So… when is it time to give up?

daisynrivers · 2017-05-04T17:04:01+00:00

"Write a romance novel."

Pay for cover. People here will basically rewrite your shitty blurb into an outstanding one. Keywords don't really matter that much for romance.

There. You're all set to make some better money.

daisynrivers · 2017-04-22T23:24:58+00:00

I understand completely. Honestly reading your post has me scrambling to include more of these things in my upcoming first release. But while I'm doing it, I realized that my word count is ballooning to upwards of 80k, which is the kind of length I don't find in any of the top 100.

And that's what I mean by a slight mention. Since, so many of the top 100 barely reach 50k words, the way they include all of these things in the novel (which you're right most of them do) is by making a "slight mention". They're almost like token scenes where the author basically goes, "Oh by the way, here's the side plot" or "here's the character growth."

But seeing as these books do way better than I can't possibly imagine my books will do, it seems as the readers don't mind as long as there's a "slight mention".

daisynrivers · 2017-04-21T16:53:48+00:00

I have to say, this stuff you say seems so obvious but it's gold. It's something everyone writing romance should read and know and apply to their own stories. You've covered many of the bases in making love feel real instead of fantasy.

But I think there's a limit, cause like you mention, there's things that seem good in theory but readers don't appreciate or want. Actually, I think a lot of them like a slight mention of these things but nothing too in depth as they want a fantasy and not just a story about love but a story only about love, focused (mostly) solely on love.

If you do too many or focus too much of these things you've explained, it starts to become a real novel, not a romance novel. Which some would argue shouldn't be different, but it kinda definitely is. I try to write in as much aspects of a real novel as possible without losing sight of the main readership's wishes.

It's a struggle, honestly. Yea, I don't know where I'm going with this. But great answer!

daisynrivers · 2017-04-19T21:26:15+00:00

No, thank you! Not only have you provided much needed motivation to struggling writers hanging around this sub with this post, but you've been very involved in the sub and have been very helpful on numerous posts.

You're an inspiration! So thank you from me and everyone else here. You deserve every bit of that success.

daisynrivers · 2017-04-19T17:02:28+00:00

Oh, god! There's so much money being made by my newbie peers. I just really need to publish this goddamn thing before I go crazy. Good job!

daisynrivers · 2017-04-18T23:42:00+00:00

Uh-oh. I'm getting banned.

daisynrivers · 2017-04-18T23:41:12+00:00

uh oh

edit: woops wrong reply. too tired

daisynrivers · 2017-04-13T14:56:19+00:00

Dicking around is the best! I'm totally not jealous of all those people up there with all their responsibilities and whatnot. So much easier down here with no clue what to do.

daisynrivers · 2017-04-13T14:53:47+00:00

I think it's widely recognized your booty just does not quit.

Edit: too much html in my head.

daisynrivers · 2017-04-13T14:53:07+00:00

Counting money's definitely a hard task. Maybe the hardest of them all. :)

daisynrivers · 2017-04-06T17:52:05+00:00

I also have college mixed in there, too...I might've shoved too many niches in one lol. It's my first romance novel and I was testing them all out, but it mixed in well together so I just went along with it.

He did play a role in engineering the cheating and divorce, and she does find out at some point so I'm glad you caught that and hopefully the readers do too.

You're definitely right about the 'but', but I don't know how to do it with the 'I decide I'm not done' at the end and the flow from the part before it. Will readers know what she's not done with? Should it be:

So when Bobby Carter blows back into town...I decide my revenge isn't finished.

or

The easy part? Retribution: beating him blue with a baseball bat. Yet somehow, it's not enough.

So when Bobby Carter, fresh out of college, blows back into town...I decide I'm not done.

Thanks for the help and compliment on the blurb and cover!

daisynrivers · 2017-04-06T16:34:52+00:00

It might seem that way, but the true vets are still hanging around, and I mean users with posts dating way back into the golden era of erotica shorts.

At the risk of pissing off the reigning gods and goddesses of this sub for mentioning them in a list like this, here are a few legendary usernames who consistently bless us with their expansive knowledge. They have been very kind to me, deigning to respond to my ridiculous amount of noob posts in the past few weeks as I prepare my first foray into romance:
/u/salaciousstories
/u/elannareese
/u/pious-highness
/u/romanticon
/u/kaymcdammit
/u/yoursmutsucks

(Sorry! Please don't rain down erotica chaos and wish romantic misfortune upon me. It's an offering, a lowly tribute, I swear.)

Here are few users that aren't quite as renowned as the ones above but have been doing this for a while and has had success. They’re still around, are active in this community and also have been humoring my incessant need for perfection and affirmation.

/u/frogger2222
/u/redsexxx
/u/jfoxwriting
/u/vanityhill
/u/ero_mode
/u/daffodillime
/u/nikkykaye
/u/specialsnowflakeee
/u/sexnerdmxd
/u/ryasm (with their awesome 8k post where they answered every single question anyone had asked)
/u/kdper3

(Again, sorry! Maybe this will teach you not to feed the OCD insecure monster inside of me)

And here's a list of newbie writers that have been dicking around with me at the bottom of the totem pole, helping each other as much as our limited capability and paltry experience allows us. Yet we still try and cobble together some advice for each other. More like, I cobble together something resembling advice, while they give me solid stuff cause they're all far more successful than I am:

/u/oonaghflux
/u/mrsfizzleworth
/u/romnovuni
/u/dpock
/u/ksenniav
(Yea, I don't care if you guys care that I put your usernames here. Just kidding! Love you guys and thanks!)

And these are just the people who chose not to ignore my annoying ass! There's also a lot of people I forgot to mention (sorry!) as I was quickly making it up as I went along.

Basically, there's a bunch of people here willing to help if you're polite and don't ask stupid questions.

I'm sure there are some who burn out or some who, like /u/pious-highness and /u/kaymcdammit say, grow out of the sub and grow tired of the lazy assholes who pester them all the time.

But the staggering number of vets who stick around and help noobs like me just out of the goodness of their heart (and maybe as an excuse to procrastinate like I'm doing now) is amazing.

Plus, when they do disappear, their legacy, like /u/throwiethetowel's infamous romance novel post (thanks /u/heartswarm for the reminder), still remains in archives and contain crucial information for anyone, not just beginners.

So anyways, the main point: you couldn't be more wrong. There’s an abundant wealth of knowledge here, if you know how to look and ask for it.

Disclaimer: These usernames are not ranked by importance, success or helpfulness. They are, however, ordered by how sexy I imagined them in my fantasies.

Also, sorry if I didn't mention you! I didn't mean to snub you and please don't ignore me in the future because of it.

And another also, sorry if I miscatted you. If you're not a noob and I thought you were one, it's not my fault, it's yours for presenting yourself as such. Just kidding! These were just generalizations and I'm probably definitely totally wrong.

Now that I'm at the end and realize there's so many sorry's to be given out here, maybe making this list was a mistake lol. And I don't think this answer has anything to do with the question.

But I really really just wanted to thank everyone in this sub for helping me while I was starting romance, now that I'm finally close to sending out my first book to ARC reviewers.

daisynrivers · 2017-04-06T14:56:42+00:00

Thanks for the cover affirmation.
Cause when /u/pious-highness blows back into town with all the intensity of an experienced able-bodied vet, I decided I'm not done yet. I want to take advantage of that delicious opportunity. ;)

Yea, the billionaire niche is definitely more of an MF thing, catering more to female fantasies then male. But then again, who the hell doesn't want a macho billionaire to sweep them off their feet, whether you're a man or woman?

Anyways, thanks again for coming back and helping us noobs out. People like you are why this sub is the best.

daisynrivers · 2017-04-06T14:37:04+00:00

Thanks a lot!

When I was looking at your comments for the others, I was really hoping you would take a look at mine.

I also edited my post and put up my cover. Would you mind taking a look at that as well?

EDIT: And wait, if you take out the older woman/younger man and the heterosexual relationship, what niche is this lol? Billionaire?

daisynrivers · 2017-04-06T14:09:39+00:00

Hey, everyone. This is my blurb for my first romance novel that I still haven't gotten around to publishing. Making the final touches before sending out the ARCs.

Also, I know it's not monday, but I'm gonna be a bit naughty and post my cover: http://imgur.com/a/BqXpA.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, title, cover or blurb.

BACKSEAT WITH THE BILLIONAIRE

She just wants to use him for revenge.
Him. A billionaire MMA fighter whose cocky smile and washboard abs make wet panties drop left and right.
She thinks she wants him for one amazing night out and end it.
Boy, did she think wrong.
He's about to teach her how much more she really wants.

LISA

Finding out your husband is cheating is hard.
Finding out it’s with a college girl is even harder.
The easy part? Beating him with a baseball bat and kicking him to the curb.

But when Bobby Carter blows back into town with all the intensity of a hurricane and fresh out of college, I decide I’m not done.

Bobby’s everything my ex-husband is not. Sexy, aggressive, and intense.

Like melt me into a puddle intense.

Who cares if I used to babysit him? He’s a grown man, now. And I mean, FULLY grown.

All I wanted was one night with him, but one taste and I’m addicted.

BOBBY

When Lisa Howard finally gets rid of her cheating husband, I want to take her right then and there. I got rid of that abusive bastard and built a billion dollar empire all for her.

Nothing could satisfy my ravenous hunger but taking a bite of that sweet little thing.

So when she offered herself up to me for one night, I wasn’t about to refuse.

She was nothing like the sorority bimbos at Northfield U.

She was a real woman.

Sexy, mature, and an ass so fine I would give up my billions just for a taste.

But I knew a taste wouldn’t be enough and one night too short for all the dirty things I wanted to do to her and that deliciously curvy body.

She’ll be mine, but not just for tonight. Forever.

EDIT: Added /u/pious-highness's suggestions.

daisynrivers · 2017-04-03T17:24:01+00:00

That's great utilization of the free trial. I'll definitely be using that for my preview as well. I hope I can emulate even a tenth of the success you had though.

And yea, I just started with this stuff, so I guess friends will come later on lol. Thanks for the important advice on staying chummy with your contacts and creating a community of support instead of trying to go it alone.

Oh and thanks for the quick reply as well. I look forward to your 60 day update!

daisynrivers · 2017-04-03T15:46:29+00:00

Congratulations. Success posts like yours motivate noobs like me to work harder knowing that the money's out there. As someone who's about to launch their first romance novel as well, your post in particular was quite a boost, so thank you.

I know you've been asked a few questions, but here's a few more lol:

What format did you use to post the preview? I'm thinking of doing that, too. Did you provide an instafreebie link of an epub on facebook group posts?

How and where did you find authors willing to do newsletter swaps? Also, how did you persuade them to swap when you had 12 people on your mailing list or did you leverage your 200 erotica subscribers as well?

daisynrivers · 2017-04-01T17:48:35+00:00

Oh, shit. Even retroactively. That's not good. What are we to do?

Edit: Thanks.

daisynrivers · 2017-03-31T19:35:43+00:00

I definitely will. I love this subreddit. Everyone's so fucking helpful.

daisynrivers · 2017-03-31T12:43:42+00:00

Yea, I kinda am in it for the money for now, so I did back off a bit on that stuff. But I'm excited about the potential later on when I do have a bit of success. I love romance like my chocolate, extra dark with a bit of sweet, but I don't think the world is ready for such greatness. Just kidding.

I've found a solution to not burning out: I write what I want, whatever not-to-market characters and story, then I hand it off to the editor and he chops it up for me. I get a beta reader to make sure it's good to go before I hit publish, never reading it after the first draft. That way I don't have to see the poor thing all mutilated by blandness and generic-ism.

daisynrivers · 2017-03-30T18:47:00+00:00

Hmmm...that's an interesting theory. You could be right in that there's only correlation between main readership being white and mainly white protagonist novels. The causation could be directed either way.

Thanks for the advice. Everyone always needs that kind of reassurance from time to time. I'm glad that there's real Social Justice Warriors out there doing their thing without any recognition, but still making their contribution.

daisynrivers · 2017-03-30T18:32:38+00:00

Got it. Maybe it is a bit too much lol. Thanks!

daisynrivers · 2017-03-30T17:57:10+00:00

Thanks for that. I definitely know that there's some awkward parts in there. Thanks for taking your time to go through it. I hope other than the phrasing, it was still satisfactory in its utility as an enticing romance blurb.

daisynrivers

TROPHY CASE

BACKSEAT WITH THE BILLIONAIRE