We're excited to have romantic suspense author Jill Sorenson as our guest blogger today!
Hello Killer Chicks! Thanks so much for having me.
I didn’t have a plan when I first started writing. I had no idea which publisher to target. I’d completed three novels before I understood the difference between category romance (short books published by Harlequin) and single-title romance (full-length novels). The rejections were piling up. I finally attended a writing conference, where I met an agent. My focus shifted from writing in the dark to learning more about the publishing business. I decided to try to follow the footsteps of my favorite author, Sandra Brown. She began her career in category romance and moved on to single-title romantic suspense.
So I wrote a short contemporary romance about a sexy hotel heiress and a hot young architect. It got rejected.
The agent I was exchanging emails with liked one of my earlier submissions, a single-title romantic suspense (ST/RS) with a surfer hero. Although she didn’t offer to represent me, she thought I had promise. At her urging, I wrote another ST/RS, Dangerous to Touch. She signed me after reading it and we got a nibble from Harlequin very quickly. They wanted to publish my story under the Silhouette Romantic Suspense line. I cut 30k words from the original version and never looked back.
Harlequin asked for another book, which I wrote and delivered. It got rejected.
That same week, my entire town was evacuated because of the San Diego Fires. When I came home I had a new publishing offer. An editor at Bantam Dell loved my surfer hero! Suddenly I had a two-book contract for single-titles. I added 30k to the manuscript Harlequin rejected and submitted it to my new editor, who thought it was great. Crash Into Me and Set the Dark on Fire were published in 2009. Both appeared as “Red-Hot Reads” in Cosmopolitan Magazine.
You think I’m done getting rejected, right? Wrong.
The next book I submitted to Bantam Dell bombed. They say that your first rejection is the worst, but that hasn’t been true for me. Each one gets harder. After almost a year of struggling with that project, I set it aside and started something new. The Edge of Night was born. It didn’t get rejected. Yay!
I went back to the Epic Fail manuscript with a fresh outlook. My editor was right; the subplots didn’t work and the whole thing felt disjointed. But the main romance was still strong, so I cut every scene that wasn’t in the hero or heroine’s POV. What I ended up with wasn’t a failure at all. My Harlequin editor loved the story. RT Magazine called Stranded With Her Ex “one of the best books of the year.”
Okay, so there you have it. The reason I write for two publishers: rejection. I’ve made it work for me.
If you’re wondering about the differences between writing for category and writing for single-title, there aren’t as many as you might think. My Bantam Dell books are longer, of course (90-100k vs. 50-60k). I can use the f-word as much as I want in ST. I have more space for subplots and fully-realized secondary characters. The storylines are a little edgier, and the sex scenes are a bit more graphic.
I write gritty, sexy romantic suspense for both publishers. My characters tend to be flawed and realistic, not larger-than-life superheroes or perfect fantasy figures. Some say that Harlequin is more traditional, but I have a great editor with modern sensibilities there. I get quality feedback at both houses, with thorough comments and painstaking copyedits. I also do a lot of my own advertising and promotion, which is typical for new authors at any publisher.
Please let me know if you have questions! I’m an open book.
Leave a comment if you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Stranded With Her Ex.
13 comments:
Enter me, please.
What a great story to your success. Very inspiring. My first rejection was the hardest by far. I was convinced my first submission would have the agent stumbling over herself to get to me. LOL! Oh, the naivete. :)
This was a great post and really opened my eyes. The rejection doesn't stop and that's a scary thing. I think it says a lot about you both as a writer and a person. You have great "sticktoitness"
Excellent post and very enlightening. I remember my first rejection and how it stopped me in my tracks for a few months, making me wonder if I was meant to be a writer. Now a rejection may stop me for that day but the next day I wake up knowing that what I'm writing today is better than what I wrote yesterday. After all, it's all about practice, practice, practice. *G* So glad you didn't give up and reached your dreams.
What an inspiring story! Thank you for your honesty and insight into what it means to be a writer today. I admire how you've never let rejection slow you down and have turned your struggles into strengths.
Congratulations on your new release--which I read, by the way! I haven't read many Harlequin novels, and was truly amazed how much deep emotion and toe-curling tension you packed into 50-60K words. It was a riveting read! I think you've made a new Harlequin Romantic Suspense reader of me! :)
I love your books, but it's also sort of nice to see that in your pursuit of selling your next book, like your characters, you still face challenges. It certainly makes you far more interesting and complex than an author who has a perfectly easy road. I love a great story, but I also like to admire the person who wrote it. And I loved your surfer hero ... Takes me back to my teenage years and having such crushes on Kelly Slater and Laird Hamilton.
Thanks so much for sharing your inspiring story with us, Jill!
Personally I much prefer realistic characters with flaws over larger-than-life perfect people!
Excellent post. I love these real-life glimpses into the world of publishing, because every author's experiences seem so unique. Thanks for sharing, Jill! And congratulations on all your success!
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Jill and congrats on the new release.
Great post and congrats on your new release! It's always so enlightening (and encouraging) to read other author's journeys. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Pk,
I think for most people, each rejection gets easier. I might be a little unusual in that regard.
Thanks Karen!!
Jennifer--that's so true. The only way to get better is to write more.
Hi Cori! I'm so glad you enjoyed the book. I love to hear that. :) This is a tough biz and those who are easily discouraged won't last long. So we really have to roll with the punches and come out stronger.
dsickles, Thanks for your comment. I think you've hit on a reason I like to write about flawed/struggling characters. I can totally relate!
Hi JB! Thanks for the invite.
Thanks everyone for the great comments! I don't know that my story is unusual at all--they say it's hard to get published, even harder to stay published. Very true!
What an amazing journey you had. I can't wait to read your books.
I can't wait to read Stranded With Her Ex. It takes place near San Francisco, my hometown.
Diana
The random winner is #7 Jennifer Hillier! Please email me at jillsoren1@aol.com with your mailing info.
Thanks Killer Chicks!!
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