I haven't done one of these in a while so I thought I better jump on to this question from a Twitter follower.
 | rebeccaannkiel @BookEndsJessica what's hot in romance and YA. Where trends are going. 2/11/15, 9:45 AM |
I'm going to work on the romance aspect of this question first.
At first I was going to pass this question off to my colleagues, but after some thought I decided to put my old journalist fedora on (no I never actually wore one) and hit the streets. So I called up some of my editor pals and put the question to them.
Contemporary romance is still hot. However, a number of publishers are feeling filled up on small town contemporaries.
Think Alpha. Alpha heroes are where it's at with a number of editors and publishers.
Most publishers these days are still shying away from new paranormal romances. While a lot of editors still love it personally, the market has slowed and they are working to build the authors they have rather than buy new ones.
Sports romances are hot. I keep hearing this again and again. It's a great place for an Alpha hero, although not all sports work. For whatever reason, baseball hasn't typically been hot in this market, but football and hockey always seem to work.
There are more than a few editors who would love to see foreign locals, Scotland is especially big. I'd suggest sticking with the UK (England, Scotland or Ireland). A contemporary Men with Kilts perhaps? This is a fun one. I'd like to see something like that.
And I'm always hearing a lot about working class heroes. We all seem to love our firefighters, construction workers and police officers.
--jhf
At first I was going to pass this question off to my colleagues, but after some thought I decided to put my old journalist fedora on (no I never actually wore one) and hit the streets. So I called up some of my editor pals and put the question to them.
Contemporary romance is still hot. However, a number of publishers are feeling filled up on small town contemporaries.
Think Alpha. Alpha heroes are where it's at with a number of editors and publishers.
Most publishers these days are still shying away from new paranormal romances. While a lot of editors still love it personally, the market has slowed and they are working to build the authors they have rather than buy new ones.
Sports romances are hot. I keep hearing this again and again. It's a great place for an Alpha hero, although not all sports work. For whatever reason, baseball hasn't typically been hot in this market, but football and hockey always seem to work.
There are more than a few editors who would love to see foreign locals, Scotland is especially big. I'd suggest sticking with the UK (England, Scotland or Ireland). A contemporary Men with Kilts perhaps? This is a fun one. I'd like to see something like that.
And I'm always hearing a lot about working class heroes. We all seem to love our firefighters, construction workers and police officers.
--jhf
Would a story about a homeless man in Paris spark interest? I know a lot of books show the chic, glamorous side to the city, but there's also a darker side here that you don't find in the brochures on Paris by Night. I'm getting ready to query in a month or two.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting. I don't write romance but it's great insight.
ReplyDeleteI've read that Romance has to have a happy ending or it is not romance. Is this true?
ReplyDeleteIn my contemporary urban m/s, a successful male artist goes to Paris for a residency and has a romance that ends bitterly.
Lynn:
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how that would really be a romance. I can't say for sure whether or not it would work without having read more.
--jhf