|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Myth-- Cover models are airbrushed to make them look better. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fact-- Cover models are airbrushed inasmuch as paintings are airbrushed. Most cover art for series is done by illustrators. Check out some of the artists: |
|
| John Solie Jon Paul Elaine Gignilliat |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Myth-- Everybody publishes a serial romance line. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fact-- There are 2 houses that publish contemporary series romance. Kensington and Mills Boon. Both these houses have multiple imprints and most imprints have more than one line. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Myth-- Series romances don't make bestseller lists because they stink. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fact-- Series romances do make bestseller lists. Especially if they are written by Nora Roberts. Series romances make the USA Today's top 10 frequently and their extended list regularly. |
|
| The reason why series romances are not found on the New York Times list has a lot to do with the way they are handled by publishers and booksellers. They are treated more like magazines than books. The self-life of a catagory is one month. After that they are cleared away to make room for the next month's batch. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Myth-- Editors send authors novel templates to fill out. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fact- If editors could get away with this, they'd just fill in the "template" themselves and save the expense of a middleman. |
|
| Although it is true that series romances revolve around the same theme and that there are certain archtypes that most follow, each book is as individual as the people who write them. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Myth-- All Harlequin authors are forced to use pen-names owned by the publisher. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fact-- Harlequin used to pressure their authors into using pen-names owned by Mills Boon. From all accounts this practice has stopped. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Got a fun fact or a myth to debunk? Email it to me and I'll research it. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|