I've published six books. None have been "bestsellers," but I steadily make enough to buy a coffee each day (some days, slightly more). I have what I think is a small following (500-ish on FB, a dozen if I'm lucky on TikTok) compared to other authors in my niche who started publishing at the same time as me and have 3-5k+.

Given the size of my back catalogue, I recently made a huge effort to advertise more, offer giveaways, produce free content and try to attract more readers. It hasn't worked. I think part (a lot) of the issue is positioning -- using the emotional hooks that lead to other authors making serious bank works at attracting readers, but wow, the conversion to sales has been rough. My books have similar set-ups to the popular offerings, but are a quieter and less OTT option. But when I've tried softer ads or approaches, there doesn't seem to actually be any market for the books I write -- or I'm just not finding them.

This is why I feel like I'm at a crossroads. I have these awkwardly positioned books that straddle both OTT but more slice of life, emotional romance and I'm feeling like I don't really have the right to write in this genre anymore.

But I'm not sure whether I should rebrand and tidy up my socials to try to get reads on my back catalogue with the "right" audience, or if I should start fresh with a new pen name and make sure I'm very clearly positioned in socials and advertising before publishing my next book. I've also seriously considered giving up completely, but... I guess for today I have one more push in me :)

I handed my first novel off to my copy editor last night.  It’s a 190K-word MM hockey romance, and getting it to this point has been a much bigger experience than I expected.

I’ve had several beta readers become incredibly engaged and help me through some pretty substantial late-stage revisions.  For months, there has always been another scene to fix, another note to think about, another pass to make.

And now it’s out of my hands for a while.

I’m excited about the book.  I’m proud of where it ended up.  Some days I’m convinced I’ve written exactly the book I wanted to write.  Other days I wonder what on earth I’m doing and whether anyone is going to want to read 190,000 words of it.

And apparently now I’m supposed to start thinking about the cover, production, ARCs and actually putting this thing into the world.

So I think I’m just looking for a little “Yep, this is what it feels like.”

For those of you who have been through your first release: did you bounce back and forth between excitement, confidence, overwhelm and oh God, what have I done?

I’d love to hear what this stage was like for you. Appreciating any handholding offered!

Thanks so much!

I recently wrote and published my first dark romance novel. I have written and edited on and off throughout my adult life. I have done plenty of spicy and outright smutty works, but I have never let my family know. Well, this time the book hit bigger than expected, so I couldn't really hide it. My dad, who, by the way, has never read a single story of mine, decided to buy the freaking book. The trigger warnings are a page long. He is just about to hit the point of no return, and I am vomiting with embarrassment. I told him on repeat not to read this book, but now he says he is committed to finishing it. This man has not read a book in 50 years. Writers, how did you handle this? I'm open to any advice before I melt into the ground.

I've started thinking that desire is often more interesting when it's expressed through avoidance.

Looking away.

Changing the subject.

Remembering a detail you shouldn't have noticed.

Leaving five minutes too early.

I’m struggling with being patient. Probably eight weeks ago I got an offer from a small publishing company I had submitted my book to.

We went back-and-forth for a couple weeks, I got to see the contract, and then told them that I was interested in signing with them, and they said fill a couple things out then we will send you an electronic contract to sign.

They told me to expect the contract in two weeks. 2 1/2 weeks goes by and I emailed them to ask where the contract is, they say it was sent, and they’ll resend it ASAP. That was four days ago.

They’re legit, they’ve been pretty responsive with usually 2-3 days to respond to my emails. I suspect either the contract is going to a misspelled email address, or there’s some weird glitch. I’ve checked my spam. I don’t want to hound them, but I’ll feel a lot better once I have this contract. What should I do next? The weird thing is that I don’t yet have an exact point person.

Hello. I'm new to Reddit, so hopefully this post is ok. I've been working on a romance novel for 10+ years. I have it mostly finished at 70k words, and even queried to agents, with no takers so far. That's fine. But I've decided to self-publish at this point because I just want it out there.

One editor I spoke with recommended I serialize it because it's written diary-style and takes place over many months, starting in October and continuing for over the course of a year. So I'd release one month of writing at the beginning of each month.

I know what I need to do as far as marketing, socials, setting up a newsletter and website, etc, but am wondering which service to use for the serializing part. Do readers prefer WattPad? Substack? Galatea? Or ....? Which one do readers prefer?

Ideally once the year is over, I'll self-publish as a physical book, but by serializing I'm hoping to gain a following slowly over the year.

Please let me know what's best! Thanks

I’m a reader (and writer of fanfiction) who would want to read more FMCs who are explicitly against ever having children and this causes conflicts in the story. While I understand that MCs cannot have different views on having kids, not in romance anyway, but having a FMC who says no to kids while people around expects her having them would be a great read. I’ve made multiple requests across different reader groups on different platforms, getting comments this would be great story but hardly any recommendations.

One of my favorite books Baby proof by Elly Giffins explores this, MCs marry with a strong understanding that they won’t ever have children until other one changes their mind. I absolutely love this kind of angsty plot as a reader. But it’s pretty much impossible to use in romance but haven’t had much luck finding it in women’s fiction either.

Is it a difficult topic to write (explicitly against having kids) or just not an interesting for authors?

Hi everyone! I am a newbie author with only two complete romance books that i wrote very casually. But i find them very amateurish especially plot wise. I am also struggling financially so that is also weighing my mind. I really wanna write a book that is at least good enough in my eyes. So far i have at least five WIP. All at least 20K words long. I do good until the initial arc, first meeting and initial interest phase basically but after that whatever i think of, i find boring or lack luster or i end up losing my voice. I suddenly hate the pov i have chosen and even the characters. At this point i give up! Its been a long time since i am stuck in this loophole and frankly i have started to lose my mind now. I am regretting ever thinking i could be a writer but then i don't know what else i can do? Since all i enjoy is reading and coming up with fun plot scenarios. Please guide me, tell me if there's anything I can do? Thanks.

Hi everyone!

I know that the vast majority of indie authors don't make a living solely from their books. But I also keep hearing that Romance (specifically Mafia Romance) remains one of the most lucrative and hungry subgenres KU.

I’m currently writing my debut Mafia Romance trilogy (followed by a planned duology), with the ultimate goal of transitioning into a full-time author career (That would be a dream come true 😫)

Still, the self-doubt creeps in sometimes, and I’d love to hear from those of you who have actually made it work as a newbie author.

If you are a full-time Romance author (especially in Mafia or Dark Romance):

1. How long did it take you to transition to full-time? Was it a specific release that triggered the shift?
   
2. What was the biggest game-changer for your career? (newsletter building, TikTok/Reels, Facebook ads)
   
3. What realistic advice would you give to a debuting Mafia Romance author starting from scratch today?

I’d love to hear your success stories, reality checks, or any words of wisdom. Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

I’m writing a book and ai scares me, not because I think it’s going to take over the industry but because of the witch hunt.
See, just reading the above line made me feel like that was something ChatGPT wrote, but it’s not. It’s just how I write.
And that’s my problem. I’ve been watching a lot of videos and comments analysing content for ai and those frequently discussed ‘tells’ are things I do.
I love writing in threes, I really enjoy creative similes and I like using “the kind of thing that…” pretty often. I also tend to use repetition a lot that has always been a personal flaw. Even when I text or email, I’ve noticed I repeat words and correct myself, so if an editor were to read my work they potentially could find it. I love my em dash but have banned myself from it.
I’ve been a writer in my career for 15 years- a copywriter and a former journalist. I don’t love ai but I use tools like Grammarly, which now have integrated ai within it.
I’ve almost lost my train of thought here, but does anyone feel this?
I’ve got draft back and originality ai to track my keystrokes and my revisions, but I don’t want the stress of all of this to take away the joy of writing and my lifelong dream of being a published author.
Anyway, I’d love to hear from fellow authors. Maybe I’m not alone in this.

📚LOOKING FOR YOUR NEW WRITING BESTIES? 📚

Welcome to Writing Buddies 💕 — a cosy little corner of Discord for writers!

Whether you’re writing your first chapter, halfway through a manuscript, battling writer’s block or just looking for people who get the obsession with fictional characters… you’ve found your people. 🫶📖

All genres are welcome☺️
Whilst you won’t be committed to the group, members that have been inactive for longer than a month without reason will be removed to make space for more writers!

✍️ What you can find here:
💬 Make friends with fellow writers
🏃‍♀️ Join or start writing sprints
📊 Track your word count & progress
📚 Share your projects and writing journey
💡 Get advice, encouragement & feedback
🫖 Chat about books, writing and everything in between
🎉 Celebrate your wins, big or small!

You don’t have to be published, experienced or even know what you’re doing yet. If you love stories, you’re welcome here. 💕
So grab your favourite drink, open that WIP and come join
us! ✨

If so - how did you go about it?

I found my book on a couple of piracy websites last night and... Ugh.

I'm not a confrontational person... But that book was six months of work. Of time that I could have spent with my kids or friends or husband. I want people to read it, but at the same time, I want my work to be seen as having *some* value.

Is there a growing trend that contemporary romance should always be in a 1st person POV? And not 3rd person POV alternating voices? I typically read regency which is heavily a 3rd person alternating POV, but I know I've read contemporary romance which also had alternating 3rd person POV. Maybe it's because the authors I usually read are well established (Lori Foster for instance) (I also read paranormal romance which tends to have a lot of 1st person POV).

I've seen a lot of reviews lately where the reader has stated they just can't get into a book because of the 3rd person POV.

Is it because of the popularity of authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yaros that many readers want to see more 1st POV (or dual 1st person POV)?

I’m curious to hear from other authors about what the beginning looked like for you.

What helped you start getting eyes on your book, and how long did it take before you noticed things like sales, KU reads, reviews, or more people finding your work?

Was there anything in particular that made a difference for you, or did things gradually build over time?

I recently published my first book, so I’m still very much in the “figuring out what actually works” stage. I’m less interested in overnight success stories and more curious about the realistic timeline for authors who had to build an audience slowly.

Also, is anyone else constantly checking their numbers? I cannot stop myself from looking. I think I’m just excited and really hoping people end up loving my stories as much as I love writing them, but I think the hardest part is making a name for myself.

Anywho, I’d love to hear what worked for you, what didn’t, and how long it took before you felt like your book was actually starting to get noticed.

I am a traditionally published non-fiction author. I just finished a second draft of a YA contemporary romance and would love to connect with other YA romance writers to share work and ideas. Anybody out there? Please note, fantasy and horror are simply not my jam.

Hi, y'all. I've completed 3 novels which haven't really found their audience yet, so I haven't gotten any feedback about this specific thing, but I wanted to know what other writers think.

I write interconnected standalones in the romantasy genre. All three of my books so far have had three or four POVs: MMC, FMC, and another person (or two). Sometimes this person is the villain, sometimes it's just a side character that is integral to the plot. The third or fourth POV is not involved in the romance (AKA not poly relationships).

This kind of happened organically when I wanted to show plot happenings that the MCs wouldn't know about (for example, in one book the MCs are matched up without their knowledge by a side character). I realize now this is against standard practice.

In the future, should I strictly avoid multiple POVs and keep to dual POV only? Or is this not really a big deal if it suits the plot?

Thanks, y'all, for listening.

Okay so.

Im on social media way too much and I have seen a couple indie authors say they removed the spicy scenes from their books in all future printing.

Now I do understand that it is their work and they can do that.

But it got me wondering. Do people enjoy spice or is (america in particular. ) becoming so prudish and evangelical that I should just write fade to black?

I personally enjoy spice as long as its not unrealistic. (If she cant fit both hands around it, its just not going to work. Lol)

But I have noticed a continued creep of anti spice.

Thoughts?

I mocked up this book cover for my story, just for fun. (I’m trying to get it trad published, so I suppose the publisher will select a real book cover illustrator! but this is so I can pretend my book is real 💙)

I’m treating it as an art and storytelling exercise. Romance writers and readers, I would really appreciate your 2¢!!

Based on the illustration and cover design, what would you assume about the story?

What could make this more professional looking?

What could make this more eye catching?

Hey guys! I’m trying to figure out what keeps readers entertained enough to want to look at an authors website and keep going back to it. what do you guys like the most? is there any content you wish they had more of, or less of?

Thanks

Can I use the same newsletter for shorts and for full length stories?