The career novelist

THE CAREER NOVELIST

Reincarnation romances like Whispers in Time by Becky Lee
Weyrich or paranormal romances like Emily's Ghost by Antoinette
Stockenberg may reflect a contemporary concern with the mystical,
a concern showing up in other publishing sectors, too.
What about that other primary function of romances, providing a
means of escape? The mental getaway is as much a part of
romances today as it ever was, but current novels offer fresh itiner-
aries. Consider time-travel romances like Outlander by Diana
Gabaldon, fantasy romances like The Prince and the Barbarian by
Betina Krahn, or futuristic romances by Kathleen Morgan. Unusual
they may be, but they are escapes nevertheless.
One thing that has not changed in the nineties is the sales power
of romances, or the outlets in which they are purchased by readers.
According to the Book Industry Study Group, romances account for
48.6 percent of all mass-market sales. Think about that: roughly one
of every two paperbacks sold is a romance!
You would think that romances would be a booming business for
independent bookstores, but in fact only a tiny 4.2 percent of
romances are sold through independents. Even chains have only
15.7 percent of the market. Most romances are sold through outlets
serviced by so-called IDs, that is, distributors who mostly slot mag-
azines into places like supermarkets, drugstores, and variety stores.
Unlike bookstores, in ID-serviced outlets it is the IDs themselves
that decide which books will go in the racks.
•Obviously, the process of making a name as a romance writer is
very different from the process in other categories. While it is true
that independents and chain stores count more heavily in best-
seller tabulations, the high proportion of sales made through ID
accounts probably indicates that story content and cover art are the
most important elements in establishing an audience.
Can romance authors break out into wider mass-market success?
They can and regularly do. Even authors of short contemporaries
(confusingly called category romances in industry slang) can move up
to best-sellerdom. Janet Dailey and Nora Roberts are two big names
that started out in the category racks.
To sum up, it is important for romance authors to be aware of
imprint requirements; marketing manuscripts can be difficult other-