twenty second Could 2025
Studying Time: 10 minutes
Romance books have all the time been a well-liked style – however ‘spicy’ books have a brand new and large readership due to a number of high-profile books recently (Sarah J Maas, we’re you). For those who’ve all the time needed to earn a living writing books, and you’ve got a artistic creativeness, this might be an effective way to earn a living. Right here’s your whole information to writing erotica, closed-door romance, and every little thing in-between!
What’s Romance as a Style?
Romance writing spans a really broad spectrum of varieties of books. There may be one apparent frequent theme: individuals fall in love. However apart from that, virtually something goes!
A latest increase in ‘romantasy’ blends romance with fantasy books, and this has launched an entire new technology to romance writing (and studying). However there are many differing types. You’ll be able to both self publish or historically publish, relying on how rapidly you wish to earn a living and the way a lot management you need over the publishing course of.
How Spicy Do I Have to Be?
‘Spicy’ is a time period used for erotic writing that’s graphic and/or express, whereas extra ‘conventional’ romance is commonly referred to as ‘closed door’. It means you get hints of what occurs, however most is left as much as the reader’s creativeness because it occurs ‘behind closed doorways’. Spicy books are sometimes very express, so you should be comfy with writing R-rated issues!
The excellent news is there are audiences for all ranges of ‘spice’. So, for those who’re not comfy writing express intercourse scenes, you may nonetheless earn a living writing romance books.
How Do I Write a Romance Ebook?
Whereas it’s now simpler than ever to publish your writing due to eBooks and platforms like Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books, you continue to must put within the work if you wish to make constant cash out of your romance writing!
Listed here are just a few essential issues to contemplate.
Learn, Learn, Learn!
To start with, earlier than you even set pen to paper or fingers to typewriter, be sure you know your style. Get your fingers on a library card, or signal as much as a free trial of Kindle Limitless, and skim as a lot romance fiction you will get your fingers on. That is one of the best masterclass you may take whenever you’re studying the best way to write romance novels.
Take note of frequent themes and tropes, what you wish to learn and what turns you off (pun supposed), and this may assist you form an thought of what sort of romance author you wish to be. It is going to additionally present you what’s a bit too generally seen, the dangerous sorts of tropes you wish to keep away from, and hopefully spark concepts about how one can sort out them in a contemporary new method.
You Don’t Want Particular Software program… However It May Assist
You’ll be able to write a novel in Google Docs, Phrase, or another phrase processing software program. Nevertheless, as you construct your romance world and get to know your characters and plot, it may be a number of data to wrangle. That’s why there are some novel-specific software program choices on the market you would possibly wish to strive, some are free and fundamental like yWriter, whereas others are paid however have extra performance, corresponding to Scrivener and Novlr.
You will get 20% off Scrivener for those who enter MAGPIE at checkout. (This isn’t a sponsored hyperlink or advert).
If you wish to self-publish your books as ebooks, formatting software program could be actually useful. With Home windows, Atticus is probably the most generally used, whereas Vellum is for Macs. They assist flip your manuscript right into a correctly formatted ebook with out hours and hours of arduous work!
(There has not too long ago been an internet controversy about Vellum, the place some individuals have confused it with Vellum AI. Vellum has been round for over a decade, and is a formatting software program – assume Phrase on steroids – whereas Vellum AI is one thing launched in 2025 and is for laptop builders. They’re two very various things and Vellum is NOT an AI programme).
Romance Ebook Size
Romance is normally between 50,000 phrases for business (‘chick lit’) as much as 80,000 for historic romance. Romantasy books that mix romance and fantasy genres are typically longer, as much as round 100,000 phrases, but it surely doesn’t need to be that lengthy.
You too can strive your hand at brief reads. Amazon Kindle determines the size of a learn by the web page numbers – you may’t set this in your add metadata, however typically for those who stick inside sure web page limits you’ll come up in the precise search filters.
The tough web page depend for brief reads can be:
- quarter-hour – 1 to 11 pages
- half-hour – 12 to 21 pages
- 45 minutes – 22 to 32 pages
- One hour – 33 to 43 pages
- 90 minutes – 44 to 64 pages
- Two hours or extra – 65 to 100 pages
That is ebook pages, quite than variety of pages in phrase. A ebook web page is round 280 phrases. So, a 30-minute learn at 15 pages lengthy can be round 4,200 phrases. These brief tales do notably nicely when enrolled in Kindle Limitless, which is right for brand new writers to construct their model – the returns are smaller, however extra individuals are more likely to learn your ebook.
You Want a Plot
Romance isn’t nearly individuals falling in love and doing impolite issues to one another! Readers of romance love the story of why individuals fall in love, out of affection, and even once they’re torn between loving two individuals. Plot is essential in romance books, however there are some key moments most could have, together with:
- A meet cute of the couple-to-be
- A honeymoon section
- The issue turning level (have they got a partner or associate already? Does another person come into their lives? and so on)
- An argument between the lovers
- Both an ending the place they get again collectively for good (often known as a cheerful ever after) or not less than within the short-term (referred to as ‘blissful for now’)
Take into consideration what it’s that makes individuals fall out and in of affection. Spicy books are nice at specializing in the bodily parts of relationships, however romance readers are a wise viewers and so they’ll need greater than floor lust to maintain them studying. Understanding who your characters are, what their purpose is and the obstacles they face to get to it, and why they find yourself in love are all essential plot factors you should embody.
Assume About Your Viewers
It helps to have a transparent viewers in thoughts earlier than you begin writing. This can impression the tone of your writing, how express you’re with intimate scenes, and the kind of plot you’ll write. For instance, some older readers choose basic Mills and Boon ‘mild closed door romance’ whereas there’s a rising development for ladies of their 20s and 30s to get pleasure from notably ‘spicy’ novels. Having a few ‘ideally suited readers’ in thoughts whenever you’re writing will assist you keep on monitor and focus the ‘model’ of your ebook.
Decide Your Protagonist Nicely
Your predominant character must be somebody who’s a go-getter, even when they’re naturally timid. They should have a cause to vary throughout the ebook – this might be as a result of they’ve moved from a village to a metropolis (or vice versa), have a brand new job, go on vacation or comparable. A change in circumstance and/or location is normally what makes characters hunt down new issues – and that’s what drives the plot of a romance ebook.
Whereas your character could be anybody, typically your protagonist will probably be feminine, as nearly all of romance readers are girls. You’ll be able to have male or non-binary views, however there’s a smaller area of interest for them. Many romance authors love to do ‘twin POV’ or twin perspective, which suggests you write one chapter in your protagonist’s voice and one other within the antagonist (or second protagonist) voice and alternate by the ebook to present totally different views. That is notably helpful for telling the story in a broader method, quite than sticking in a single character’s head – however it may be difficult to do, so takes some apply.
For those who resolve on twin POV, be very cautious to not ‘head hop’. That is whenever you change inside ideas from one character to a different in the identical scene. It’s complicated for the reader! So stick to at least one scene, one particular person’s interior ideas – then you may all the time change the character within the subsequent scene.
Discover a Proofreader
Earlier than you publish or ship your ebook to an agent to get revealed, you should have another person learn your ebook. There are several types of editors, costing totally different quantities. A developmental editor could be very deep-dive and can work on the construction and story of your romance novel. A replica editor or line editor will enhance how your sentences movement and fact-check issues to be sure you don’t make any obtrusive errors. The most affordable choice is a proofreader, who reads the ebook and highlights your spelling and grammar errors.
It’d really feel arduous to pay earlier than you get any earnings out of your ebook, however for those who’re the one particular person studying it you may simply miss errors since you’ve been staring on the similar pages for weeks! A superb proofreader will assist you carry your ebook as much as commonplace. It’s essential for whether or not you’re self publishing or sending to an agent. There are numerous providers out there on-line – be a part of some writing teams on Fb and ask for private referrals from different writers (don’t simply go along with the primary one who approaches you to promote their providers!).
First, with self publishing, you will need to keep away from spelling and grammatical errors which might delay your readers – and with platforms like Kindle Limitless, you’re paid by the variety of pages which can be learn. So that you need individuals to maintain studying!
Secondly, if you wish to be observed by a writer or agent, you want your manuscript to be in one of the best form potential to get their consideration. Errors can cease them studying and reject the ebook, which suggests you’ll have to begin the lengthy question course of another time.
Do I Want an Agent to Publish My Romance Novel?
Sure or no! There are two causes each solutions are true.
Self publishers don’t want an agent – they’ll publish no matter they need, every time they need. However as we talked about earlier, in addition they need to do all of the advertising and enterprise aspect of promoting romance novels, too.
Some conventional publishers, like Mills and Boon (learn extra beneath) will settle for ebook submissions from somebody who doesn’t have an agent. There aren’t many locations that do that, and so they’re very aggressive, however it’s a method in to the business if you will get it.
Most conventional publishers will solely take submissions from an agent. This implies you should get literary illustration earlier than you may take into consideration publishing. This tends to be extra for business girls’s fiction or high-profile genres like romantasy.
The place Can I Publish My Romance Ebook?
You’ll be able to select to self publish your ebook on platforms like Amazon, or historically publish to get your ebook into retailers. There are execs and cons to each.
Self publishing offers you whole management over what you write, when it’s revealed, and also you obtain a better proportion of sale income. Nevertheless, you additionally must design your ebook cowl, run your PR, and proceed to market the ebook as soon as it’s revealed, all of which might price cash and take a number of time to be taught and perform. You don’t get an advance fee with self publishing, so that you want some funds to get began.
Conventional publishing is traditionally extra ‘prestigious’, however that issues much less as of late. Nevertheless, you’ll have an editor and advertising workforce behind the ebook for those who handle to promote it to a writer, so that you don’t need to do every little thing as you do with self publishing. Additionally, you will be paid an advance for those who promote the ebook, however make a smaller proportion on royalties.
Publishing on Amazon
It is vitally straightforward for anyone to self publish on Amazon and comparable platforms. It is advisable to have a completed ebook that’s in a ebook format – software program like Vellum may help you with this, or there are Phrase templates on-line you should utilize.
You want just a few issues earlier than you may hit publish:
- A ebook cowl
- A again blurb (the brief description on the again of the ebook to entice readers)
- The manuscript
- An ISBN quantity (two for those who plan to permit for bodily copies to be bought)
- Social media artwork for promotion
- Brief descriptions for meta information
- A listing of key phrases that relate to your ebook to assist individuals discover it in searches
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is the commonest platform for brand new writers to begin on. There’s a useful tutorial on the web site, and plenty of YouTube movies for extra in-depth classes in regards to the nuances of selling your romance ebook.
Publishing Mills and Boon Books
If self publishing sounds too difficult, otherwise you need the status of being a historically revealed creator, Mills and Boon are probably the most well-known identify in romance. The sensible information is that you just don’t must have an agent to undergo them – which could be very uncommon on the earth of conventional publishing!
There are some pointers to observe earlier than you submit. Learn their submission pointers on the web site – and be sure you know which imprint you wish to undergo, too. Totally different imprints are like totally different manufacturers beneath the Mills and Boon umbrella, and so they every have a particular voice, viewers, and varieties of story.
Mills and Boon Fashionable – has a hero prepared to take cost, however the heroine has a feisty aspect to her. Assume worldwide glitz and glamour for this collection.
Mills and Boon True Love – this collection is about relatable girls and deeply fascinating males, with out graphic scenes however intense emotion and pressure.
Mills and Boon Medical – the clue is within the identify right here, with medical settings taking the foreground, and devoted medical professionals with hearts of gold who work collectively.
Mills and Boon Historic – each time interval as much as the Fifties and each degree of spice is accepted, with dynamic characters who’ve relatable conflicts
Harlequin Books
Mills and Boon even have Harlequin books, which is one other sort of novel. They’re extra cross-genre than the above imprints. The Intrigue submission pointers state that books with thriller storylines round 55,000 phrases are welcomed. The Suspense submission pointers state that imprint is for extra complicated, sustained suspense romance tales round 70,000 phrases lengthy.
Getting Began Sources
The web is your pal! There are such a lot of wonderful YouTube channels and podcasts and Substacks, it’s too many to record, however these ones are nice for newbie writers – some are romance-specific, whereas others assist you be taught extra in regards to the craft of writing and likewise self-publishing.
YouTube Channels
Podcasts, Web sites, and Newsletters