Once again, thanks to all who’ve been so forthcoming with recommendations, advice and constructive critique.

Must stop, have a cat sitting on my arms… :-)

I’m sure that there are names on here being jotted on personal “do not read” lists of readers, editors, agents, etc.

Oh goody.

Nothing like a publisher’s authors threatening blacklists all over the place, to make the publisher look like the place to be.

Of course making threats anonymously is so very classy, don’t you think?

Do you all consider yourselves official spokespeople for the publishers you’re published with?

Most of us make it clear we don’t speak for the presses that contract us because they have official PR departments and reps. And, more importantly, most of us don’t go around making claims and comments like the ones made by Jill Elaine Hughes/Jamaica Layne.

I’m sure that there are names on here being jotted on personal “do not read” lists of readers, editors, agents, etc.

Another Anonymous RR Author obviously didn’t bother to read the comments made by the PR rep hired by RR to do damage control.

At this point, I’m feeling a little sorry for Dalyn Miller because his job keeps getting harder and harder.

http://ravenousromance.blogspot.com/2008/11/national-novel-writing-month-nanowrimo.html

Huh. The December opening is looking more and more interesting every day. Any kettle korn left, you guys?

Someone asked a very valid question:

What drew you to submit to RR? And why did you go with them instead of the many other electronic publishers?”

I went with RR after my agent pointed it out for a story I wrote. The reasons are many, but they revolved around their business practices and model. I am a business woman first, author second. My craft is my product. Knowing what they have in the works and what they’ve invested in launching this publisher, combined with their collective expertise and contacts makes it a promising endeavor. These are NOT novices starting a new epub, as some here seem to think. Real research makes that clear to anyone who cares to do the work.
Why did I choose them over others? I’ve worked with other epubs and have found them lacking in various respects. No one publisher is perfect. Some have undesirable covers, others have poor author support, and still others have shoddy editing. The research that I did on RR made me think that they’re a smart gamble. Yes, I’ve had to deal with the failings of other publishers, which makes me even more adamant about knowing all that I can before trying something new.

Furthermore, my experience with them so far has been wonderful. They’re professional, courteous, and helpful. I honestly do expect to see them succeed. Of course, there are always unforeseen disasters. But trying to beat down the company name before it gets started and without an educated opinion only serves to make this section of the industry look like a group of amateurs.
I’m surprised how many people on here take what one of the authors says and runs with it, posting that the author is the spokesperson for the publisher. Do you all consider yourselves official spokespeople for the publishers you’re published with? I don’t. I know that my behavior reflects on them, but if I say that I think X publisher is the greatest ever, that doesn’t mean that the publisher is claiming to be the greatest ever. That may not have been what was intended by the comments, but that’s how it comes across when you read it from the outsider’s perspective.

I’m further surprised at the immature behavior here on both sides. Attacks and Defenses. Is this really how everyone wants to be seen by readers? The number of people who read but don’t post to this thread is probably very high. I’m sure that there are names on here being jotted on personal “do not read” lists of readers, editors, agents, etc. Like it or not, this type of thing does influence others. Some of the comments and name-calling here really should be in private emails. The amount of pure hatred spewed on this thread is astounding and seemingly unfounded. It looks to me, as someone who doesn’t know EVERYONE on here that some of the comments are posted by people who either have a stake in the competition or a personal problem with the commenters they’ve slammed.

Here’s to hoping that everyone enjoys eating their popcorn and watching RR’s progress. Maybe we can all come back in a year and compare notes and earnings. (Don’t crucify me yet. It was a joke!)

I can’t speak for any of the other authors, but I can tell you why I went with Ravenous. I’d written a short story that a friend of mine, also a writer, read. She’s worked with Holly before and thought I should submit it to Ravenous. I did, got a positive response, and then had the opportunity to meet Holly and Lori when they were at RWA in San Francisco. I really liked them on both a personal and professional level.

I was fine with contract; I have no expectations in terms of what I may or may not make in the long run. Having been published by a small press for my mystery novel, I have very realistic and low expectations. :-) But, as with the small press, I’ve received quick feedback when I’ve asked for it and been treated in a courteous, professional and friendly manner.

I’ve never worked with an ePublisher before because of my formerly snotty ‘books must be hard copy!’ attitude. I don’t have any basis for comparison, but so far I’ve gotten no reason to regret working with RR. On a strictly creative note, it’s been great. Heck, no time for writer’s block!

I am really excited at discovering this whole ePublishing world and the other presses out there – I love to read as much, if not more, than I love to write, and there’s just a whole new world of authors out there, starting with the ones recommended by some of the people here. I did discover my work computer server doesn’t think I should go on Ellora’s Cave. I’m waiting to see if I get called on the carpet for inappropriate use of computer during work hours. :-)

Why do I ask? Because there are many (60+ I believe was the given number) publishers who publish romance and erotic romance, and I can guarantee you that most of them (unless they’re closed to subs) are looking for new voices and new authors.

Their answers may actually add a bit to the conversation. Sadly, at this point, the lack of answers offered by the PR person to questions posted in a public forum and the overwhelming volume of the shrill voices trying to “defend” this publisher have told me it’s not somewhere I want to be.

For the sake of the new authors, I hope they do well. Because it’s hell when a publisher implodes and takes your books with it. That’s not something I’d wish on any author. No matter how shrill or ultra-vocal.

Something I don’t understand… why is RR signing up untested writers for multi-book deals? I’m just starting and trying to get my foot in an e-publishing door and nobody I’ve submitted to is interested in anything speculative. Why would they make such an interesting and seemingly nonsensicle choice?

I don’t know if it’s nonsensical to sign untested writers to multi-book deals–print publications do multiple book deals with debut authors fairly regularly, although they usually have at least one completed manuscript in hand at the time the offer is made. (My own first contract with Kensington was only for a single book in large part because it was a novella anthology, and only one of the three novellas was completed at the time they made their offer.) But my impression is that most print publishers do either two or three-book deals with debut authors.

So that, in and of itself, doesn’t bother me.

What I do find interesting (and potentially worrisome) about RR’s business model is that they seem to think they can put out one book a day, 365 days a year right out of the gate, and sustain sales on those releases sufficiently to allow them to continue contracting new material at the advance rate of $1 per page. Logic tells me that’s a very (and possibly overly) ambitious goal. Most epublishers start small, releasing a couple of books a week, building sales and readership, and then gradually adding more releases. I’m not sure how many releases per week the larger epubs like Samhain and Ellora’s Cave are doing now, but even if it works out to 365 per year (or more), they certainly didn’t start releasing that many on day one.

I’ll also say that I suspect this plan (365 releases per year) accounts for the perhaps somewhat overzealous campaign for submissions. If you’re going to release one book per day from your first day in business, you’re going to need a lot of books “in the hopper” well before day one. That means you need quite a number of books contracted, edited, and cover arted (yeah, I just made that up) well before you open your doors, and many more waiting in the wings.

I won’t say it can’t work. It might. But it seems dubious at best to believe that an epublisher can tap into a new market for readers of erotica/erotica romance (which seems to be their stated plan, and judging by some of the genre-boundary crossing on display from their authors, they may genuinely have reason to believe they’ve got a formula for doing that) when the economy is this precarious. It’s not that I think books can’t or won’t sell in a recession–they can and do because they’re relatively cheap entertainment–but people will probably be more likely to stick to the tried and true, meaning publishers and authors they’re already familiar with, rather than dropping their money on an unknown.

I wish RR well, I really do, although I have to admit, their “line” names alone along with some of the book titles I’ve seen/heard (Sexstrology? Really?)have pretty much already turned me off. But then, I’m not the market they’re looking to tap (existing readers of the romance genre). So maybe that’s a good sign for them ;).

I’ve been published in other writing fields/genres, but I got my deal with RR via submitting a short story, which they liked and wanted expanded into a novel. I signed a contract for that, then sent some outlines/proposals for other ideas I had. I had also sent them my mystery novel, which has a romantic subplot in it, as another sample of my writing. I’m not sure this answers your question adequately, but hope it helps at least a bit.

Dana, I always just cut and paste and then use the blockquote tab above this box. If there’s another way, I’m too slow to figure it out, lol.

Robin, thank you – that’s extremely helpful. Now how the heck do you pull quotes from these comments without cutting and pasting? :-)

There is problem with reading just erotic romance (or what is labeled as such) to ascertain what it is because I feel like bad plotting/failure to build characterization can make erotica read like porn or erotic romance read like porn.

I agree, which is why I referred Dana to the Romance Wiki to start. But still, once you start reading, unless you know the generic distinctions, it can be difficult to discern what is what when things get erotic, because a book intended to be ER may come off as E or P (or vice versa).

Structurally speaking, I’d offer the basic definition of Romance: that it focuses on the emotional journey of a love relationship that ends happily for the couple. Then I’d add that in ER, this emotional relationship is often communicated primarily through the sexuality and sexual relationship of the protags. The farther away from the emotional development of the characters and the relationship a story goes, the farther away from Romance, erotic or otherwise, it veers.

Ellora’s Cave seems to have the Romantica with the emotional pay-offs and the Exotica, which is more erotic than romance, so the readers have the option of both. Am I intepreting this correctly?

It also seems one woman’s erotic romance is another woman’s sexy romance, so I guess some of it depends on the reader and what they’re looking for. I am very much appreciating all of your opinions on this and am looking forward to reading Felicity Stripped Bare.

And yes, much downloading is occuring this weekend. I really think I’m gonna need to suck it up and get a Kindle. I wonder if I can walk and read a Kindle at the same time…

Shiloh, I read the excert from Dragon’s Warrior – loved it! I can’t wait to read the whole book. Dark and sexy!

Wow.

Am I too late for popcorn?

Ha! Funniest post here.

Eh, don’t be too sure. The holiday cards though. They are awesome.

“But one of the reasons I keep the pseudonym is so I can’t be accused of saying the things I say here just to “suck up to readers/bloggers/get them to buy [my] books.”

Damn principles. Excuse me while I expire of curiousity :).