Creating Marketable Stories ~ Week One
Week 1: Reach
There are differing focuses for every publisher, but for Harpeth Road Press, one of the things we think about is how wide the readership will be for each title. While we love sharing your stories with the world, as unromantic as it sounds, we have to focus on potential reach to make a profit.
Within this reach, we’re looking at the following:
Will the concept be interesting to U.S. romance readers at large?
Did you know that the average romance reader is in her early forties (although there has been a trend of younger fans growing in recent years)? When we’re reading submissions, we’re thinking about how old the main characters sound. (The character can certainly act her age, but it has to be written in a way that will be received well by middle-aged readers.)
Romantic fiction is also consumed by over 80% women, so we’ve got the 40-year-old woman in mind first when reading a manuscript. And then we consider how men would receive it. In both instances, we ask ourselves, How will this demographic relate to the story?
About three quarters of the romance audience reads one novel a week. Because of this, we’re looking for concise, organized plots that have a strong storyline but are also easy to consume. We want a unique voice, a fantastic setting, great characters, and well-orchestrated plot that will keep the reader interested.
Will the concept be well-received in foreign markets?
We begin by considering how a story will be received in Canada and the UK, as these are our second largest markets. While editing the novel and preparing the marketing plan, we’re also considering foreign translation opportunities. As you’re writing, it might be good to consider whether someone in another country would understand the story.
How long will the selling period be for this title?
Obviously, the longer we can sell the book, the more sales we’ll receive and the better the book will do overall. Our packaging, marketing, and development will include this focus. So as you’re writing, it’s best to think about how long the sales window will be. If your book is set on, say Memorial Day, which in the U.S. is in May, while you can still craft the story around Memorial Day, our question will be: Can we market this as a summer novel, selling over a span of 4-5 months? If we think the answer is yes, our marketing and developmental focus will be more about summer and less about Memorial Day to reach the widest audience possible.
As you craft your story, having this information in mind could prove helpful in creating a marketable book. Join us next week as we talk about the setting of your novel.
© Jenny Hale, 2023