r/romanceauthors

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Hi everyone, Quentin Merabet here.

Disclaimer: this is NOT an ad. I'm not selling anything.

I’m currently building Loreum, a new app for immersive storytelling, and I’m looking for a small group of early writers and beta testers to help shape it.

The idea really started from a simple feeling: stories on the internet haven’t really evolved in years. Most platforms still treat stories like plain text on a page (+ ugly ads), even though creators today grow up with sound, video, games, fandom culture, TikTok, YouTube, interactive media, etc.

Not even talking about the opaque monetization system and the reading experience full of ads.

With Loreum, writers can create stories using:

• text
• images
• sounds/music
• videos
• choices (routing to different chapters)
• questions (routing to different chapters based on good/bad answer)

Imagine a horror story with cracking sounds while the character hides in the dark. Or readers choosing what a character says next in a romance scene. Or hiding clues in a thriller through interactive questions.

The goal is NOT to replace pure writing. It’s to give writers new "building blocks" while keeping stories fast, emotional, and easy to read on mobile.

I’ve worked as an actor, director, and screenwriter before starting this project, and I genuinely believe online storytelling is still at day one. (not sure you should google me tho 😭)

The beta is completely free. No ads (never will, ads are ugly).

If you’d like to try it early:

🍎 iPhone users → Here's the testflight link (that's the app Apple use for testing) : https://testflight.apple.com/join/4FrpfH2r

🤖 Android users → send an email to contact@loreum.co using the email associated with your Google Play account so I can send you the invite!

Would genuinely love to have some of you involved this early ✨

Thanks a lot! Here to answer ANYTHING. Please don't hesitate!

Hello, I originally posted this in RomanceBooks, but I wasn't allowed to post there. I wanted romance readers' opinions, but this might be better haha.

I am writing an MM romance novel (my first), and I wanted to get some opinions from the pros.

My book is about two friends who meet at work, become friends, go their separate ways, and then are brought back together as friends (and romantically obvi). My question is: how do you feel about time jumps in romance novels, especially when combined with other tropes and people figuring out their sexuality? How long is too long? My two MCs met in high school and are reunited two years later (college-aged), when one is finally out as bi (but the other MC doesn't know this yet). I want to do the angst/slow-burn right, but I don't want to lose readers because of the time jump. I obviously plan on filling in the gaps/explaining what happened during that gap in time later in the book.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Hey fellow authors!

I just finished the third round of revisions for my novel and I would like to start querying. I had someone look over my query letter and they flagged my manuscript for being 93k words. After multiple rounds of revisions, I brought my book down from 110,000 to 93k words. Honestly, Im not sure what else I can remove without taking away really important details to the plot. Is 93k too long for someone seeking out traditional publishing?

I also had 2 beta readers tell me they really enjoyed it. Im waiting to hear back from 2 more

Hey everyone! Was hoping to crowd source some opinions.

So I am a self-pub indie dark romance author. My first book actually got a decent amount of interest and traction (for doing very minimal and last minute promotion and being a debut author). Readers definitely seemed interested in getting their hands on the next book in their reviews, which was super exciting, and I’m nearing the end of writing that book and need an editor for it.

For the first book I published, I had a friend edit it and then two close friends beta read it. They did great catching proofing errors, and gave some decent content edits (more line edits than anything else), but I think the first book could’ve been better if I had someone who really did some content editing as well (looking at pacing, character arcs, etc). Don’t get me wrong, virtually all of my reviews were 3-5 stars, with one or two who the book was just too dark for leaving unhappy reviews, but I think a professional editor could’ve pushed a lot those 3-4 reviews into the 4-5 range.

I also honestly just feel bad making my friend do that much work for no reward. Obviously, she’s happy to and mostly enjoys getting to be “part of the process”, but I think if I want to take it seriously, a good professional editor is the move.

So with all that backlore, I’m highly considering trying to hire an editor. I know the name of the game is trying to minimize costs where you can, but has anyone had luck finding good editors who are really interested in working with them as clients long term? Obviously with a series it’d be nice for someone to be consistent across the future books that I’m happy with. If you did hire an editor you liked, where’d you find them (particularly romance and dark romance authors)? Bonus points if anyone loves their editor and knows they’re looking for new clients.

Also, for those who hired an editor, what services did you pay for and how much did it end up costing you? (Content, line, proofing). Did you pay by word, hour, etc.? This is all know to be because baseline I am a fairly strong writer and I published the first book without really intending to do anything with it, so this side of the “business” is new territory.

Any and all info would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

I've seen discussions on the eroticauthors subreddit regarding this in the past and I feel like the answer has always been "the rules for publishing romance are the same as erotica" even if it's generally accepted that romance seems to be given much more leeway.

I ask this because I'm reading a romance right now that had I published something similar under erotica I know for a fact that my account would be banned faster than anyone would be able to utter their safeword. It claims to be CNC and that the FMC signs all these waivers and whatnot, but it is really toeing a VERY THIN line to the point I'm pretty sure CNC is just NC at several points in the book just based on the FMC's reactions and inner monologues.

This book has over 1k ratings and is needless to say extremely popular. I just feel like had I tried to write something similar my account would get banned.

Am I correct in that assumption?

I was contacted by someone claiming to be Lynn Chu of the Writers’ Representatives, inviting me to submit my manuscript. To make a long story short, it seemed to have been a scam. (This person tried to get me over to an editor with no webpage or anything, and pay a sum for editing fees.) While I knew this was likely, I had an unexpected grief response. I knew it was only because of one thing. I had allowed myself to hope, after somewhat letting go of my dream. 

I self-published my first book, the first of a trilogy, when I was around twenty-six. I had recently gone through a divorce and could hardly afford a thing beyond the basics. As a single mom in that position, paying for editing services was out of the question. I published the trilogy mostly on a leaf of hope, I believe. Thinking back on it, it may have made me feel accomplished to simply conquer, at least, one of my dreams when life seemed so bleak. 

Eventually, some years later, after remarrying and working toward other goals, I made a change. When I realized that I wouldn’t be able to push my work the way I wanted to, I pushed forward. I went back to school. Twice. That and my focused career has issued writer’s block like no other. I have managed to complete another manuscript, and almost finished with yet another; however, it has taken years for me to get here this time around. 

Concerning the first set of books, I’m horrified by my actions—and it’s not an overstatement. The storyline is great, but it needs some strong revisions and editing—God, the editing! As a former English teacher, I cringe every time I hit a failed conjunction or semicolon error. (Thankfully, I at least understood to avoid comma splices.) I am disappointed, as I feel that I have ruined this story by putting it out there prematurely—even if it was something I felt I needed to do. This trilogy is dear to my heart, and I am concerned that I have clobbered any hope of it being taken seriously; it has been out there for 13 years at this point. Those in the industry won’t see that I couldn’t afford marketing and all that was needed to be more successful; they’re likely to simply see it as a failed project. And they wouldn’t be wrong. 

Currently, I’m back at the crossroads. I don’t know what to do with these works. Writing seems to be soul-intwined, so I could never just stop; however, I am very lost on how I want to move forward. I could pull the trilogy and simply count it as a loss. I could work with an editor and join some communities and try to revive it (which I’m not sure can be done). I could just concentrate on my current manuscripts (and the numerous others to follow). Finally, I could just give up on publishing—this is the possibility that gives me the most grief. 

I may cross-post this. I would appreciate any respectful thoughts. Honesty can still be kind, and today, I could really use that kindness. 

Sorry, first time posting here hope that's okay. I was wondering where exactly would one go to reach writing/critique groups? I've seen some people mention facebook, and while I don't wish to provide any of my personal information, I would still love to meet also new authors and people to exchange feedback with. Thank you!!

i’m posting this here because i genuinely don’t know who else to turn to. all my life i’ve wanted to be a writer. it’s what’s kept me alive in my darkest moments.

recently i had a huge knock-down with a non-fiction proposal, so my agent and i have discussed moving into fiction instead. i LOVE writing fiction more than anything - my genre of choice is dark romance/erotic historical fiction, and i have a completed novel of this nature sitting in my drafts.

now, i mentioned to my parents that i’d be moving into the fiction space, when they asked what genre, i said ‘romance’ and left it at that. they, of course, assumed it was ‘smut’ and shamed me, said i’d never be taken seriously, etc.

now i feel embarrassed and ashamed, i don’t want to write anymore, i feel unsupported and like someone has taken a sledgehammer to my ONE lifeline and the only thing i’m proud of. i’m also scared of being disowned/kicked out of the house if i release something of that nature.

but i’m a woman in my 20s. at the same time i’m thinking, ‘i can write what i want’? i’m not a kid. nonetheless, i am feeling so, so low and broken right now. i feel so unsupported by my family (not my agent though - she’s absolutely superb and really kind). does anyone have some words of advice on how to overcome these feelings i’m having and get enthusiastic about my writing again?

Hi!

I wrote my first romance novel last year and decided to send it off to a development editor while I wrote my second book in the series. I finished the second book no problem and am letting it set while I focus on getting the first one published.

Writing is so easy for me, the words just flow and I can sit down and write a book in a few months or less if I have the time so I figured editing would be just and easy. I’m coming to learn it’s the complete opposite and I’m feeling extremely dejected.

I got the first book back from the editor and I’m going through to change what I want about the story (adjusting plot lines, plot holes, character traits, etc.) and I completely hate the way the editor edited the book and it’s been really hard for me to actually sit down and read through it all making notes and edits as I go along.

Does it get easier? Is there anything I could be doing to help myself out? Any words of advice or encouragement because I’m really getting worried I’m not going to be able to work through this first draft of the first book let alone the second book I have sitting and waiting 😭

Anyways I’d appreciate any ideas to get some motivation going or maybe to make the editing process easier!

If you had told me a year ago that I'd be a published author, I wouldn't have believed you. I was never much of a reader, let alone a writer. But earlier this year, I started writing in a journal just to untangle my own thoughts and feelings. Somewhere along the way, it sparked a story, and within a few short months, I had poured my heart into an entire romance novel. I fell completely in love with the process. The words just kept flowing, and now my debut novel is actually out in the world! I'm currently deep into editing the sequel, and I already have rough drafts for the rest of the series in the works. Finding this unexpected passion has been so exciting, and I just had to share that joy out loud today!

What is your experience with R&R?

I have had a revise and resubmit first three chapters (based on first five pages) to a well-regarded editor at TWRP.

Do you think there is any chance here? I am now in the waiting game. I edited and sent back, and received a confirmation she got it. She said, "I'll get back to you shortly." but the wait....(Insert whining). In the meantime, I have finished up the next book in the series and sent it to betas. So, I am coping through moving forward. But I just wanted to see if anyone had experience with this type of R&R, and having success? Or not?

I’m (40m) a professional writer, and have recently been exploring the genre of erotica (or “smut” as many people know it). It’s become a crowded field, but my audience has been growing and I’ve gained a loyal following, which has been rewarding.

However, I have hesitated to tell friends and family about my new area of writing. I’m not sure why, as it’s legitimate and I’m proud of the initial success I’ve had. But when I told a close friend and his wife early on, they both raised eyebrows and kind of joked about it, which made me think I should keep it private for now.

The question is, when is the right time to “come out” as a writer of this type of fiction? The more my audience grows the more it feels inevitable that I will need to go public with this, and I want to control the timing and message.

Are there any discord critique servers focused specifically on dark romance? I'd love to be able to give and receive feedback on dark romance stories. I've joined other general critique servers before, but I find that rarely any of the works posted for feedback are dark romance, and I don't want to share my own work with people who are not already engaged with the subgenre.

I've been writing dark romance stories and posting them online for 8 years. I love reading them too.

I'm working on my first MM romance and I'm trying hard to keep the two narrators' voices distinct from each other.

If you've written books with this structure (two MC's have first person narrator role in alternating chapters) do you have any tips/tricks/suggestions on how to do that? At this point the newness of writing this kind of book, period, makes me feel like all of my sentences are very samey samey.

Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated. Thanks!

Not saying static erotica is bad, but after getting into more interactive stuff, it just feels... limited.

Like you're locked into one version of the story with no control over how it plays out. Whereas when you're building it yourself, everything feels more personal and flexible. Kind of hard to go back tbh.

Do any of my fellow romance writers put out a newsletter on substack or another site? Also, if you write with a pen name, how do you find free subscribers?

Honestly I didn’t expect this but writing my own fantasy hits completely different than just reading something.

It’s not even about it being “better”, it’s just the fact that I’m deciding everything as it happens. Like when things slow down, when stuff escalates, what direction it goes in.

Reading feels kinda passive in comparison now. Not sure if anyone else noticed that shift or if it’s just me.

I'm writing an lgbtq+ romance novel right now with two main male leads. I know these books are getting more popular, but I also don't want to waste my time with publishers that are not interested. It's contemporary and feel good with no spice. I've looked into publishers and I've found a lot of smaller ones. Unforunately, some look like they have AI generated covers/and or the cover design is very lacking which I automatically don't like. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with writing this kind of book. What are your thoughts in regards to publishing?