They Eat Their Young Don't They?
Jenna Petersen
In recent months, I have noticed an increasing trend amongst romance authors that I find troubling. It's something that has existed since the beginning of time and yet every time I see it, it shocks and horrifies me. It's the back-biting, finger-pointing and nastiness that sometimes comes out in our industry. I'm not talking about 'professional jealousy' or anything cute like that. I'm talking pure meanness. Simply bitchy behavior that gives all authors a bad name.
Sometimes this malice comes wrapped in the cloak of 'state of the industry' discussions. Recently, Harlequin changed many of its publishing lines, eliminating some while significantly slashing others as they reorganize (yet again). Obviously, these changes cause major stress for everyone, from the editors who are now being moved, to the authors who are orphaned to the unpublished writer who was targeting her manuscript to a line that has essentially died. I expected hand ringing and serious discussion about where to go when things fall apart.
What I didn't expect was to see the attack dogs unleashed. It happened on several lists. On one, the participants launched into a completely rude discussion about how all the authors in one specific line had sucked anyway. That they had caused the demise of the line through their inept storytelling. When one of the authors came on to defend herself, and pointed out how she is planning to try something new, these SAME PEOPLE then accused her of abandoning her subgenre and causing even further demise.
My jaw hit the floor. Where was the sisterly support? The commiseration and then discussion about what to do next? They certainly never came out of this discussion and since then this author, who was always incredibly supportive on this list, has disappeared (and I don't blame her).
It happens when genres are compared, too. There are too many times to count that I've watched a discussion about one specific subgenre deteriorate into mud slinging.
"Erotic romance is responsible for the downfall
of romance. What trash!"
"All chick-lit is written for morons who have no attention span."
"Well, what do you expect, they write inspirational romance?"
I have to ask... where do these comments get us? Do they improve the romance market? Do they drive sales? Do they change any unfair practices? I don't think so. They just fracture us. Let me tell you a secret. I don't like all kinds of romance. I'm a fan of super-sexy romance. Historical romance set in the Regency period. I have hurtled books across the room because they drove me crazy. And I've passed over sections in the bookstore because I know that subgenre isn't for me, no matter how popular or celebrated an author is at present.
But here's the big thing that ought to flash in everyone's mind before they flame. Just because I don't like a certain kind of romance, that doesn't mean it sucks!! It doesn't mean the readers are stupid or the editors are slow. It just means I don't dig it. Shocking, I know, but just because I think it, doesn't mean I have to run to the nearest list to rip apart that genre in particular and that author or book specifically. It does nothing for the furthering of my genre and it's hurtful for no reason.
At National, I was in the concierge lounge when a woman at the next table asked if my friend and I wrote for Steeple Hill (Harlequin's inspirational line). Apparently the RWA badge logo looked a little like the Steeple Hill logo). We laughed because we both write hot romance. She laughed, too and explained that she wrote for them. She moved to our table and we had a really lovely conversation. She was a wonderful lady and had some incredibly insightful comments on the genre and the market in general. I learned more from her in twenty minutes than I have learned from some workshops in the past. If I had turned up my nose or she had done the same because of some weird bias against our respective genres, we would have missed out on a good interaction. I'm glad we saw each other as sister writers, not as some stereotype to attack.
The world would be better if we did that all the time. In person. And when we see an opportunity to lob insults on message boards and email links. You are all my sister writers, whether I love your particular brand of writing or not. I hope you can see me as the same. And if you don't? Well, I hope you'll have the courtesy to keep it to yourself.