine to keep up with how young women really behave today. It was a necessary evolution!
So, you have to read everything – books you like, and books you don’t like – to really understand what’s going on in a line or with a publisher. They may be shifting and you need to be aware of that.
5.The fifth reason your analysis may not be working… You haven’t yet learned how to distinguish hybrids. Hybrids are books that have a little bit of everything and don’t really “fit” anywhere. Unless or until you know all your line’s critical success factors and the critical success factors for the similar lines so you know what makes your line or publisher unique, you won’t be able to distinguish hybrids. These books get published sometimes because of author name. Sometimes because of editor desperation. Sometimes because there is “something” about them that an editor can’t refuse. But if they don’t meet the requirements of a line, you shouldn’t set them up as examples.
Readers want what they want. That’s why there are lines. That’s why certain publishers buy very specific books. They are looking for readers. And you should be too. You should be as knowledgeable about your publisher as you can. You should be as knowledgeable as you can about who reads that line or that publisher.
And you can be. For years editors at conferences gave us the simple answer that the way to discover what they wanted was to “read.” But the answer isn’t just read. It’s read and analyze and know what you’re doing when you’re making those analyses!
Read all the books for your publisher or line for at least six months. Figure out your critical success factors. Have a standard list of questions to get to lowest common denominators. Compare apples to apples, apples to oranges and apples to papayas.
And then stick with what you find. If your target publisher wants stories that take place in a small town, give them a story that takes place in a small town. If they want traditional hooks, give them traditional hooks with the spin on the conflict. Don’t go over pages counts. Make sure you haven’t written a hybrid.
Give the people what they want!
Because that’s the real bottom line to analyzing book…It’s figuring out what readers want and giving it to them…or getting your work to the publisher who has targeted the same readers you have.
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH 6/11
All part of BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance
This is a magic question because when you figure out why a book you thought wasn’t as good as it could have been was bought, nine chances out of ten you will find one of the main requirements for the line or publisher.
For instance: Many years ago, (probably fifteen since I haven’t read a historical in a long time) I read a historical romance that I almost gagged through. Not only was there very little romance (the hero and heroine spent very little time together) but what romance there was wasn’t all that romantic. So, I asked one of my friends who was multi-published why she thought that book had been published.
And she said, “What’s it about?” I said, “It’s a marriage of convenience where two people get married because of a child and the child is visited by an angel who tells her how to get them together romantically not just “technically” since they’re married. The book spends more time on the angel and the child, than the romance.”
And my friend said…Then the publisher is probably looking for books with traditional hooks (marriage of convenience) children (the hero and heroine were married because of a child) and angels. At a conference only a week or so later a representative from the publisher was on a panel and very boldly said, “Right now angels and kids are hot. We’d prefer they blend into the story not be the story. But we’re very open about that.” And I said to my mentor, “Ha! The author may have had the angel and the kid but she blew the blending.” My friend shrugged. “Marketing is sometimes more important than craft.”
Ouch. Wicked truth. Publishers are in business to make money. Books about angels were making money, so when this publisher found one, it was bought. Craft problems not withstanding. So, though I don’t recommend mimicking the style of a book that clearly wasn’t any good. It certainly doesn’t hurt to mimic the marketing needs!
Those of you who have been around for a while have witnessed a similar phenomenon. Right now, kick ass heroines are all the rage. But it wasn’t always so. Bombshells came out with this being their selling point. This heroine didn’t need a hero.
The line wasn’t successful. It tried bringing back to the line some of the “original” tenets for romantic suspense, which is that the hero and heroine solve the problem “together.” The heroine isn’t saved…But neither is the hero. But by then it was too late.
The line was closed, but the “newer” heroine that it promoted is alive and well. Now, this kind of heroine isn’t a big shift since Silhouette Romantic Suspense, Intrigue and most single title publishers had already delved into this, but Bombshell’s boldness opened the door for publishers to push the envelope evenmore with heroines.
Now we’ve got some really sassy, spunky girls out there who might have been toned down in years past. Readers responded to the evolution of the heroine to keep up with how young women really behave today. It was a necessary evolution!
So, you have to read everything – books you like, and books you don’t like – to really understand what’s going on in a line or with a publisher. They may be shifting and you need to be aware of that.
5.The fifth reason your analysis may not be working… You haven’t yet learned how to distinguish hybrids. Hybrids are books that have a little bit of everything and don’t really “fit” anywhere. Unless or until you know all your line’s critical success factors and the critical success factors for the similar lines so you know what makes your line or publisher unique, you won’t be able to distinguish hybrids. These books get published sometimes because of author name. Sometimes because of editor desperation. Sometimes because there is “something” about them that an editor can’t refuse. But if they don’t meet the requirements of a line, you shouldn’t set them up as examples.
Readers want what they want. That’s why there are lines. That’s why certain publishers buy very specific books. They are looking for readers. And you should be too. You should be as knowledgeable about your publisher as you can. You should be as knowledgeable as you can about who reads that line or that publisher.
And you can be. For years editors at conferences gave us the simple answer that the way to discover what they wanted was to “read.” But the answer isn’t just read. It’s read and analyze and know what you’re doing when you’re making those analyses!
Read all the books for your publisher or line for at least six months. Figure out your critical success factors. Have a standard list of questions to get to lowest common denominators. Compare apples to apples, apples to oranges and apples to papayas.
And then stick with what you find. If your target publisher wants stories that take place in a small town, give them a story that takes place in a small town. If they want traditional hooks, give them traditional hooks with the spin on the conflict. Don’t go over pages counts. Make sure you haven’t written a hybrid.
Give the people what they want!
Because that’s the real bottom line to analyzing book…It’s figuring out what readers want and giving it to them…or getting your work to the publisher who has targeted the same readers you have.
susan meier
THE BABY PROJECT 4/11
SECOND CHANCE BABY 5/11
A BABY ON THE RANCH 6/11
All part of BABY IN THE BOARDROOM series for Harlequin Romance
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Welcome
I've always believed a website is a work in progress and as of today mine definitely is!
I'm restructing the front page a bit, but who cares, right? It's conent we all want to see.
So I'm creating a few new pages.
Happily Ever After, where I will post epilogues or scenes that take you into the hero and heroine's futures. So you get a taste of who they will be a few years down the road.
What Came Before, where I'll post prologues about the hero and/or heroine of a particular story to show you how they got to page one of the novel.
Shorts, which will be short stories that I'll write about secondary characters.
Workshops, where I will post appropriate workshops like my Goal Setting Workshop which I hope to have up soon.
And Looking for a Job. This blog will be a bit different. Because I probably won't be posting. Think of this as a public service blog where my niece Stephanie and my sister Tammy will share their joys and frustrations as Steph enters the workforce after college graduation and Tammy looks to re-enter the workforce now that three of her four kids are in school!
Should be fun. All of it should be. I've always hated giving up my characters too soon after a book is completed and starting their stories too late because most romances begin where the hero and heroine meet, yet a lot of potentially important information happens long before each book begins.
So check back. It's all coming within the next few weeks!
susan
I'm restructing the front page a bit, but who cares, right? It's conent we all want to see.
So I'm creating a few new pages.
Happily Ever After, where I will post epilogues or scenes that take you into the hero and heroine's futures. So you get a taste of who they will be a few years down the road.
What Came Before, where I'll post prologues about the hero and/or heroine of a particular story to show you how they got to page one of the novel.
Shorts, which will be short stories that I'll write about secondary characters.
Workshops, where I will post appropriate workshops like my Goal Setting Workshop which I hope to have up soon.
And Looking for a Job. This blog will be a bit different. Because I probably won't be posting. Think of this as a public service blog where my niece Stephanie and my sister Tammy will share their joys and frustrations as Steph enters the workforce after college graduation and Tammy looks to re-enter the workforce now that three of her four kids are in school!
Should be fun. All of it should be. I've always hated giving up my characters too soon after a book is completed and starting their stories too late because most romances begin where the hero and heroine meet, yet a lot of potentially important information happens long before each book begins.
So check back. It's all coming within the next few weeks!
susan
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