tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post5587104151829030947..comments2024-03-27T12:54:20.598-07:00Comments on The Misadventures Of Super Librarian: Little Miss Crabby Pants Resurrects Historical RomanceWendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-3072550045866470442013-06-06T00:57:41.644-07:002013-06-06T00:57:41.644-07:00Hullo again, Wendy, I was cheered by your reply to...Hullo again, Wendy, I was cheered by your reply to my post because I've signed up a 2nd book with MuseItUp. It's called Bella's Betrothal and it's set in Edinburgh, 1826. The hero is an architect helping build the later Edinburgh New Town. The heroine has untameable red hair and a past in need of some TLC. Anneanne stenhousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02737658937717248241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-55316442955200181692013-06-02T12:45:47.174-07:002013-06-02T12:45:47.174-07:00I am going to have to go with "much ado about...I am going to have to go with "much ado about nothing." I would say a VAST majority of my online acquaintances (meaning I ONLY know them from online interaction) and there are more than a few, read historicals. And only read historicals. I hear far more about the impending death of the contemporary than I ever do/have of the death of the historical. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-75117563496150767672013-06-02T07:48:29.540-07:002013-06-02T07:48:29.540-07:00I'm genuinely puzzled by people declaring that...I'm genuinely puzzled by people declaring that the Regency romance is dead - judging by bestsellers lists and the books currently being published, it seems that the Regency is as popular as ever. Maybe it's just a small number of readers who are actually tired of the sub-genre and the great majority still likes reading about dukes, rakes, spirited misses and duchesses?<br /><br />I don't know whether it's because most of my historical reading is done via the Harlequin Historicals line, but the Regency is still my favourite historical. I'd love there to be more variety, but I'd also love to see more accurate Regencies that respect the time period they are supposed to be set in rather than the plethora of wallpaper historicals cluttering up the shelves.<br /><br />Wendy, if you're looking for a historical romance set in a different time period, you must try the fabulous UK author Christina Courtenay. She's written books set in 17th century Sweden (Trade Winds) and Japan (The Scarlet Kimono and The Gilded Fan) and Scotland (Highland Storms)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-88373290295282678212013-06-01T12:40:24.840-07:002013-06-01T12:40:24.840-07:00Hils: I should have also added that publishers nee...Hils: I should have also added that publishers need to start looking at what the Inspirational market has done in terms of setting, cover art etc. Some really exciting stuff going on in Inspys these days.<br /><br />Every time I hear talk of historicals "dying" it's hard not to roll my eyes - because all I need to do is look at my own TBR. Good gravy! I could not buy another historical romance for the next 10 years and STILL have plenty of them to read/try. And certainly, glomming backlists is a lot easier these days. I think of all the hunting I did for books like Conor's Way by Laura Lee Guhrke - and pfft! Now it's readily available in digital and at a cheaper price than I paid for my used copy! Argh!Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-81951769574262536572013-06-01T12:36:23.164-07:002013-06-01T12:36:23.164-07:00Anne: I don't think the Regency should, or wil...Anne: I don't think the Regency should, or will, ever die in historical romance circles. Readers love it too much. What I would like to see is more attention to detail in the time period, and just more variety in general. I read a Regency earlier this year that took place in Scotland. So yeah, a Regency - but it was something different from the usual London, Season, Almack's scene - which was nice.Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-8750923719293179012013-06-01T12:34:21.648-07:002013-06-01T12:34:21.648-07:00Marguerite: During my Regency Burn Out period Harl...Marguerite: During my Regency Burn Out period Harlequin Historical kept me sane. It was the one place I could go every single month and find at least ONE book outside the Regency - and HH kept me in westerns for a whole lotta years. Coming up in that line - I'm looking forward to the new Jeannie Lin and Michelle Willingham is starting a new Viking series :) <br /><br />I would LOVE to see Harlequin do pricing specials on older HH titles (ZOMG - that line's backlist is HUGE!) and they really, really, really (IMHO) need to do some pricing cuts on the Undone line. Right now they're....what? Just under $3? I'd even love to see them try at least $1.99 on some of those, if not $.99. Even a short-time-offer would be welcome. <br /><br />True story: It was the Undone line that really kick-started my Regency Reading Mojo. Also, it's how I discovered Nicola Cornick :)Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-77234874603235796332013-06-01T12:29:17.730-07:002013-06-01T12:29:17.730-07:00Helena: Exactly. Even after your book is "ou...Helena: Exactly. Even after your book is "out of print" in paper - it is presumably still available in digital. So the author is really only competing with used bookstores at that point. It really makes financial sense to keep those backlist titles available at a reasonable price (which for me would be, oh - $3.99 or lower). If I discover an author through their backlist - and get hooked - I'm more than happy to pony up a little extra money for that brand-new release that just came out....Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-50302236683527345522013-06-01T12:24:39.208-07:002013-06-01T12:24:39.208-07:00AL: Thanks for pointing out that Courtney Milan po...AL: Thanks for pointing out that Courtney Milan post - that was really interesting!Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-65871492315297836322013-06-01T10:52:56.868-07:002013-06-01T10:52:56.868-07:00Love this post. I'm a new reader to historical...Love this post. I'm a new reader to historical romance (since Nov. 2011) and it's mostly what I'm reading now, along with some historical non-fiction. I'm also a librarian who works in a library where romance buying gets shafted every time. I work in reference so I have no control except in constantly demanding they buy the stuff that's out there. Perhaps someone will listen.Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04059357288031274689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-42564154216445123372013-06-01T08:56:53.639-07:002013-06-01T08:56:53.639-07:00Hey Wendy, great post! You're so right... a co...Hey Wendy, great post! You're so right... a couple of years ago, contemporary romance was dying and/or dead, now it's historical romances. Readers cycle, tastes change and yes, everyone burns out reading the sameness that gets published over and over again. <br /><br />I say, thank goodness for all those awesome backlist titles still out there to explore, the magnificent Americana historical romances I've read recently and the ones I still have in my TBR, western historicals, and books set in other places besides England and Victorian or Regency periods! I hunt books set during WWI and WWII and usually find historical fiction... why not great romances? Hilciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17765831808358693421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-26240884487758323492013-06-01T08:03:57.528-07:002013-06-01T08:03:57.528-07:00Yes, the lighter Regencies have been super popular...Yes, the lighter Regencies have been super popular the last few years. It's an interesting trend - maybe connected to the recession and readers' desire for lighter material? Like all those Astaire/Rogers musicals and the screwball comedies during the Depression.Vanessa Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14571549124283013391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-41597017030594179642013-06-01T04:29:53.936-07:002013-06-01T04:29:53.936-07:00Hi, I'm visiting because Marguerite recommende...Hi, I'm visiting because Marguerite recommended you on FB and I enjoyed your blog and the comments, thank you. I'm a debut Historical writer. It's not Regency, but quite near it. It has a dastardly villain who's real not pantomimic. It has humour and lots of dialogue (I was a playwright before). Maybe my heart sinks a bit reading about how everyone wants to get out of Regency/near enough Regency, but I enjoyed writing it and I'm not sorry. Each to their own, Best, Anneanne stenhousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02737658937717248241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-26487906468365740402013-06-01T03:18:38.728-07:002013-06-01T03:18:38.728-07:00What azteclady said, you do the BEST rants.
As a...What azteclady said, you do the BEST rants. <br /><br />As a Harlequin Historical author, I get quite frustrated when people complain at the lack of anything other than Regency. Someone already mentioned Jeannie Lin and I know you read all the Westerns Wendy, but HH also publish Vikings, Mediaeval, Highlanders and some pretty unusual Regencies too. I'm currently working on a trilogy set during WWI, and Harlequin's Undone line is even more experimental though hardly anyone (yourself excepted) knows about it. <br /><br />But - as a writer, the big problem is that people simply buy a lot more Regency than anything, and forays into other periods, no matter how close to my heart they are (such as WWI) are probably going to cost me. So I would HEARTILY second your call to readers to experiment, because if you don't, innovation simply doesn't pay. Marguerite Kayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886711566567879237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-72828523852553539732013-06-01T02:58:16.926-07:002013-06-01T02:58:16.926-07:00Thank you for this post and I agree heartily. I si...Thank you for this post and I agree heartily. I sincerely hope no one stops publishing or reading historical romance of any sub genre. As a reader and a writer myself, I certainly don't plan to!Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01757085993065344867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-14747910443748082612013-05-31T23:43:30.697-07:002013-05-31T23:43:30.697-07:00Absolutely. And I'm so pleased to be finding ...Absolutely. And I'm so pleased to be finding backlists in ebook rather than searching for them secondhand and therefore not benefitting the author. <br /><br />I would say, though, that the pricing has to be sensible - no more than £2.30. I appreciate that there is a cost associated with digitising, editing, and publishing, but I strongly believe that lots of books sold at a lower price amounts in the end to more than very few at a high price. And when people discover or rediscover older books and like them, they'll probably buy them all if the price per unit is reasonable.<br /><br />For authors who aren't publishing new books - it's all money you wouldn't get at all otherwise, and your competition is the price of your used books. Be realistic. For authors who are still writing - don't think that you old books have to priced the same as your new books. They don't - again, the real competition is the price of your secondhand books. And you will reel in new readers who will be happy to pay full price for your new books, having glommed on your backlist.Helenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553503435833467369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-82564967242348459952013-05-31T22:36:30.320-07:002013-05-31T22:36:30.320-07:00You write the BEST rants.
Courtney Milan can help...You write the BEST rants.<br /><br />Courtney Milan <a href="http://www.courtneymilan.com/ramblings/2013/04/25/digital-strategy-in-historical-romance/" rel="nofollow">can help you some</a> with the "how is Avon doing, with their price reduction stragegy?" question.<br /><br />Dear Author can help readers with some awesome, AWESOME recommendations of <a href="http://dearauthor.com/need-a-rec/if-you-like-misc/best-of-the-non-regency-historicals/" rel="nofollow">good non-Regency/unusual historicals</a>--many if not most of which are now available digitally.<br /><br />And, in case you missed it... YOU WRITE THE BEST RANTS<br /><br /><br />*ahem*aztecladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14857872357667370906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-44548359120181470262013-05-31T20:43:41.571-07:002013-05-31T20:43:41.571-07:00I should also mention that as editorial director o...I should also mention that as editorial director of the Scandalous line, I'm dying to acquire non-traditional historical romance at boutique publisher, Entangled Publishing. So, I know some of you readers are writers...check out the sub page. We've expanded the guidelines to allow WWII. And if someone wants to send me something from the Jazz Age, I will love her forever. And ever. And probably after that, too.Gwen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07372049662768907328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-28642661541251753052013-05-31T20:26:16.120-07:002013-05-31T20:26:16.120-07:00Vanessa: My Regency Burn Out period from several y...Vanessa: My Regency Burn Out period from several years ago was right around the time when "fluffy, frothy" was in full-swing. The Regency has never been my first love - but when I do read it, I tend to prefer them "dark." Or at least a light shade of gray. I like fluff as much as the next girl - but I can't handle a non-stop steady diet of it. <br /><br />I've had a lot of fun the last couple of years catching up with Regency writers who I just flat-out ignored during this phase in my reading life. It's been a lot of fun - I've discovered some good books!Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-77625691507917619802013-05-31T20:22:10.291-07:002013-05-31T20:22:10.291-07:00Thank you for placing the recent historical romanc...Thank you for placing the recent historical romance naysaying in context! And I would also say smaller presses are willing to take bigger risks on non-Regencies as well!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-60258963786916482292013-05-31T20:22:00.245-07:002013-05-31T20:22:00.245-07:00I think what I find so frustrating about all the t...I think what I find so frustrating about all the talk is that I survived (<i>at least</i>) three years of hard-core Regency burnout. Burnout that didn't lift for me until late 2008. Prior to that I was reading one, maybe two, Regency-set historicals a year - and I was still reading just as many historicals as I do now (post-burn-out). I accomplished this in large part to author backlists, taking chances on new authors, and supporting publishers who published books other than Regencies (I owe my reading life to Harlequin Historical, Kensington Zebra and the now-defunct Dorchester Leisure lines). I did just fine - and the availability of digital backlists wasn't NEARLY what it is now. <br /><br />So......<br /><br />Yeah.Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-25792404181516717582013-05-31T20:20:51.673-07:002013-05-31T20:20:51.673-07:00Thanks, Wendy! All this talk of dead/dying histor...Thanks, Wendy! All this talk of dead/dying historicals has me scratching my head. I'm reading Elizabeth Hoyt's latest book in her Maiden Lane series and I'm really enjoying it. Early Georgian period? Bring it on! And what about Jeannie Lin? Her books are awesome. Doesn't take a whole lot of digging to find historicals that are different. And there are some darn good Regencies out there these days, too, I might add.Vanessa Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14571549124283013391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-49701284146735263372013-05-31T17:29:35.560-07:002013-05-31T17:29:35.560-07:00Agreed, most heartily! Never Say Die.
Agreed, most heartily! Never Say Die. <br />pamela1740https://www.blogger.com/profile/02989280270648804857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-59843272207757788692013-05-31T15:56:46.635-07:002013-05-31T15:56:46.635-07:00Thank you for this.Thank you for this.Darlene Marshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12257357992471110528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-23776908386025209752013-05-31T15:53:25.905-07:002013-05-31T15:53:25.905-07:00All you have to do is read Cecilia Grant and you k...All you have to do is read Cecilia Grant and you know historical romance is alive and well. It's not quantity that counts, it's quality.Miss Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16151574841888850035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-45142027776909477102013-05-31T15:43:52.456-07:002013-05-31T15:43:52.456-07:00Thank you. Thank you. Gwen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07372049662768907328noreply@blogger.com