Christine Rimmer | Breaking in to the Series Market

First and foremost, to break into series romance, you need to read series romance. And I mean, a lot of series romance. Choose a line you love—or one you think you possibly could love—and collect as many recent titles as you can. When I first targeted series romance, I read over 300 series romances to learn all I could about the books I planned to write. I kept a file on each book I read, breaking down all the elements that go into a book: characters, conflicts, settings, hooks. I wanted to find the commonality among the books in a given line, so that I could deliver what the editors of that line are looking for. You want to write a book that fills the requirements for the line you’ve chosen, yet does so in a way that feels fresh and new. It’s a big challenge. And it can be a fulfilling one.

At Harlequin, when your series book is ready to submit, you decide whether you want to use an agent or not. In series, the advances you can get and the changes you can make to the boilerplate contract are not as broad-ranging as they are in mainstream, so you may feel perfectly comfortable dealing with day- to-day business issues and negotiations yourself. I do. But if you like an expert handing all that stuff for you, that’s totally doable, too.

Also, when you write series romance, though you’re not required to think in terms of a continuing series of connected stories, you’re better off if you do. Readers love connected stories and they’re more popular in the category market than they’ve ever been. In fact, if you write for my line, Special Edition, every book you write will be part of an ongoing series. But if you see your book as a standalone, no problem. Submit it. The editors are more than happy to work with you to help you see the spinoff potential in any story you write.

Best of luck in the series market—and happy writing!

About Christine Rimmer

Christine Rimmer has written over sixty contemporary romances for Silhouette Books and she currently writes mainstream romance for HQN Books. A reader favorite, Christine’s stories consistently appear on national bestseller lists, including the Waldenbooks and USA TODAY lists. She has won Romantic Times BOOK review’s Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Silhouette Special Edition. She has been nominated twice for the RITA and four times for Romantic Times Series Storyteller of the Year. She lives in Oklahoma with her family and two very contented cats named Tom and Ed.

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About THE MAVERICK'S ACCIDENTAL BRIDE

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Welcome back, faithful readers! The Rust Creek Rambler has an exclusive for you: Jordyn Leigh Cates has gotten married! That's right, our innocent Jordyn, who came to town a few years back with the Rust Creek Falls "Gal Rush," tied the knot on July Fourth in what appeared to be a very impulsive ceremony.

No one could blame the blushing bridesmaid for saying "I do" to Will Clifton. The sexy, blue-eyed rancher is six feet of pure muscle and charm. But are these two merely love-struck friends who got swept away at someone else's wedding? Our sources suggest otherwise. Stay tuned to find out the true story behind these surprise spouses—and see if they can make it past their honeymoon!