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There's a real cultural cringe in Australia
when it comes to talking romance books and romance writers. It's amazing,
really, how everyone knows so much about romance books when so few people will
admit to having read a romance.
And there's all sorts of urban myths flying around about romance books, the
people who write them, and the people who read them.. So, since we are an
organization of romance writers, we'll examine a few of these myths.
Myth #1* The famous "Mills and Boon Formula"
There's no such thing. Harlequin Mills and Boon (HM&B) writers who have been
writing for 40 - 50 years will tell you they've never seen a formula, nor have
they ever been told what to write.
There is not and never has been "a formula".
So how did this myth arise? Simply because Harlequin Mills and Boon (HM&B) was
one of the first publishers to issue publisher's guidelines. Nowadays, most
publishers do. But when M&B first did it, some writers were shocked, and cried
"formula" and "shame."
Apply a little logic to The Formula: HM&B publishes more than 50 new titles each
month. If there was a kiss on page 28 of every book, do you think readers would
keep buying, month after month, year after year?
Some people have responded to this logic with the suggestion that the plots are
computer generated and given to authors to "fill in the gaps." It's utter
nonsense. Believe it or not, most authors would find it much harder to write a
book based on someone else's plot than to make up their own story. We are
story-tellers, and that's why we write for a living.
So why the guidelines? HM&B publishes a huge variety of stories -- all with a
relationship between a man and a woman at the heart of them, but all very
different. You can find; pure romance ( sexy or not), crime romance, medical
romance, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, historical romance, chick lit and
many more varieties of romantic fiction. Each variety, or line, has a different
"flavour", length, market etc. and aspiring authors need to know where their
story might fit in, so they know where to send their manuscripts -- London, New
York or Toronto, which all publish different lines. Hence the guidelines.
Myth #2* they're all the same
Romance is genre fiction and like other genres, has its conventions. Yes,
romances must have a happy ending. Does this make it boring and predictable? Not
in the hands of a skilled writer.
We read crime novels, knowing the murderer will be discovered in the end.
Sometimes we even know who the murderer is. Does this make the novel boring and
predictable? No. Otherwise the books would not keep selling.
Romance is about how two people overcome obstacles to make a relationship work.
In murder mysteries a detective overcomes difficulties to unveil a murderer. In
both genres, the focus is on the journey — not the end result. Crime novels are
whodunnits, romances are how-happened-it.
They are the same in that each story has a relationship between a man and a
woman at its heart, and a satisfying ending , but it's like chocolate -- we all
know what chocolate tastes like, but there are also many different kinds of
chocolate and many ways to present and eat it. And people return time and time
again to their favourite.
Myth #3* they're soft porn for women
I don't know how many times I've heard critics of romance read out salacious
passages from a sexy M&B. I dare say I could pick out passages from almost any
novel and mock it out of context. Cheap laughs.
Yes, lots of romances are very sexy. Lots aren't. But whether or not there is or
isn't sex, the focus of a romance is not the sex but the relationship. The books
are romances — it's the story, not the sex.
In any case, how many of us would say that sex played no part in our
relationships? If sex belongs anywhere, it's in a romance. But there is no
requirement on any romance author to write sex scenes — the genre is broad
enough to cater to all preferences.
There is a growing international market for erotica and some of our members are
building successful careers in this area. Romance is a large umbrella.
But some of Australia's -- and Mills and Boon's -- most beloved and most popular
romance authors have no sex scenes in their stories at all, and their books fly
off the shelves. It's not all about sex.
Myth #4* they're full of cardboard characters, clichés and bad writing
Some are; the good ones aren't. But you have to go back to the purpose of
romance fiction — entertainment. Romance, like TV and movies and thrillers and
crime novels and science fiction and fantasy, is entertainment fiction. Not
literary fiction.
Yes, some writers use archetypal characters and stories which are variations on
a theme. That's common in entertainment. Movie-goers have clear expectations of
a James Bond movie; if Bond and the baddie both went off for counselling to
discuss the reasons for their violent behaviour, it might be fascinating, but
movie-goers would demand their money back. In the same way, many romance readers
want a repeat of the experience, the next variation on that author's beloved
theme. It's fun, light-hearted, escapist entertainment with wide popular appeal.
And it's feel-good.
Not all romance writers use archetypes; many create unique, unforgettable
characters. They write stories which stay with us and haunt our imagination, and
readers keep them and reread them over and over — such books are known as
"keepers".
In every genre, there are novels that are clichéd and poorly written, and some
books that are wonderfully written with unforgettable characters and prose that
sings. Romance is no different. It's a huge genre, with an enormous range and
variety. Don't judge a whole genre by a few books.
Myth #5* Romance books are junk fiction that have no value to the world.
The concept of "value" is a debatable one. Value to whom and for what purpose?
To quote Robertson Davies, 'It is dangerous to condemn stories as junk which
satisfy the deep hunger of millions of people. These books are not literary art,
but a great deal of what is acclaimed as literary art in our time offers no
comfort or fulfillment to anybody.' (* 2)
Take this letter, for instance, that I received from a reader overseas. Her name
has been removed.
Dear Anne
I have just finished your novella The Virtuous Widow and I had to write to say
how much I loved it. I don't usually read historical romances, but I got a
collection called Regency Brides with another collection and decided to keep it.
I have a lot of time to read now. Up until May 10th this
year I was a 24 hour carer for my dad but he died on that day. Just last week I
was told that I have a degenerative spinal disease (my spine is crumbling) and I
will be in a wheelchair in the future. My husband is disabled and we have 2 sons
aged 5 and 8. Because they need me, I usually tend to my own pain control at
night time when I do most of my reading. I really couldn't put your book down
until I had finished it. It took my mind off everything that has happened, and
took me back to Ellie and Amy's home.
I intend to look for some other books of yours at my
local library as this story really whetted my appetite. Up until I started this,
I hadn't been able to settle to read, but this story got me going again
Thank you.
Most romance writers I know have received letters like this: touching, heartfelt
letters from readers, thanking them for helping them get through the tough
times; people who have sat beside hospital or hospice beds through the night,
people managing pain, facing unremitting pressure in their lives, and turning to
a little escapist, feel-good fiction to help them cope.
No value to the world? I think not.
Myth #6 Romance writers are a bunch of housewives, knocking off books in
their spare time
So often romance writers are portrayed as a bunch of housewives, yet most
Australian romance writers, published regularly in paperback or hardback
fiction, earn their living by their writing.
Before they became professional writers, most Australian romance writers had
other careers. Here's a list of jobs we've held: biochemist, chartered
accountant, cook, editor, farmer, lawyer, librarian, marine biologist,
physiotherapist, sales manager, scientist, secretary, university statistics
lecturer, teacher - the list goes on.
They didn't quit working -- they changed career.
It's ludicrous to call professional writers who work from home "housewives."
Yes, some of us do housework, and some are mothers with small children at home,
but you don't call a doctor combining motherhood and medicine a housewife. A
freelance journalist doesn't call him/herself a housewife. A lawyer on maternity
leave is still a lawyer, an architect with a home office isn't called a
housewife or a househusband.
We are not housewives. We are professional writers of commercial fiction.
Myth #7* romance is for uneducated, sexually repressed voyeurs
Yes. Just as crime novels are for repressed murderers and violent types with
with a taste for necrophilia. And science fiction is for sad geeks who dress
badly and have no grip on reality. And thrillers are for people who live dull,
restricted lives. And people who read Literature are pretentious snobs.
In other words, it's rubbish. All sorts of people read romance, and most romance
readers are also prolific readers of a variety of fiction.
"Readers of literary fiction expect to be challenged and like to be entertained;
readers of popular fiction expect to be entertained and like to be challenged.
They're often the same readers in a different mood." Daphne Clair
Romance Writers of America (www.rwanational.org) have socio-economic and other
statistics on who reads romance. The people who read romance come from all
levels of society and all educational backgrounds. As do the writers.
Why is it so strange for people to want to read books that celebrate love? Why
is it that books about murder are often more highly regarded than books about
love. Few of us would suggest that love is not important to us.
Why do most people remember their first kiss? Their first love? Why do so many
people celebrate Valentines day? Wedding anniversaries? Why do golden wedding
anniversaries bring a wistful smile to even the most cynical of souls?
As romance author Elizabeth Lowell said, ‘Only in romance is an enduring,
constructive bond – love – between a man and a woman celebrated.’ (*3)
Myth #8 - Romance novels give girls and women unrealistic expectations of
life
This is an old chestnut that returns again and again in a different guise. In
past centuries it was claimed that women should not be taught to read because
they had small brains and the poor dears couldn't cope with all the extra
learning. In the Victorian era men were warned not to let their womenfolk read
novels because novels brought about a spritual and moral decline in the feeble
female constitution.
Romance novels give girls and women unrealistic expectations of life?
What rubbish. Most readers, male or female, have learned to distinguish real
life from the fantasy in books by the age of about 10.
Do science fiction novels make people believe the aliens are coming?
Do crime novels cause people to murder?
Do fantasy novels make us believe we can fly or perform magic?
In fact, many romance novels can help educate people about real life issues.
Some of the grittier, more "real life" romances often portray people coping with
the sorts of difficulties that many
women cope with -- illness, divorce, death, career crises, elderly parents,
problems with children , and so on. No easy solutions are presented -- do you
think readers would stand for that? Authors who write these romances often get
letters from readers who were touched by the story and felt the truth of it, who
wanted to share their own experiences and who felt comforted and less isolated
by reading the book.
We know the difference between fantasy and real life.
Myth #9* It's money for jam -- and an instant fortune
This is a really powerful myth. Romance writers are rarely presented with a
whopping lump sum, as urban myth suggests .
Most people prefer not to discuss their income with strangers, and most romance
writers don't discuss their earnings. The truth is it's nobody's business but
our own.
In any case, it's not only a desire for privacy that prevents us from disclosing
how much money a book earns (a very common question) -- it's that it's an
unanswerable question. Each book we write earns a different amount. It depends
on the market, the cover, the title, word of mouth, publicity etc. And it's
often years before we have any idea what a book has earned us.
Romance writers get royalties -- a very small percentage of a book's cover
price. Our earnings depend on sales. To expect to make an instant fortune is
like expecting to earn like Bryce Courtney, just because you sold a book to the
same publisher. Few romance writers can give up their day job straight away.
Contrary to urban myth, most advances are quite small. But the books continue to
earn royalties over time -- like a snowball growing as it rolls.
Yes, you can make a living writing romance — if you sell to a big enough
publisher and if your books do well. Like any other writer, it depends on
talent, hard work, the market and luck. Australia's top romance writers earn a
good living — but they've all written many books over a number of years, have
built up a huge following and continue to publish regularly and please their
readership. It's a business. Romance writers, like any other writers, get dumped
if their books don't sell.
Myth #10 Anyone can write a romance, it's dead easy
It's harder than most people think. Even Mills and Boon, that urban myth claims
is so easy to 'crack', receive something like 20,000 unsolicited manuscripts
each year from all over the world. They contract perhaps 30 new writers. They're
just one of the publishers.
Australian romance writers have to send their work overseas -- to New York,
London and Toronto. We have to compete with the rest of the world to get
published. And we have succeeded. We have broken into the very tough USA and UK
markets. Every month some Aussie romance writer hits a bestseller list in the
USA.
Writing romance is a tough international business. But each year, more of us
succeed. Despite the odds, last year 9 new Australian romance writers were
contacted to major international publishers. And we, at Romance Writers of
Australia, are very proud of them.
We support our Aussie romance writers. Do you?
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* 1 [*Statistics compiled by RWAmerica from Ipsos
BookTrends, Book Industry Study Group and American Bookseller Association
reports, and from tallies in Ingram’s catalogue of all book releases.]
https://www.rwanational.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?webcode=StatisticsIndustry
*2 from For Your Eyes Alone; the Letters of
Robertson Davies, edited by Judith Skelton Grant, Viking Press.
* 3 from Dangerous Men and
Adventurous Women. Krentz, J.A (ed) 1992. University of Pennsylvania Press.
© Anne Gracie, President Romance Writers Of Australia.
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