Yes, we will all shun you forever if you reappear before 3pm. I should scarper too. Books to write, decking to sweep, bogs to clean, exercise to do.
I'm so lazy in December.

Why is there a 'womens' fiction' section? I've never heard of a category called 'men's fiction'?

Maybe the male equivalent of chick-lit is the Andy
McNab type book which has black covers with barbed wire, guns, soldiers etc. Those covers turn me off and I don't think I'd pick one off the shelf.

But don't you write romances?

Yes, and this thread has me seriously wondering if I should use my wife's name as my pseudonym, just to see if I get classified as chick-lit. (Because then the publishers and agents would see a woman's real name, rather than my real name, as the person to send the cheques(!) to.)

But I don't see the connection between my chosen style and my comment about general appeal. I'm deliberately, and quite consciously, aiming my books at a female audience.

Do any of us have jobs? Cos if so, we must all be due for firing.

I work for myself. I'll have to call myself into my office and threaten myself with dismissal.

Alex

But I don't see the connection between my chosen style and my comment about general appeal. I'm deliberately, and quite consciously, aiming my books at a female audience.

I suppose I find it strange to write books that I wouldn't read (pick up) myself. Or am I misunderstanding you?

I didn't say I wouldn't read or pick up a book with "Love" in the title. I was commenting on the assertion that men in general would not do that, and pointing out that the presence of the word "Love" alone would not be the driving factor. If it were qualified in such a way as to make the full title intriguing - such as with Emma's book, or in a title like the one I suggested - then people might be drawn to it regardless of gender.

In any case, are you implying that you think romance stories inevitably have "love" in the title? Some do, but not all. Of the stories I'm currently working on, only one has a title containing that word. I'm not brilliant at thinking up titles, but I hope I'm not too cliched.

Alex

No no no. But you said you wouldn't feel okay picking up a book with an overtly feminine cover and then said you are aiming your books at women. That's all.
Would you read your own books? I suppose is what I'm asking.

Would you read your own books?

Now, that is a very interesting question. Come on, Alex, out with it.

Your question presupposes that my books would have the kind of feminine cover that I wouldn't feel comfortable picking up. Of the list of 25 or so books in the first page of that Amazon Best-Seller list, only 2 were ones I would definitely feel uncomfortable picking up, and one other was borderline. The rest were fine, and those are the kinds of covers I would want my books to have.

It's a bit difficult to be objective about whether I would choose to read my own books if I found them in a bookshop and wasn't the author. Knowing what they're about, yes, I would read them, but going purely by their titles and appearances, I can't say. I hope the titles will be intriguing enough to pique people's interest, but I have less direct control over the covers. I'm no artist, so someone else would have to design those.

This is all a bit academic at the moment, as I don't have anything far enough down the pipeline to be thinking of pitching it to anyone. There have been too many day-job things, this year, for me to have made as much progress with my writing as I would have liked.

Alex

There have been too many day-job things, this year, for me to have made as much progress with my writing as I would have liked.

Ah, yes. The day job. What a bastard.

Alex

Just to say thanks about the formatting thing too. I've forgotten where that thread is now too. I will prob send you a WW about it when I feel I can face computer instructions (filled with terror at thought). Thanks for offering to help.

Word formatting: see my new thread in the Technique forum.

Alex

I had a short story retitled from 'Mr Universe' to 'Mr and Mrs Universe'.

Sarah

By Word? Ouch!

Emma

It wouldn't be an Editor if it didn't change your story somehow

I used to read stories about Word doing things like complaining about the word "prince" because of it being gender-specific. I always have its grammar-checking switched off, so I've never tangled with any of its suggestions. Looking at the Grammar Settings now, though, I can see an option that says "Gender-specific words", so it looks believable.

Alex

I find it extraordinary that anyone writing creatively has anything in Word switched on while they're writing. I do spell check afterwords, as the first (not only) stage of revising. But nothing else.

Emma