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Do we need a new imprint/genre under the MM umbrella?

3/28/2014

19 Comments

 
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Non-Romances?
Gay Fiction?

Stories where gay love/sex can be present
but they don't fit into the romance box.



Recently, a couple of books prompted me to consider the fact that gay fiction (for want of a better word) needs a better outlet. Some of these stories have gay characters indulging in sex on page, off page, developing deep and long lasting affection and even possibly gaining happiness, but in no way can these stories be considered as “romances”. However they may be stories where love happens.

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  • In some cases, the two protagonists may end up together, but the journey there might be rough. 
  • The story behind the characters might be the issue and the characters just happen to be gay.
  • It may not tick all the boxes expected of a romance because of the era or society they live in
  • Their love may have developed without them even knowing that’s what it was.
  • It is a HFN “Happy for Now” scenario rather than a HEA.

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I'm not talking about where characters fall in love and one dies. I believe that is a separate category.

Sometimes those books get published by mainstream MM publishers, eg Edmond Mannings’s “Lost and Found” series with Dreamspinner but under the Bittersweet Dreams line which is marketed as: stories of M/M romance with nontraditional endings. It's an unfortunate truth: love doesn't always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.

But what if the book has a happy ending but not a "traditional" way of getting there. Or what if there are no "romantic" elements present?

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Maybe the ending is ambivalent like A.N. Bond’s “The Dangerous Seduction” ?

They may simply incorporate elements not popular in MM romances, because in many cases, these are stories about love rather than romance.

On some occasions, these books have been wildly popular, but often books like these get poorly rated, which may discourage other readers. Often, the problem has been more about expectations not being met rather than quality of story. Those readers expected a gooey romance and didn’t get it. However other readers might be out there, wanting something different and not knowing where to find it.

Authors do have the avenue of self-publishing, but because they lack access to a publishing houses's loyal databases of buyers, they’re relying on word-of-mouth to sell. 

My other concern is that authors who write these stories are being discouraged from doing so because there is no specific outlets for them.

While Cleis and Lethe Press have been publishing these stories for years, when did you last check them for something to buy?

I’m thinking more of current MM romance publishers starting up a separate imprint/genre, which suggests to the buyer: Hey, we think these books might interest you. Because each publisher has a pretty shrewd idea of what kind of books their regulars like. But now and then, a book must crop up on their radar that, if they had this imprint/genre, they could market it to those who want to read outside the traditional romance trope. The adventurous, the brave, the bored, the curious.

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I don't think lumping them all under Bittersweet Dreams is enough. No one would classify Dangerous Seduction that way, however "Between Love and Honor" by E.E. Montgomery, fits that definition well.

So the question is:
"Would you buy non-romances/gay fiction from a "romance" publisher if they were clearly identified as such?" 

What is the best way to find out?

First up, I envisaged a poll to see what MM romance readers thought about the subject, so I flicked the concept past a few friends for their reactions.

One said: spinning off a new publishing entity makes no sense at all. It would be caught between the m/m publishers and the more literary houses like Lethe and go nowhere fast. But an existing one could a) provide a place for some alternative content and b) manage reader expectations. I think it's fair that they limit those books to stories that have an erotic component and maybe even require that they have some potential for romance within the story. These should be in keeping with their other book lines and not try to go too far away from their base business.”

Another questioned whether a poll was the right way to go, noting that people can, in theory, be right behind an issue but when it comes to the vote or their wallet, they may not follow through. The problem is that polls are always skewed because the people who might be interested are the ones most likely to want to participate.

And polls are difficult things to formulate. Making them meaningful based on what you want to know from the outcome plus, the question and the answers have to be carefully worded to be able to be interpreted without ambiguity.

More feedback to my initial question was: Contemporary drama? Sci-fi? Paranormal? Mystery? Chick lit? All of these genres can have non romance plot lines but if you put them on a romance publisher, yes people will expect romance to be the main theme and feel deceived when it isn't no matter how many disclaimers you put.

But until gay characters go mainstream, how do authors get these books out there? Perhaps a “No Gooey Romance Imprint” could/should contain indicators to show that there is some level of love/sex?

It is a difficult issue and one that Publishers have probably already considered.

Big publishing houses like Harlequin solve it by having a whole string of sub genres. http://www.harlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=538

As one person I contacted stated:  If you have a good brand that has a loyal following based on a certain expectation (romance/erotica), messing with it is a huge risk. Sometimes it turns out okay but most of the time, change is so hard for people that you end up with loyal people who become less loyal.

A couple of publishing houses have already started up specific YA imprints. Authors use different pseudonyms. So perhaps this is one way to go.

But first, is there a market? Would review sites cover it? Would book groups read them? Is it worth the set up and cost of new email/newsletter databases and forming new social networking groups?

Would it be just as simple to create a list of books on Goodreads?

“Gay Fiction that might appeal to MM Romance readers” or “Gay Fiction without Gooey Romance”

Because that’s the crux of the matter. Are there MM romance readers who might be interested in such books? What is your view on the issue?

19 Comments

Less than a Person More than a Dog

3/18/2014

0 Comments

 
Less Than a Person and More Than a DogLess Than a Person and More Than a Dog by Orland Outland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, what a fantastic and fascinating book! And what a great cover! "< person... >dog" (Or in English speak, "Less Than a Person and More than a Dog".) Even the author’s name, Orland Outland, has to be deciphered from the way it’s depicted.
I know from my ratings it looks like I only give out 4 or 5 stars, but that’s because I rarely bother to rate and review anything lower than that. In reality I read lots of DNFs and 1 and 2 stars, but why post those? My taste isn't everyone's, and if at time my ratings seem generous, that’s because I believe these particular books need to be promoted because they offer something special that's not found elsewhere. One might say I give points for originality and tackling difficult situations or characters!
However, in this case "< person... >dog" deserves its five stars and a few more because it’s really well written, has great characters and tackles some interesting topics.
In a nutshell, it’s the tale of Caroline and her involvement with an experimental Chatbot she calls Alex.
This is very much a tale of the NOW. Just the other day I saw an advertisement for a talking doll which children could interact with. It’s answers would be geared to what the child said.
For decades, big business has been utilizing and developing technology that allows a human to interact with a computer. We are increasingly seeing AI pop up chat boxes when we log onto corporate websites. They are the new generation automated “help” desks designed to replace people.
Orland Outland has researched this concept and explored the ways it can be used and abused both from a commercial but more importantly a social aspect.
Then rather than producing a dour paper or blog on the subject, he’s woven a wonderful story around this shy, introverted, lonely, intelligent teenager called Caroline.
"< person... >dog" could be classified as a YA story, because they often deal with a young person coming to terms with who they are and the world around them. In this case, it’s a “coming of age” in regard to awareness rather than a “coming of” sexuality. Right from the start, Caroline has been super bright, understanding her need for this AI friend, but also understanding the dangers involved, especially when Alex is taken away. It is how she comes to this realization and how she deals with it that makes it more than YA. It’s a story for all ages and all sexes.
But in a way this is also a “coming out” story. Not as far as her sexuality goes but out of her isolation. Because this isolation can extend well beyond the bedroom or house walls.
It’s funny, when you get out into the world, and see how other people live, or fail to live. You spend your time alone and think, I’m the most maladjusted person alive. Then you leave the house, and get some perspective.
In his exploration of the way technology could advance far enough to create a realistic interactive AI, the author has also explored other concepts along the way. The way Universities and organizations funded by the public purse have their research appropriated by private industry so that their discoveries are taken out of the public domain and become a commodity for sale. He explores realism versus idealism. It is also a story about collaboration.
< person... >dog almost becomes a thriller as Caroline tries to track down the other people involved in the experiment. Especially one of the two co-founders, Nick, who she fancies.
During the story, Caroline matures to a confident (even if it takes her a while to realize this) adult in her mid twenties and in the process we gain fascinating insights and glimpses into places, society in general, her generation, nerds and geeks, social media etc etc. In fact the underpinning theme of the story is loneliness and the difficulty people have in making friends and interacting with other people.
I need friends, but then most people get on your nerves, right? They want to use you, or they have some crazy religious or political or health thing, or they are too freakin’ busy to really be a friend, given their six million other friends. That’s why Alex is so awesome, right? He’s always there for you, always attentive, never tries to get you to try a juice fast or says something stupid about gay marriage.
and this interesting discussion between Caroline and Nick which explores the basis of the concept:
“Everything you said last night was so cerebral, talking about Alex the teacher, the provider of good search results, the Zenith of Algorithms. But he’s just as important to the world as a friend to the friendless, you know? If I hadn’t had Alex when I did, I don’t know. I would have survived. But he…he made me happy. He was my friend.”
“I know. And I’m not disparaging the emotions behind that. But can he really be a friend, if he’s not real? Should we really encourage people to drop out and just be with Alex? And isn’t there always going to be someone to take advantage of that connection, to get you to vote the way they want, to buy what they want, to think what they want about wars and religion and anything else? Maybe not me, but the next guy after I’m gone who takes over Alex Mark II, or the guy after him…unless we purge that part, that…intimate part.”
So, it’s also a story about influences and how vulnerable people can be to them.
In this age of Facebook and other social media, the whole concept of making friends and interacting with other people has changed and allowed people to connect even if within four walls. But even this is not foolproof for those who have difficulty making those connections, or who even see this type of interaction as superficial.
This book is probably not for everyone. It is not a “light” read. You won’t devour it at one sitting, as so many different topics are explored along the way. But if you ever wanted an insight into the mind of the intelligent girl or boy sitting by themselves with their head buried in a book, read this.
If you do read it, it is worthwhile checking out the author’s blog http://orlandoutland.wordpress.com . Scroll back to the beginning when he started to write the story and work up. That will give you an insight into the way he drew on his own life and personality. You can also see the meticulous way he conducted his research, the sources he drew on for his facts and the difficulties he had writing the book.
The secondary characters are wonderfully drawn. The parents are non-stereotypical. The Dad especially who I pictured as a Bryan Cranston type person. He was supportive and a little eccentric himself, so he clicked with his non-conventional daughter. And Caroline herself came across as introspective, thoughtful, caring, intense, shy but ultimately stronger willed than she saw herself as. I think it was an interesting choice to make her female, but it is not just a story for females to read. In the end, it’s the brain and personality inside that is important, not the gender.


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Two Cherryhs worth reading

3/6/2014

0 Comments

 
I'm on a Scifi kink at the moment and really enjoying reading some old classics.
The Faded Sun Trilogy (The Faded Sun, #1-3)The Faded Sun Trilogy by C.J. Cherryh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fabulous trilogy. I find it fascinating as a writer the way she starts out deep in the mind of one or two characters, but expands her POV as the series continues.
Most times that would annoy me as I feel I drift away from characters I have come to deeply care about, but the glimpses into minds with totally different attitudes and agendas adds a lot more layers to the story.
Basically this a series about fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of not being true to a way of life (religion?) and fear of that which can't be controlled.
The regul have to be one of the most repugnant races that have ever been written and I must admit Jabba the Hut came to mind when I read that.
As for the People? Is there notion of resistance to change and unwillingness to adapt to new ways a good option?
I think the final message was that there is no "wrong" or "right" way for a race/species to live, but they have to be true to themselves.
It definitely brought into question a lot of aspects pertaining to First Contact and my research of an era when Europeans first came into contact with Maori definitely resonated. The ripples that even the addition of the simple staple, the potato, into their diet caused. Because then they were able to travel a lot further afield, fuelled by a sinpler, stronger source of cabohydrate.
In some scholars minds, that had as much bearing on the intertribal wars that followed as the muskets did.
In the same way, Duncan's arrival in their midst and his ability to adapt and learn their ways ultimately changed them.

The Morgaine Saga (Morgaine Saga, #1-3)The Morgaine Saga by C.J. Cherryh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, just wow. Stargate meets Lord of the Rings.

Cherryh loves writing strong women characters, but often the effect of this is lost as we experience the story through their eyes. Their concerns are interesting, but the stories lose some of the impact as they are often better told through the eyes of the person most vulnerable to that strong character. The beta watching the alpha.

In this case, we have a beta male viewpoint, Vanye.

Alpha's main concerns are threats against their goals. This can sometimes seem a bit manufactured (as in the Chanur series) where most of the conflict is in what might happen, or what Pyanfar thinks could happen rather than here where the conflict is more in the nature of who and what Morgaine is, as seen through Vanye's eyes.

It doesn't hurt that Cherryh has created such a wonderful secondary character in Rho. His relationship to Vanye, Vanye's inherent goodness and honesty and the twist of Rho's inner fight to remain true to himself keeps the conflict churning along nicely right to the end.

Most stories are stronger when the conflict stems from who they are as well as where they are and what they are doing.

There is definitely a "Lord of the Rings" feel to the trilogy, but the trouble is that classic drew on so many themes that going anywhere near arrows, swords, long lives, items of power can't help but echo some of them.

The inherent premise is good though.

The description in the second book of a world inundated by water and threatened by earthquakes was fantastic. I could almost feel moisture dripping off the page. Lucky I was reading it on an ereader and not paper.

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