Ten Tips for Topping the Romance Charts: How To Get Your Own Happy Ever After

by Mark Dawson, Serenity Woods

A best-selling romance author provides ten short tips to help the eager beginner interested in turning their hobby of writing romance stories into a way to earn a living.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Crafts

31 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and to the point

Simple, actionable, practical tops
I particularly like #10, which isn't one tip, but a simple and realistic road map for success.

[Kenya Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and straight to the point. I found it to be super helpful even as an author who has been writing for 11 years.

[Tracey Pedersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short book with zero fluff and lots of useful information. While the information is not in-depth, it will be super useful for someone just starting out in romance writing. Toward the back, there is a list of steps recommended for new romance writers. Follow these steps and you'll be off to a great start. This is so much better than the AMS book I read in this series. :)

[Laura Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for those starting out

This is a good, quick read for those starting out. Read this as your finishing up your first romance novel or before you start writing it it will help you figure out how to start.

[Dianne Butts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think I'd learn a lot new from this free ebook, but I was wrong. I got a lot of great tips. Got inspired with some new ideas. Even learned some new terms. (I'm planning to put two of my romance novellas, written under pen name F. Tilly Brownne, into a box set, but wondered if two books was too few. Why did I not think to call it a "duet"?) IMO, well worth the read, especially for a free ebook.

[Tyrannosaurus regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance is, for the most part, Not My Area, which is probably why I'm so curious about what's out there, what works, and why it works. A lot of the advice here can, with a little adaptation, be applied to a beginning writer in many different genres. It's slight but straightforward, and while I think it could have gone a little more in depth explaining some of the ideas that I think the author took for granted that everyone would know, it does what it says on the tin.

[Enyabh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good advise.

So the book was a good short read that I enjoyed. The author offered good advise and tips on pushing and getting to the top romance charts as the title suggest.

It was a short book so no problem reading it in one sitting.

I just wish it was longer.

[Shirley Penick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, good tips

I especially liked the list of tropes and the different ways to combine works and package them. This book have me some new ideas.

[Petrina Binney · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's some really good advice in this short guide for romance writers.

What comes across most strongly is the importance of finding your style (and heat level) and committing to it. I can see the logic in that: if you attract readers of sweet romance and then swap it up for a steamy romance, your readers won't know what's coming. Of course, there's nothing to say you can't write both, but it's probably best to be absolutely clear in the cover, title and blurb about what the book is about. Also, it's vital not to look down on romantic tropes if you're trying to write romance. People like tropes because we like stories we recognise. That doesn't mean there's no room for originality, it just means you have to read everything and create something new but comforting.

There's advice on romantic tropes, the HEA ending, book lengths, finding ARC readers and trying out for Bookbub deals. Although it's a short book, the advice seems sound.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely know both names associated with this work. Like some of the previous titles, I don’t know how much Dawson had to do with it. I suspect Woods is a graduate of his self publishing course. A lot of what she says worked for her is what he recommends.
It boils down to: decide what your brand is, pick a genre, work hard, write a series… and hang in there.
Woods write NZ based romances with some heat. I’ve read a pile of them and I’m on her mailing list.
Oh… start a mailing list, too.
But it’s short, uncomplicated recipe with some good tips.
It’s still free on kobo if you’re interested. [as at july 2018]
4 stars

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, Good Tips

Most of it I’ve heard before; these are *tips* and advice. They’re “common sense” which means, perhaps, newbies to romance might not have thought about these aspects of writing in this genre. However, for a buck, it’s an easy splurge. It’s short. The tips are good.

[Massiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good!

very formational and I think it had some really good straightforward tips. Overall I think this was a really great and fast to read. Definitely will read it again to brush up on some advice. And I think that everything she said has been stated before but she said it in such a direct and instructional way that I really like this book.

[Patricia Morais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the advice here was quite basic and short (it felt like I read 10 blog posts in a row). But it wasn't useless. I'm certain some of the advice will stick in my brain and help in the future. It's always good to read other writers' opinions so that I can learn more about this market.

Read my full review 👇
http://patricia-morais.com/en/book-re...

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring and Useful

This was a very well written little book that I found useful and inspirational. Much more useful than some others in a similar vein. I liked the format and appreciated the well edited, clean, easily read tips.

[Dalyn Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good advice

Short and sweet, but solid advice. I like the practical, applicable, and sensible tips in this quick read. I’m clean, sweet romance- reading and writing, but I see the value in the notion of choosing one heat level and staying there.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet.

Offers good advice for those looking to get into romance novel publishing! I found this helpful, though I haven’t quite finished my novel and am not at that stage. I plan on consulting this book at a later date, too.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly learned something about publishing in general and writing romance books. Well, there is a process to everything..and so is writing a romance-themed books (not my cup of tea though). Insightful.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is short and sweet. It's succinct, packed with advice, and inspiring. My favorite tips involved tropes, heat levels, book lengths, and marketing. The tenth tip is a helpful list of advice that the author would have given herself when she was starting out.

[Sandra Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great advice

This book was short and to the point. I saw mistakes I had made with my books and will definitely be making changes. If you are someone who wants to succeed as a romance writer, this is a great place to start.

[Marci Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative

I’ve read a lot of books on this subject before and often felt frustrated because I didn’t learn anything This was helpful and clarified many things I didn’t understand. Thanks.

[Lunyzbreid Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast beginner's guide

I wanted to have some light on the genre as I'm considering it to write a series. It gives you a tip of the iceberg view but it was what I needed to ignite my mind. Think of this book as a prompt to write.

[Peggy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to know!

As a new romance writer I appreciate all the help I can get. Your tips are right to the point to know. There is so much to learn, I'm grateful that you are sharing concrete and useful information to apply to the business side of writing. Thank you!

[A.L. Secord · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Quick Read

I have taken courses and listened to podcasts about writing Romance, but I still found this book helpful with great structual advise on marketing and platforms. It truly is a Great Quick Read.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing that novel

I'm glad I got this for free - really short and not really anything I haven't read before. Was very heavy on the advertising of Bookbub to get free downloads from readers that may or may not lead to reviews.

[E.J. Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to romance

Good tips for writing romance and well worth the read. Could have been a lot more indepth, as its a very short read.

[Cyanemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good.

[Christa Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

SHORT, INSPIRATIONAL & ACTIONABLE.
No doubt, a beginner romance author could take some useful tips away from this quick read. Although I didn't learn anything new, the tips were good reminders.

[Nala Henkel-Aislinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The was a fast, great read with lots of practical advice. It reinforced everything I’m doing, which was very reassuring as a new author.

[Nisa Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick but Excellent

Quick but excellent tips, straight to the point without any fluff. It’s just what I needed to hear as an aspiring romance writer.

[T.M. Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

I loved this book! It had great advice! I will be keeping this in my arsenal and using it in the future if I need it!