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Selling Books with GLBTQ Characters

Why can't you sell your "gay" book into the mainstream? Here are some thoughts on it.

Comments

Be sneaky, huh...?

[hkneale.livejournal.com]

Woo hoo!

I was wondering how I'd pitch my story that's mostly romantic tragedy. Once upon a time romantic tragedy sold. Shakespeare, Hans Christian Andersen, etc.

Shame Romance nowadays must have an HEA.

So, instead of trying to pitch it as a paranormal romance, I can safely remain within the realm of fantasy with overtones of romantic tragedy a la Romeo & Juliet.

Now, I could change the ending to be an HEA, but I think that would be a cop-out and ruin the story. I want to keep the sense of bittersweet loss.

Moral of the story: Build the tree of a solid genre with a big audience, but hang the ornaments of a subgenre with a minority audience on it. I just thought of another benefit to this--New and Different Approach value.

Re: Be sneaky, huh...?

[aulus-poliutos.livejournal.com]

I like bittersweet endings.

I my case, the romance can't end HEA in the historical context. Ciaran is a pagan tribal leader of the Eoghaidh Riata, no matter his Roman education; Julia a christian Roman patrician. She would never adapt to his life, his people would not accept her, and Ciaran would never give up his position as leader for a life in Rome or even Roman Britannia, not after he spent half of the book fighting to oust an ursurper. *sniff*