There are eleventy billion books/websites/articles/videos/podcasts/etc. etc. out there for romance writers, and sorting through all of them generally means more procrastination and less time to actually, you know, write. So let’s cut through all that static — here are my top 5 ultimate resources for romance authors:
1) Gwen Hayes’s Romancing the Beat
This book provides an excellent template to follow for writing your first—or second, or tenth—romance novel. You have to know the beats before you can start to play with them and subvert them, and they are very clearly laid out for you here.
2) HeartBreathings
Romance author Sarra Cannon’s YouTube channel is chockful of advice on how to make it as an indie romance writer, from planning to writing to publishing. She is fabulously organized, and it is INSPIRING (you will want to go out and buy washi tape and planners galore after watching, for real).
3) RomanceMFA
If you don’t have time to go out and read all the things, RomanceMFA is doing the hard work for you and curating the content romance writers need to do their job on her Twitter. (While geared toward historical romance, there’s lots of stuff that’s applicable to other sub-genres.) And over at her site, she’s tracking the history of romance in her self-directed project to improve her (and our!) understanding of the genre.
4) When in Romance:
What’s going on right now in romance? You need to stay up to date, and Jess and Trisha’s bi-weekly BookRiot podcast gives you a run-down of all the latest in the romance industry (from the scandals to the celebrations), what’s hot right now in terms of new releases, and what current trends they’re noticing.
5) David Gaughran:
Not strictly for romance, but his books are an absolute must for anyone selling on Amazon (soooo…yep, that’s everyone). Let’s Get Digital is extremely comprehensive, but if you really want to understand the Amazon store, Amazon Decoded is brilliant. You have to sign up for his newsletter to get it, but it’s worth it to stay on his list even after getting the free book – his emails are full of useful, up-to-the-minute info on book marketing, especially on Amazon and BookBub.