The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel: From writing the perfect love scene to finding the right publisher--All you need to fulfill your dreams

by Christie Craig, Faye Hughes

Every year, thousands of romance manuscripts are submitted to publishers, but only the best are eventually published. This simple guide—written by two awardwinning romance novelists—will show readers what it takes to break into this highly competitive market and will provide them the information they need to get their manuscript out of the slush pile and onto the bookshelf. Readers will learn how to do the following techniques: build a story from premise to plot; add a fresh twist to a classic storyline; create compelling characters; write sizzling sex scenes that carry an emotional punch; research agents and markets; write a story that an editor can't reject; and promote themselves and their work. New writers, and even experienced writers, will find the solid howto information here invaluable. This is a musthave for aspiring writers who want to write the perfect love story.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Romance

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Pseudonym for C. C. Hunter.

Photojournalist, Author and Speaker

Christie Craig, an Alabama native, is an award-winning, multi-published writer, multi-published photo journalist, motivational speaker, and writing teacher.. Her non-fiction articles and photography have appeared in almost three thousand national magazines. A Golden Heart finalist, and a finalist in more than fifty RWA-sponsored contests, she has gained a well-deserved reputation for writing romance fiction that has both witty humor and a suspenseful, sexy tone. Published by Silhouette in the 90s, she recently broke back into fiction in a big way, making four book sales in one day. Her seventh humorous single title romance novel, published by Dorchester, will hit the stands in June 2010. Her non-fiction book, co-authored by Faye Hughes, released September 08, is The Everything Guide To Writing A Romance Novel and their second non-fiction book, a humorous self-help relationship book, Wild, Wicked and Wanton: 101 Ways to Love Like You Are in a Romance Novel is scheduled to be released December 2010. Craig’s latest writing adventure is the sale of a young adult paranormal romance series, Shadow Falls Camp, that will be published by St. Martins Press in the near future.

Reviews

[Lisa M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although some of the information is very basic, this book covers some topics that others don't. For instance, you'll find chapters on the advantages and disadvantages of writing category vs. single title romances. If you're just getting started and know nothing about the genre, you can start here. A more detailed book on writing romances, however, is On Writing Romance: How to Craft a Novel That Sells.

[Angela]

Given that I have a friend currently trying to get a book published, I'm curious about this book.

[Peggy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for new writers!

This book was written in 2008, And is 2019, there have been many changes in the book business for both readers and writers. I'm a new aspiring romance writer who had just finished my first draft of my book, and was looking for advise, on how to write a great romance of novel. This book is excellent. It gives the information in clear concise terms that is easy to understand and apply to your novel. There's a lot of infromation on the publishing business that is good to know, even if a lot has changed in today's market.

[Rose Hart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a DNF for me at 25%. The info is very basic so far - everything I already knew as an avid romance reader. It’s also VERY dated in how it reflects gender - always refers to “hero” and “heroine” and only mentions queer romance as in the “alternative lifestyle” subgenre, which is an outdated term for sure! As a queer person who primarily reads - and wants to write - about LGBTQ characters - it just didn’t work for me.

[Anexis Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, I think it gives practical advice for writing romance. However, this is a book from 2008, so I suggest doing some research when it comes to publishing trends if you plan to publish either traditionally or self-publishing. Also, this mainly focuses on traditional publishing, so don't expect advice on self-publishing.

[Heather Dunlap · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

Informative reading for beginning novelist gives good instruction on not only romance but any type of novel easy to understand

[Christie Speich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like this book tried to cover too many topics. This meant just the very surface of each topic could be touched upon in order to have room for them all. One thing I did like about this book is the discussion of series/category vs. single-title including pros and cons of each one.

DISCLOSURE: I didn't read the last few chapters about submitting your manuscript, etc. as I'm currently focused on *writing* the manuscript and not yet worried about submitting.

[Paula Quinene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-have resource for writing a romance novel. It gives a ton of information that's easy to understand. There is so much more to writing than simply putting your thoughts on paper. Of course, it's also a must to hire a professional editor that's familiar with the genre when before you publish.

[Laura Oliva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a very good overview on romance writing. For anyone new to the genre, it's a good place to start.

That said, like some other reviewers pointed out, it is an overview. If you're looking for more in-depth information, this should not be the only book you read.

[Deb Tregilgas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A practical, useful book. Recommended by a published author. I have been looking into writing courses and basically they are the same as this book. It's American but generally it's relevant and useful. The American addresses can be easily researched for relevant local equivalents.

[Jennifer Grosse]

Pretty good; some great info on conflict, internal and external.

[Jo Linsdell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loads of great info and tips.

[KiKi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reference Guide

A true reference guide on writing romance. Covers a wide range of topics from starting writing to editing. A must read.