r/romanceauthors

Apologies if this has been asked and answered already.

I'm a pantser but want to get better at outlining and plotting. The biggest issue I'm running into is that most outlining set ups are based on fantasy/ hero structure. I'm struggling to transfer that to dark romance plotting.

Ex. Act 2 focusing on exploring the new world and dynamics with some wonder and a fail here or there but that doesn't seem like it would work for something like a stalker romance. It would almost be the opposite of hiding or being oblivious.

I'm sure I'm being too literal (ND) but I can't find stuff for setting up the Acts just for dark romance and/or taboo.

My current WIP is a slow burn mafia x forbidden psychological thriller. It doesn't have a traditional rise and fall of wins and losses because it's more of a chess game that changes "winners" per chapter almost.

Hola everyone,

I'm querying an upmarket/book club novel with a strong romantic thread, and I'm trying to figure out where it fits from a romance-reader perspective.

The novel follows Leo, a 25-year-old furniture restorer from Kansas City who moves to Los Angeles looking for love. It's loosely structured around the Twelve Labors of Hercules: each month Leo faces a different "monster" through a new relationship, friendship, or emotional challenge while slowly developing a deep connection with Andrés, the Costa Rican produce vendor at his local farmers market.

The romance between Leo and Andrés is intentionally a very slow burn. Across the book they become increasingly important to one another, but Leo is still emotionally trapped by his ex, Taylor, and keeps repeating unhealthy relationship patterns.

By the end, Leo is faced with three choices:

• return to his toxic ex,
• begin something with Andrés,
• or choose himself and his family.

He chooses the third.

So Book 1 does not end with a HFN or HEA. Leo and Andrés don't become a couple. Instead, the ending leaves the possibility of a future between them, but only after Leo has done the emotional work he needs to do. It's hopeful, but intentionally unresolved.

Several beta readers have loved this ending because it feels earned, but it made me wonder how romance readers—and romance writers—would view it.

My questions are:

• Would you still consider this a romance, or would you shelve it as upmarket fiction with a romantic subplot?
• If you picked this up expecting a slow burn, would the lack of a HFN/HEA in Book 1 feel satisfying or disappointing?
• Have you seen successful series where the central romance doesn't resolve until a later book?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, especially if you've written or read romance that plays with these expectations.

So, long story short, I have been working on my first book in my series for 3 years. I'm currently at the very last rewrite. I came across some publishers online that accepted the first chapter and I did ask for feedback, in case anything could be changed, edited or rewritten entirely. I have no issues with critique whatsoever. If anything, I believe it makes me a better writer. I've been writing since I was 15, but only the past couple years decided to write an actual full length book, because I thought I had a good plot. The issue is, more than once have I received feedback over my use of AI. The problem is I have NEVER EVER used anything to assist with my writing at all. I never will. Everything I put down on paper, came from ME AND ME ALONE. It made me cry, because I dedicated my heart and my soul and so much time and love in this story, just to get accused of using a fucking emotionless robot for my writing???? I do not use it, I refuse to use it. I just wanted to rant about this and maybe find out if anyone else has issues with this too?

(Post was approved by mods)

Hello!

I run a small writer-centric Discord server called Writer's Cafe and we are in search of new members. All forms of writing are welcome and we are an AI-free space.

We are running daily discussion prompts for worldbuilding all through the month of July, and we will run sprint sessions every Sunday to help give your writing a boost.

Come join us!

Writer's Cafe

Ok so I’m currently writing a book about a pop star that gets kidnapped. The first act of the book is the dark side of Hollywood then the second act is when she gets kidnapped and then the love interest saves her and the third act is the after math. There are some dark romance tropes and I was going to market it as one, however there is no spice and the only truly dark thing is the kidnapping. I’m not sure what to do.

Hi everyone,

I’m a first-time writer looking for some honest advice from people who have experience with publishing, marketing, or the romance/web novel industry.
Over the past week, I accidentally ended up writing what has become a very large manuscript (around 250,000+ words, which I’m now restructuring into multiple books). It originally started as an AI roleplay purely for fun, but somewhere along the way it became a complete story with recurring characters, long emotional arcs, callbacks, and a proper plot.

I’m now editing it into a real novel series with original character names, a fictional idol group, and an original setting.

The story is a character-driven romance/drama with slow-burn relationships, emotional tension, found-family dynamics, humour, workplace drama, and high emotional payoffs. It’s heavily inspired by the feeling of Korean, Chinese and Japanese dramas rather than Western romance novels.

One thing I realized while writing it is that I’m not trying to create a perfect literary novel.
I’m trying to create a story that makes readers think:
“Just one more chapter.”

I want readers to become attached to the characters and keep reading because they genuinely care about what happens next. I know the manuscript isn’t perfect, and I’m already working through the biggest issues like pacing, repetition and editing. But I do believe the emotional core and the character dynamics are strong enough to build on.

I also think there may be an opportunity here because I don’t often see stories that combine romance, idol culture, found-family dynamics, workplace drama and long-form emotional storytelling in this way. Whether readers agree is something only publication can answer, but that’s the niche I’m aiming for.

My biggest challenge is that I have almost no budget.
My current plan is:
Split the manuscript into multiple books.
Professionally edit Book 1.
Release it as an ebook first.
If readers enjoy it, continue the series.
Produce an audiobook later if the project can fund professional voice actors.

Long term, I’d love to reach readers beyond India. Because of the style and themes, I feel the story may resonate with audiences who enjoy East and Southeast Asian dramas, so I’m curious whether markets like South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, or even China would be realistic to explore. I’m not assuming it will succeed there—I genuinely want to understand whether that’s a sensible direction or whether I’m overlooking something important.

I’m also interested in eventually finding a publisher, literary agent, or someone experienced in marketing internationally, but I’m unsure whether I should self-publish first or try approaching publishers before releasing anything.
I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who have gone through this process.
Some questions I have:

If you were starting with almost no money, what would your publishing strategy be?

Would you self-publish first or approach publishers before releasing the book?

Which international markets would you realistically consider for a story like this?

Are there publishers, literary agents, or platforms that specialize in romance, drama, or serialized fiction?

Is there anything you think I’m missing before I take this seriously?

I’m not looking for validation, I know editing is still a huge part of the journey. I’m simply trying to understand the smartest path forward before I invest months turning this manuscript into the best version it can be.
Thanks in advance for any advice. I genuinely appreciate it.

I’m not entirely certain if this is the best subreddit to make such inquiries on, but it’s worth a shot.

Simply, I enjoy writing. Lately, I’ve been having some fun experimenting with romance stories that are supposed to be bad. It helps me not think of realistic details because it is supposed to be bad, terrible even. I’m just wondering if they are worth publishing (Amazon KDP because I’m too broke to get officially published). Would people want to pay to read that? I don’t want to go through the trouble writing, editing, proofreading, and self publishing if no one is going to enjoy my work.

Any and all advice would be appreciated. 🙏

Hi everyone! I've been struggling with a decision when it comes to my current pen name--i.e. whether to keep it or start fresh with a new one. Here is the context:

I finally have the rights back to a book that was with a small press that was originally pubbed 10 years ago. The bones are good and I've probably spent way too long trying to update it and make it better. (Perfectionism and being a people pleaser sucks. But that's another story.) The book that was published previously has a handful of good reviews. I want to self publish this book, and then put out book 2 out again, as well. (I self pubbed book 2 a while ago, but it's currently down now too as I make these revisions.)

I have author friends, other writers, and the small readership I do have on my socials under that original pen. But I also have some personal people in my life who found out (not through me) what my pen name is. It's annoying and it has caused me to freeze a bit in my progress, but I'll work through that best I can, or ban/remove them from my pages if needed. (At least I hope I can do that.)

The idea of starting fresh with a new pen was brought up to me recently by another writer/author. They suggested maybe, since it's been so long, a new pen would clear the block, no one in my personal life would know it, and thereby make me feel "freer" to write, market, promote, etc. And now I can't stop thinking about whether this is the way I should go, or if this over-complicates everything and will only make more work for myself in the end.

For additional context: I am thinking of re-titling the first trad pubbbed book because the small press title is just not great. At all. I believe that changing that and the author name will mean I have to do a copyright amendment, as well as for a second edition. If I do all that, I worry this will all cause an issue with KDP because of different title, different pen, same KDP account, and basically the same story/characters, etc. Not to mention starting fresh with socials scares the heck out of me because it already took me awhile to get where I am, which is not very far.

I feel like I need to suck it up and keep my original pen but at the same time, the idea of a new pen has me re-thinking everything. I know I need to make a decision soon so I can move on and get back to writing and planning for these to be out in the world again. Does anyone have any objective advice and/or perspective? Am I missing any other business or marketing concerns I should consider when deciding one way or the other? Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

Hello all,

Im currently writing my first book. Mystery/romance (not yet sure which it’s leaning more towards). Is it worth it to self publish? What genre are people reading currently? I love to sit down and read a good dark romance book.. but don’t think I have it in me to write that ✨detailed✨. Anyway, tips/tricks/advice on self publishing? Thanks in advance.

I have written a full book (on Wattpad, to try to get an audiance there), about a small family, where the parents have a dark past, and it slowly turns into a shit-show later on.

Would that catch the attention of people, or would they get bored from the first three chapters?

heyy
I’m curious on your thoughts on new Reddit accounts participating in writer threads, specially when it comes to sharing works in progress, asking for feedback or seeking beta readers.
personally, I’ve been on reddit for years but created a new account specially for my writing / reading interests. I have a book I’ve been working on for a couple of years and feel ready to share it for feedback or maybe get a beta reader or two but I know some people frown upon requests coming from new accounts - thoughts ?

First time posting here! I've almost finished writing my very first novel (oh my gosh!), and i am considering at the very least having at least one copy printed on demand for myself. Either way, I need to have a cover designed by an artist, but the one I'd had in mind this whole time isn't taking comissions until next year. I am just curious how others have found artists they like to design their cover? I don't even know how or where to start looking!

Hello, people!

I just published two chapters of my first book on wattpad, hoping for future opportunities.

I'm a 26F, graduated with a law degree. I was miserable for seven years of my life, so I had decided about 2 years ago to pursue my true passion, which is writing, of course.

It had been difficult, since a lot of people had been using A.I to write and/or help with their books, and unfortunately, those are the books that gain popularity and views. I, however, resent that! I want the author's personality in the book, I want it to be human, and I want to feel what the author felt as they wrote the scenes.

I hope if you ever come across my story, you'll click it and feel just that!

Love you!!! xx

My username is: AcidStroke

Hello, I'm writing a romantic suspense, and I'm trying to figure out how long it should be (I have the plot and everything ready). I was aiming for 70K-90K, but I don't know if it's enough or too long.