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Comment from the book world in November 2022

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November 2022

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'Firmly in a spotlight so bright that their popularity cannot be ignored'

21 November 2022

‘The TikTok success stories of Colleen Hoover and Emily Henry have done the genre a wonderful favour by putting romance firmly in a spotlight so bright that their popularity cannot be ignored. And even better that they're women (that's one in the eye for the misogynists). I am seeing the start of a ripple effect where readers who have read everything these two writers have to offer are hungry for more and are seeking out other writers of romance. But then romance is more celebrated in the States and not treated like the poor cousin at a wedding. We need that US effect to jump on a boat, cross the pond and work its magic here, to help us batter down the walls of prejudice...

‘Romance books are often as deftly plotted as books in other genres, they can be as challenging, the prose as beautiful and yet they're judged harshly by comparison and there is no logic to it when readers buy them in their millions and those sales figures do a lot of talking. A Happy Ever After does not a lesser book make.'

Milly Johnson, author of 28 romances, including Together Again and The Woman in the Middle in Bookbrunch.

https://millyjohnson.co.uk

 

 

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Working with authors

7 November 2022

‘It depends on the state that the manuscript comes in. There are some that need minor tweaks, and others that need to be structurally overhauled. I enjoy editing with authors - a book feels like puzzle pieces to me, and we need to get it in the correct order to understand what that book is before sending it out. It's also fascinating to see what an editor does to make a book even better...

A lot of our authors aren't full time authors - they still have their day jobs, or they're still students. We make sure that we set expectations, but if an author needs to take a few months to make sure that their living situation or their job is okay, that's fine. An author needs to be in a place where they can write a book so that we can represent them. There's a lot of communication involved, and that changes per author, depending on what they need. You have to be a chameleon and change to make sure each author gets the best care.'

Liza DeBlock at London literary agency Mushens Entertainment in BookBrunch