What An Editor Wants: Targeting Your Work For The UK Offices

When editors ask conference organisers what their authors would like to hear about each year, often the answer is 'Tell us what editors want'. So . . .what does an editor want?Copious amounts of chocolate? An Alpha Male? A house in the country?

Well, they'd be lovely, and editors are only human! However . . .from authors, editors really want two things:

♥ Compelling stories well told.

♥ Unique voices.

And once you have found your voice, created believable characters and produced those all important page-turning opening chapters, how do you find that first sale? The first thing to do is target your manuscript.

Finding a publisher, like finding a husband, requires some serious thought and effort before you jump into bed or even connect with your keyboard. If you simply write 'a romance' and send it to a romance publisher, because the market is so diversified, the chances are it may not fit anywhere. You may fall at the first hurdle, however unique the voice.

Firstly know yourself. Ask - what kind of a writer are you? What are your writing strengths, your areas of interest and experience? Consider the types of stories that you enjoy reading.

Then do your Research:

► Discover who publishes those kinds of stories and to whom could you really sell yourself and your work?

► If it's romance understand the different kinds of genres and series. One of the ways publishers sell to booksellers and directly to readers is via these defined categories.

►It is crucial that you, as a writer, target your work in the same way. Editors and publishers need to see where potential demand for your writing would be and where it would fit in their publishing programmes.

Single titles, too, represent conventional genres, and, as with category romance, your chances of success are greater if you target your writing to an existing genre than if you try and invent your own. J K Rowling is a good example. She wrote Harry Potter in an existing fantasy genre for the children's market.

Many single title imprints will accept submissions only through agents. When submitting to agents, just like publishers, you will need to know which genre you are targeting and which agents handle those genres.

Narrow down which series or imprint fits your own core writing values and voice. Your novels need to fulfil the promise of a line, but your voice needs to remain unique within it. Your voice is your USP.

Keep your eye on opening trends within genres. They can provide opportunities in an otherwise crowded marketplace.

Finding the right publisher can be a bit like dating!

● Do research a publisher with a view to the long term, to building your career. Just as you might weight up a date as a future spouse. (Use the internet, researching publishers has never been easier.)

● Consider whether they publish series romance and single title? Could you move from one to the other with them or do they only do one thing?

● Once you've written your novel or proposal with your targeted publisher/line in mind, follow their submission procedures and outline clearly to the acquiring editor which line your novel is aimed at.

● Be realistic - not every date is Mr Right and not every publisher will be right for you.

● You might make a couple of submissions(have a couple of dates) before you decide whether this is a publisher you'd be happy with.

● If you think you have found 'the one', that's the time to knuckle down and listen to feedback.

● For instance, if you're targeting Sexy and an editor suggests your style is closer to Romance, use that feedback to help you reassess before you try again.

● However, it is very important that you do not compromise your own voice to give publishers what you think they want. Your voice is your USP, and editors want to see innovation rather than emulation.

● EG Helen Fielding once submitted to Mills & Boon - it wasn't Bridget Jones’s Diary and it wasn't accepted because the story did not reflect her natural voice, rather what she thought a Mills & Boon was. Subsequently, of course she went on to write Bridget Jones’s Diary, which was hugely successful, and which did reflect the author’s own voice and style.

And if you’re lucky enough to be offered a publishing contract how can you then build your career? Like a marriage contract, it's not just about the ring (or the bling)! At Harlequin, we acquire authors rather than simply books here and there. We buy a talent with the intent of building a long-term relationship.

That requires commitment on both sides. Be prepared for the fact that publishers are likely to want at least two series titles per year and in the single title market, one. Once you are established it's not just about targeting your work, it's about growth. Readers will develop expectations about your writing and they will expect your next book to be at least as good as if not an even better read than your last. No publisher will continue a relationship if they don't see sales growth and electronic tracking systems make a possible separation and divorce ever quicker. In the single title market unless your 2nd and 3rd books sell better than your first, then it is unlikely that a publisher will publish your 4th or 5th.

Certainly you and your publisher will want to grow your career quickly. However, promiscuity, seeking publication quickly across a number of lines, can be distracting and may come at a cost, as readers won't know what to expect from you. You need to focus to build your name.

Consider how brands grow; a company will take time to develop and establish a core product in the marketplace before expanding their range. Amazon.com,Inc for example, first sold books. When it had built up a solid relationship with consumers for speedy, reliable delivery at a reasonable price, Amazon.com was able to leverage that reputation of trust and introduced other products with the same promise of service and quality to their customers. Work out your strategy for growth with your editor, and agent, if you have one.

It could be that Harlequin® is the one for you, and here are some key updates to help you target your work to our lines.

HARLEQUIN MILLS & BOON®

From our London office we acquire for five of the globally successful Harlequin series: Romance™, Modern™/Presents™/Sexy™, Medical™, Historical™ and our latest, Modern Heat™.

There are some fundamental elements that we look for in all submissions:

♥ Global voices –

● our series have multi-national readerships and we look for voices which reflect universal emotional truths - things common to women around the world, their fears and hopes, dreams and desires.

● And universally shared aspirations (family, material security, passion,tenderness)

● Settings too should reflect such universally shared values rather than local politics or practices.

♥ We’re looking for compelling first chapters which emotionally engage the reader and ignite page-turning.

♥ We also want heroes and heroines who women everywhere can relate to, through their emotions and motivations. Compelling and believable characters are the drivers of your story.

● In particular, the alpha male. He's charismatic, commanding, capable, the kind of guy you could take anywhere. Embrace him, each of our series has a version of him. He is a classic romantic fantasy.

♥ Emotional conflicts:

● Whether your story is sexually explicit or brimming with tenderness and sexual tension, first you must generate and sustain gripping emotional conflict between your hero and heroine!

♥ Basically (and this applies throughout the Harlequin publishing programs) we are looking for stories that are fresh, relevant and free of clichés.

● What does relevance mean? Well, it doesn't mean using colloquial slang or swearing or dwelling on life's unpleasantries such as disease, death, divorce and destruction. In the context of romance fiction, it is providing stories which are relevant to today's reader.

● And that includes romantic fantasy which can be timeless. We are very much still looking for fresh interpretations of classic and enduring themes -Cinderella, working together, sheikhs, surprise pregnancy, marriage of convenience, rags to riches etc...

So, what does an editor want?

● Compelling, inspiring stories, relevant to today's readers.

● Global voices, conveying universal themes, emotions and fantasies.

● Characters that today's readers can relate to.

● First chapters that emotionally grab the reader.

● Submissions which are well targeted to his/her series or genre.

● Above all, a unique voice.

If you can deliver all of these things, in your own style, your own unique way and in a way that is genuine and true to you (i.e. write for a line that you love and can relate to) then you will make an editor very happy indeed.