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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » The Writing Life » Page 56

The Writing Life

Should I Write Genre Fiction for an Established Line?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 8, 2019
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Sadly, Heartsong Presents is no more (shut down in 2014). It was a very popular line of Christian romance novels published by Barbour Publishing. However, when I was a young mother with school-aged children, I appreciated the fact that I didn’t have to market my books when I wrote for Heartsong. Instead, Barbour mailed books to subscribed readers every month. The books sold themselves. They did not rely on bookstore shelves or the Internet to sell the books.

Authors who wish to limit their marketing efforts would do well to investigate writing genre fiction for established lines. An established line is an imprint of books, usually defined by genre, published and sold to subscribers, rather than relying solely on traditional commerce for sales. There are a number of them which are viable and acquiring new books all the time. Rather than offering a list here, I recommend authors consult their agents to learn which editors are seeking this type of book.

Advantages to Writing Genre Fiction for an Established Line

  • Genre fiction is extremely focused. Focus includes word count, type of plots, and other factors. If you enjoy writing books made to order, are amenable to substantial guidance, follow instructions well, and enjoy the challenge of creating new and fresh stories within a recognized framework, this could be a great career path for you.
  • Most authors don’t break out with genre fiction. While everyone seeks meaning, not everyone craves the spotlight. This path rarely, if ever, offers a situation where one author sells far and above other authors writing for the same line. To use an example, if you would prefer to order flowers every week for the church altar rather than read the Bible from the pulpit (both being significant to the life of the church), you could be a good fit for writing genre fiction for an established line.
  • Marketing here is generally line-focused, not author-focused. While some authors are more popular than others, I haven’t seen consistent, aggressive campaigns emphasizing one author over another. Granted, ads for lines often highlight books by their most popular authors; but I’ve noticed that some show the month’s offerings. This approach takes pressure off the author who doesn’t enjoy self-promotion. Also consider that as an author’s popularity grows, so does the opportunity to write additional books for the line.

Drawbacks to Writing Genre Fiction for an Established Line

  • Genre fiction is extremely focused. If you chafe under being confined to a specific set of expectations and can write a marketable book outside of a set format, genre fiction writing may not be a good path for you.
  • Most authors don’t break out with genre fiction. The books cater to a particular audience; and the line reaches them, so the author has an idea of how many books will sell. Income from this type of writing can be lucrative. However, most authors won’t find the reach with a line needing to sell books in the seven-figure range.
  • Marketing here is generally line-focused, not author-focused. The primary marketing goal is to convince readers to purchase books in the line based on the line’s reputation. The author seeking to be sought out individually for much publicity may find this way of marketing frustrating.

When considering writing for any publisher, think about your goals, income needs, and personality. Have an honest talk with your agent. She’s there to help you realize your dreams.

Your turn:

Do you read genre fiction? Why? If not, why not?

Have you ever been a subscriber to a line of books? If not, would you consider this option?

Leave a Comment
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Romance, Romantic Suspense, The Writing Life, Trends

3 Ways to Embarrass Your Editor or Agent

By Bob Hostetleron August 7, 2019
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Nobody likes to embarrass themselves. Except for maybe some reality TV personalities. They seem to thrive on it. But the rest of us, not so much. And editors and agents even less so. When do the likes of us get embarrassed? When we realize a word was left out of the second page of an otherwise-excellent novel. (Seriously, I recently started a friend’s published novel; and there it was! …

Read more3 Ways to Embarrass Your Editor or Agent
Category: Career, Social Media, The Writing Life

036 How to Protect Your Author Platform from Big Tech Censorship

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on August 5, 2019
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Is your platform at risk of being destroyed by big tech companies? In this episode, find out what is happening and what to do about it.  What is happening  Big tech companies are censoring, shadow banning, and suspending accounts of Christian authors.  There is a chance you may already be algorithmically shadowbanned and not know it.  What is shadow banning?  This is when a …

Read more036 How to Protect Your Author Platform from Big Tech Censorship
Category: The Writing Life

036 How to Protect Your Author Platform from Big Tech Censorship

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on August 5, 2019
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Is your platform at risk of being destroyed by big tech companies? In this episode, find out what is happening and what to do about it.  What is happening  Big tech companies are censoring, shadow banning, and suspending accounts of Christian authors.  There is a chance you may already be algorithmically shadowbanned and not know […]
You can listen to this episode 036 How to Protect Your Author …

Read more036 How to Protect Your Author Platform from Big Tech Censorship
Category: The Writing Life

035 How Renae Brumbaugh Green Went from Unpublished to Bestselling Author

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on July 30, 2019
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In this episode, recorded live at the 2019 SoCal Christian Writers Conference, Renae Brumbaugh Green shares her journey of going from unpublished homeschool mom to bestselling author of 30 books.  Links: Armonia Publishing Renae Brumbaugh Green’s Website The post 035 How Renae Brumbaugh Green Went from Unpublished to Bestselling Author appeared first on Christian Publishing Show.

Read more035 How Renae Brumbaugh Green Went from Unpublished to Bestselling Author
Category: The Writing Life

035 How Renae Brumbaugh Green Went from Unpublished to Bestselling Author

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on July 30, 2019
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How Renae Brumbaugh Green Went from Unpublished to Bestselling Author
You can listen to this episode 035 How Renae Brumbaugh Green Went from Unpublished to Bestselling Author on Christian Publishing Show.

Read more035 How Renae Brumbaugh Green Went from Unpublished to Bestselling Author
Category: The Writing Life

Four Questions About Publicity

By Steve Laubeon July 29, 2019
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by Steve Laube

Publicity is the art of telling the world about you and your book. We recently received a few questions about publicity via the green button you see in the right hand column of our blog (yes, it really works).

1.) When should a writer hire a publicist?
I think an author should wait to see what their publisher will provide in this area. If you do hire a publicist make sure …

Read moreFour Questions About Publicity
Category: Marketing, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Marketing, Publicity

Picture-Perfect Personality

By Guest Bloggeron July 25, 2019
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Today’s guest writer is Emilie Haney, a freelance writer, photographer, and graphic designer living in Northern California. She’s a member of ACFW and writes young-adult fiction. She’s got a soft spot in her heart for animals and a love for the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. In her spare time, you can find her designing fun, bookish items for her Etsy and Society6 shops, all while …

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Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Platform, The Writing Life

034 Screen Writing 101 with Hollywood Screenwriter Bob Saenz

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on July 23, 2019
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In this episode, recorded live at the 2019 SoCal Christian Writers Conference, Thomas Umstattd Jr. talks with Bob Sáenz an actor and writer who has written over a dozen screenplays for studios like Hallmark, and Disney Channel. They discuss some screenwriting fundamentals and reveal some in and outs of life as a screenwriter. Links: Bob Saenz Blog Bob Seanz on IMDB The post 034 Screen Writing 101 …

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Category: The Writing Life

034 Screen Writing 101 with Hollywood Screenwriter Bob Saenz

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on July 23, 2019
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Screen Writing 101 with Hollywood Screenwriter Bob Saenz
You can listen to this episode 034 Screen Writing 101 with Hollywood Screenwriter Bob Saenz on Christian Publishing Show.

Read more034 Screen Writing 101 with Hollywood Screenwriter Bob Saenz
Category: The Writing Life
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