iUniverse Blog

With the approach of Valentine’s Day, we at iUniverse thought we would get into the spirit of the season! One of the most popular – i.e. salable – genres in the world of reading is that of Romance novels. Nora Roberts, a romance novelist, makes an estimated $60 million a year from her books. Yes, that’s right: 60 million dollars.

Nora Roberts

Romance is clearly a genre which sells well. However, if you want to write Romance, you have plenty of competition. Today, iUniverse advises you on how to write Romance novels while giving you tips on how to differentiate your book.

First: iUniverse advises that you focus on creating good and convincing dialogue. As with any relationship, conversation plays a crucial role, and much of the story’s content and action should be conveyed through dialogue rather than narration. Here are a few other tips:

Women tend to speak indirectly, and manipulate the conversation round to what they mean to say or want. At the same time, some directness from your female lead can be refreshing.

Men are much more blunt and “basic” with their words. It is part of the male psyche to avoid ambiguity. However, as with the above, a little variation on this can make your male character deeper and more interesting.

Of critical importance: make sure to read your dialogue aloud, or have a friend read it with you.

Setting: iUniverse suggests that you try something unusual. Venice and Paris are indeed romantic, but they have become trite. What about a less-known but beautiful place? India is rich with places of this nature, and you can add quite a lot of charm to your novel by introducing a place that is a hidden gem.

We’ll be back with further tips on characterization, word count, and creating conflict. In the meantime, tell us: What is your favorite work of romantic fiction?

Make sure to check out the iUniverse site for more advice and blogs, as well as iUniverse Facebook and iUniverse Twitter.