I’ve come to this topic via a roundabout route. I find it difficult to compare my writing and stories to other contemporary romance writers—to say, hey I’m the next Emily Henry, but shorter, or the next Ali Hazelwood without the STEM characters. I could say, my lead characters respect and like each other—Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood do that too, and it’s something I look for in a romance. I want sizzle, but I also want my heat with heart, so to echo Olive’s words in The Love Hypothesis “I really like you, and I really trust you …”
However, there’s an expectation, largely for marketing purposes, that you will compare yourself to current top performers, to give readers an idea of your style. Sounds a bit like a recipe for disaster to me. What happens if you deviate or disappoint them?
Another Australian author I was chatting to offered an alternative approach. Banter like author A, heart-warming characters like author B, scene setting like author X, and sizzle like author Y. This seems a better approach to me because no two writers are the same, unless one of them is AI generated and feeding off a real author’s creativity. I haven’t found my list of comparable authors yet. If I remind you of a fabulous romance author in some way, please feel free to let me know.
To be honest, I’d like readers to see me as sufficiently unique to want to read my next release because it’s me. Samples are available on all the e-book selling sites.
If anyone here has checked out my socials, you’ll know I’ve had some great reviews, some good reviews, and some ho-hum reviews. I’ve never had the kind of review that says “those are a few precious hours I’ll never get back” unless you count this one for Quinn, by design—Choosing Family Book 2 that said:
“This book is not suitable for people who are not familiar with carpentry work and antiques. The author has tried their best to explain the details of this kind of art, but it did not hold my interest much.”
That’s telling me. And can I raise my hand and say I’m not especially familiar with carpentry or antiques either? Although I like to look at beauty in nature and crafted by humans. I like wood and glass and clay and stone, and I could continue …
I’ve also had reviews that puzzle me. I like to think there’s some humour in my books and characters. Not laugh out loud and not all the time, but most people—and therefore most characters—show humour as well as seriousness, and balancing those two sides of a personality can get you deeper inside a character’s head and heart. So, the reviews for Masquerade—Choosing Family Book 1 that described it as a rom-com were completely unexpected.
“Kate and Liam are a hoot …”
“a charming rom-com full of emotion …”
“steamy, goodhearted and a great romcom ….”
“a comedic vibe …”
I’ll take the reviews, say thank you, and see if I can replicate that humour in other books, because sharing humour is a way of establishing connections. When I raised this with a fellow author, she suggested a lot of first-time readers of romance come via Booktok—Tiktok for books, and that they’re new to the various categories within the romance genre. For example, she suggested they might use the term rom-com to refer to what emerging authors, authors, editors or industry specialists call contemporary romance. Booktok can be a disruptor, especially as not all authors use it.
Authors seek reviews because we’re told they’ll attract more readers and hopefully more buyers of our books. But some nights I lie awake wondering if the algorithms are toying with me, and if I’m being punished for not succumbing to the lure of those constant messages that say if you spend just a bit more you’ll get thousands more hits. Has marketing trumped quality writing as the most important strategy for an upcoming author? You tell me.
There are, of course, other ways to draw attention to your books, interviews, public appearances, celebrity endorsements—do you know any celebrities?—word of mouth, begging every member of your extended family to buy at least six copies and leave them at bus stops and in street libraries. But balancing marketing time with writing time is tricky, especially when I know what I’d rather be doing. And now, I’ll return to my work in progress (WIP). I’m on a roll.
A Romantic Rendezvous—March 2025—Christmas giveaway
The Australian Romance Readers Association (ARRA) will again host A Romantic Rendezvous in Brisbane (22 March) Sydney (23 March) Melbourne (29 March) and Perth (30 March). Special guests will be Nalini Singh & Julie Ann Walker There will be panels, an author luncheon and a signing in each city. You can nominate the sessions you’d like to attend.
This Christmas, one lucky ARR2025 attendee will win a special treat—a $30 book voucher that they can spend at the signing.
To enter, readers need to take a selfie with one of their favourite books (ebooks count!) from one of the attending authors, then post it in the ARR2025 Attendees group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/arr2025attendees). Be sure to include the following in your post:
I’m looking forward to ARR2025 in <insert name of city> in March, and meeting <insert name of author/s>. Maybe I’ll see you there! #arr2025comp
(For an extra entry, tag a friend in the comments of your post.)
The winner will be drawn randomly on Christmas day from all entries.
Find me on
- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/romanceauthorjen/
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jenniferrainesauthor
- Goodreads—https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22577889.Jennifer_Raines
- Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-raines
- Diana Kathryn Penn’s Indie Reads Aloud podcast has recordings of me reading the opening 20 mins of my books:
- Masquerade—Choosing Family Book 1 (episode 188)
- Lela’s Choice (episode 143)
- Planting Hope (episode 101)
- The Anderson Sisters (episode 54 Taylor’s Law and 80 Grace Under Fire) http://www.dkpwriter.com/indie-reads-aloud-podcast.html
You can also meet me in Sydney – 23 March 2025 at A Romantic Rendezvous, contact me directly via the contact page on my website if you have any other questions.
Jennifer Raines 