Alison Kent

Jordan has been having an interesting conversation on her site about the ratings of books (as suggested in a recent RWR article) and the possibility of losing out on sales due to writing sexy books using graphic language. She says:

Personally, I prefer a spicier read. What I’ve realized as I have been considering all my options is that spicy varies as widely as the romance genre itself. I don’t have to limit myself by the use of language or box myself in. If toning down the former will gain wider appeal, then I’m stupid not to do so.

I will agree that spicy varies as widely as the romance genre itself. What is one reader’s steam is another reader’s cold shower. But I have to wonder if toning down language actually *would* gain an author a wider appeal; wouldn’t she be alienating her current audience? Those who have bought her books in the past and learned what to expect? Wouldn’t they be disappointed and perhaps drop her as an auto-buy if she were to change the very aspects of her writing that are a big part of why they buy her to begin with? (This is NOT me making any judgment on Jordan at all! This is simply me taking the thought further and thinking aloud!) In other words, would it be a case of gaining wider appeal but losing a huge chunk of an already established readership? And wouldn’t that simply be a wash in the end? Different readers instead of more? I dunno; any takers on that one? *g* But . . . the big question . . . is it only the graphic language? Won’t these objectors still object to content no matter how it’s written?

Jordan also says:

I’ve been giving my entire career some thought. (Hate when I get so pensive.) I don’t want to lose out on 10% of all book sales [Wal-Mart]. I’m in this business because I want to be a writer. I want to have a career. If that means toning things down a bit, then so be it.

And more questions come to me!
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Sigh. I spent most of yesterday working on a new client’s web design. Not the building of the site, just putting together the artistic part. That’s my favorite thing to do, and it’s SOOOO hard at times to get an idea of what works for the client (even though we’ve talked!), to be original & unique, to “feel” the art in the piece I’m creating. No, I’m not an artist AT all; I do, however, have a visual aptitude for putting things together. Trained artists might think I suck, LOL, but my clients have been happy.

All that to say, I can’t believe it when I see things like what Emma posted. (Be sure and check out her screenshots.) It’s just amazing that a designer would be so blatant. And it’s so sad for the client who has no idea she’s not getting an original design based on her needs but a design another designer has done for another client! (The Melanie Craft site was the original done quite awhile ago. The Debra Holland site is the newer site.)

In fact, check out Emma’s previous post showing that even the designer’s site is a clone of another designer’s site! ACK!!!! Intellectual property theft run amuck!! Thankfully, the Website copyright article in the recent RWR will bring this to light for many - as will the continued vigilance of Emma Gads, Web Detective. *gggg*

Jo Leigh asked

Other than cursing and the hea, what differentiates the single title? Have you read single title books that disappoint because they’re too category? Were there specific things that made you feel that way?

I posted my reply to her here as well, as I’m curious what the difference is for everyone else!

Okay, this is what makes a book mainstream with romance vs single title romance (i.e., big category) for me:

1) The development of the romantic relationship takes up a very small percentage of the book.

2) The development of the romantic relationship is a direct result of the external plot.

3) When the protagonists are together, it’s because of the external plot, i.e., they’re not dating or navel-gazing about their pasts; they’re actively involved in the action taking place.

Now, I’m basing that on books I’ve read and loved that were more than likely romantic suspense with a heavy external plot and a believable romantic relationship developing at the same time. What I can’t stand is when the action stops so the couple can wax poetic or boink like bunnies. The waxing and boinking is fine BUT it’s got to occur at a slow spot, one of those down beats in the plot. Nothing irritates me more in a big book that is NOT supposed to be romance heavy than to have that happen. I can deal with “sex on the run”, life and death stuff, etc., but there has to be SOME realism for me!

There is a discussion on Kate’s blog entry, Ridin’ the Rant Wave about epublishing, whether it’s a last-ditch act of desperation on the part of authors, whether it’s a place to publish edgy books that mainstream publishers can’t market, etc. I’m not going there except to address one comment:

I would have thought that writing was more about the getting it out to the audience then making a whole stack of money and “doing well”.

And to that I’ll say . . Not for any author planning to make writing a profitable career!

If writing were simply a hobby and I wasn’t planning to make it a career that supports me, sure. There are tons of fan fic sites, and a lot of bloggers who use the medium to put their stories out there for readers. Not a thing wrong with that - and there have been authors who’ve been discovered that way. Still, it’s a crap shoot or an anomaly when a career takes off from such a beginning.

But if an author considers writing a business, she/he knows it requires a business plan, just as any other self-employment venture. My work, whether it sells or not, is a commodity. A product. And as the creator, I value my skills and expect to be compensated. Being a professional is about being paid for your time and effort. It’s an issue of worth - self-worth as well as worth to a publisher.

Here’s he is wearing his top half shirt and his bottom half shirt. This is supposedly keeping him from chewing on all of his stitches! At night we have to put socks on him so he won’t scratch himself raw while we’re asleep. This doggie-baby-sitting business is for the birds!!!! :)

UPDATE! I’ve been SOOO web busy today!

Check out Jo Leigh’s new blog!!

I finished my newest website today! Part of it has been live for awhile, but now it’s a done deal!

Check out Suzanne McMinn’s PAX LEAGUE.

Now I’m going to take a nap!

How sad is that! My mind is a big fat blank!

Okay, that’s not exactly true, but I can’t get the two columns I want to post edited to make sense. I AM SO TIRED. The dh and I decided I’m still in recovery mode from writing my last two books in such a white hot blitz. I dunno if it’s that, or simply not sleeping because of being kept awake by the DOG (who does not like the fact that we’ve dressed him in socks and T-shirts to keep him from scratching and nibbling at his stitches - one more week, ack!) . . . but whatever it is, I’m all about the shut-eye lately!

Yesterday, I did get the complete list of authors participating in the BenBella Smart Pop book of essays to which I’ll be contributing. The biggest name I recognized? Anne Perry! I mean, I’m assuming it’s Anne Perry, as she’s the only one I know! I have about 1300 of my 5000 words written, and will get back to it in a couple of days.

In the meantime, I have a few revisions to do on KISS & MAKEUP and galleys to read for LARGER THAN LIFE. I’m going to start on both today, and I thought when I’m done with the galleys I might give them away - if anyone wants to read LTL in its typeset form on an 8 1/2 x 11 printout!

My business partner! No, she hasn’t yet sold, but she has good news!!

If you’re in the market for a website, check out DreamForge Media.

If you’re in the market for a web hosting community, check out Access Romance.

Emma and I would both appreciate the business, LOLOL!

Many different bloggers have addressed the subject already, so all I’ll do is quote Tamara Siler Jones and say, “Yes! Exactly!”

I haven’t noticed, in myself, a definite tendency to avoid them. I actually like the ones I’ve read (I’ve worn out copies of The Color Purple, for example) but I don’t go out specifically looking for books by black authors either. If I hear something’s a good read I don’t care if the writer is white, black, hispanic, ancient egyptian, or from the planet Zolton in the Horseshoe Nebula. Male, female, gay, straight, married, single or none of the above doesn’t matter to me either. All I care about is a good story.

Here’s a comment I made earlier at Sylvia’s blog that explains more of my feelings on storytelling vs writing. (We’re experiencing massive thunderstorms here, so my time online is short - only time for one lengthy composition, LOL!)

You know, thinking about this further. I have never thought of myself as knowing or learning craft. That’s just me writing. It’s probably the mirror of the storyteller. Telling the story is who she is. Writing a story is who *I* am. I *hear* my writing. The rhythm of the words as I put them on the page - which is, I’m sure, why I write nearly finished product. The story comes out in my words, my voice, so it’s impossible for me to just write through it and come back later to make repairs. *g* I can’t do that. It’s hard to explain, but here’s a snippet from a note I got once from a fellow author that lays it out better than I can.

I have to know, do you realize what a beautiful lyrical style you have to your writing? I mean seriously lyrical. I’ve been whining to the dh that I wish I had your level of talent, and being a man he just ignores me. But I was telling [friend] about this yesterday, so if you don’t believe me, ask her and she’ll confirm it. I swear, there are passages in [The Bane Affair] that are just so [expletive *g*] perfect that they’re literally lyrical, meaning your words could actually be put to music. How the hell to do you do it? I find it so completely amazing and just perfectly captivating. I’ve never read anything like it before. I think the scene where I was first became aware of it was when Christian begins to question Natasha’s level of knowledgeable involvement with her godfather’s “business” dealings, where he’s starts consciously question his feelings and how they could be a real problem for him. You blew me away.