A challenge/invitation for 2022 #RomanceClass
As I’m looking at my plans and schedule for 2022, I think it’ll be safer for me to say that I will not be doing a #RomanceClass soon. We have a lot going on in our lives! Doing a class with very strict deadlines (and they have to be so people can actually finish) is not the mood I want for the start of the year.
So I’m issuing a challenge. Or an invitation, if you prefer that term lol.
If you are a Filipino author writing a contemporary romance novella that can be part of romanceclass, please let me know about it. It has to:
– Be a contemporary romance novella that is mostly in English, at least 30,000 words. Including a small percentage of text in other Filipino languages is welcome, as long as the book is still mostly in English.
– Have Filipino main characters (does not have to be set in the Philippines)
– Have HEA/HFN ending
– Specifically address a gap or gaps in the RomanceClass catalog
What gaps am I particularly interested in addressing?
– Settings within the Philippines (I want contemporary romance in every region, featuring the realities of the place and ideally by people who love living there and can convey that love in their book)
– Queer pairings
– Older characters
– Jobs and cultural dynamics we have not seen often enough!
– Heat level 4?!
I don’t need the story to have all of the above just to tick off entries on a check list. Ideally you have a story, it’s a romance, it celebrates our being Filipino, and you haven’t seen RomanceClass do something like it.
What #RomanceClass as a community can do:
– Give you comments and editorial feedback so that the resulting book is a romance that celebrates our being Filipino and is a thing that our readers all over the world can enjoy.
– Introduce you to editors who are experienced in editing this niche of romance and have edited books that are well-received and loved.
– Introduce you to artists, designers, photographers, printers who can package your book in a way that conveys it’s a romance and celebrates being Filipino.
– Read you! We will actually buy and read the book and talk about it on social media.
You must be willing or ready to self-publish the book that comes out of this process, or if you end up working with a traditional corporate publisher, that you compensate those in RomanceClass who worked on the book prior to the deal.
As a community supporting authors who self-publish we’re aware of a self-published author’s limited budget. We also recognize that this is valuable, important work, and if you are already working with a publisher and still had us workshop your book, we must be compensated for this work.
I may offer to cover the costs of self-publishing, if enough of us feel that this is a book that needs to be out there for all of us immediately. (In case cost is what is stopping you from releasing this great book.)
Some required reading/viewing before you submit anything:
– As many romanceclass books as you can get, especially the ones even slightly similar to your story. Get them at romanceclassbooks.com. Read the reviews of those books too, so you see what readers loved about the books, and what they found lacking.
– The #RomanceClass textbook and introduction so you know if this is the writing community for you!
When you’re ready, email minavesguerra@gmail.com the following:
– Subject line: RomanceClass 2022
– Body of the email:
Introduce yourself (name, author name, social media, links to previous work)
Your book’s description, written as an Amazon book description (write it as if I’m seeing this on the Amazon Kindle store and I might buy it based on the book description)
Don’t send a copy of the manuscript. But manuscript must be finished.
Send questions to minavesguerra@gmail.com or as a comment here on this post. Thank you!
