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Remember last year's Rita awards? Remember how a bunch of folks were ASTOUNDED and APPALLED when my crit partner, the brilliant and ever-stylish Barbara Caridad Ferrer, won for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance with her Young Adult debut novel, ADIOS TO MY OLD LIFE?
Apparently, the 2007 Rita judges weren't the only ones who think Ferrer is a big slice of awesome with a side of awesome-sauce. Behold the interim results in AAR's 2008 Readers' Poll. Ferrer's 2007 release, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ACCENT (also a Young Adult novel), is listed no less than three times -- "Best Romance," "Best Contemporary Romance," and "Most-Hanky Read."
To quote Barb, "I'm just thrilled YA can be held up against the mainstream adult stuff and work."
In other news, agent Caren Johnson is running a contest to celebrate the New Year. Check it out.
Also, I've been reading this blog, edittorent, quite a bit of late. Excellent advice from two very sharp editors. I'm learning stuff I didn't know I didn't know. Know what I mean?
Finally, I'm pleased to note that SEVEN YEAR ACHE made the #9 spot on Amber Allure's quarterly Bestseller List. Very gratifying. But I wonder what it says about me as an author that my M/M work outsells my M/F work by such a large margin? Or does it say something about the market? Hmmm.
ETA: Win a print copy of FORTUNE'S FOOL at Alison Kent's blog today!
SelahMarch.com - Romance of Dubious Virtue
5Comments:
fortunately I missed the astounded and appalled and just got the Yippee! from a few different places. Because actually your CP is popular with a lot of people. Must make you feel all toasted marshmallow and no, that's not snark.
anyway.
Pretty flipping awesome.
Regarding your M/M vs. your M/F stories....trust me, it has nothing to do with the quality of your writing, but the market as a whole. I'm in the same boat...about a year ago, my M/F erotica romances started selling fewer and fewer, while my M/M stories started selling more and more. Other authors who write both types of stories have mentioned the same trend, and several of my loyal readers have told me straight out that the market is absolutely flooded right now with M/F erotica stories (thanks to a slew of those "here today, gone tomorrow" publishers) that they are getting sick of weeding through the "same old, same old" and, mostly, finding the quality lacking (again, thanks to those "let's whip together a website" publishers who churn out the books to make a quick buck). The M/M stories offer something different to them, and that's why the "Man-Love" romances have taken off so dramatically. If you'll notice, only a handful of publishers have seen this trend and are capitalizing on it (EC, Amber Allure, Loose ID, etc.) but not all of them, which is probably one of the many reasons so many publishers are going out of business fast.
Personally I think it's selling well because she's a talented writer.
Kate~ You were lucky to miss the astounded and appalled. 'Twasn't pretty. Luckily, the YIPPEE! drowned most of it out.
Anon~ Welcome to Dubious Virtue! I think you could have a valid point about the epub market -- it certainly FEELS flooded from where I'm standing. Which is why I'm writing only M/M for epub now, and saving my M/F for the ongoing agent and NY publisher hunt.
It's fascinating to watch the readership divide like this, isn't it? I'm sure it has all kinds of cultural significance.
Eva~ *smoochies* I don't think Anon was casting aspersions on my skill as a writer, but I do love having you in my corner, pet. ;)
I happen to agree with Eva, with respect to the fabulousness of your talent, pet.
Kate, thanks! I'm just still shaking my head over the sheer surprise of it all. I love seeing my books and indeed just YA in general, out there showing that it's got a lot to offer readers, no matter what age. (Or as I put it in my more flippant moments, that it can wear the big girl panties too. *g*)
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