Eloisa James , (Continued...)

Tell us a little about your published work.

Well, I've published eight romances at this point. I write in series, so first I wrote the Pleasures series, then a series that began with Duchess in Love, and now I've just started something I'm calling a sisters series, that began with Much Ado About You this January. If anyone would like to read about any of these books, including excerpts, background information, etc., I have a huge and busy website at http://www.eloisajames.com.

One thing about my writing that is slightly different from other regency romances I can think of at the moment is that girlfriends are very important to me -- in my life and writing. So my heroines are generally surrounded by girlfriends or sisters, and those female relationships provide a counterpoint to the men they fall in love with.

How do you cope with rejection?

It's a bummer. It's part of a writer's life at every level, though, so you need to get tough and then tougher in order to find yourself still standing after a few books are published.

What are your views on self-publishing?

I think if you're publishing your grandmother's memories of her early childhood, it is an absolutely superb thing to do. Similarly, if you want to publish a piece of fiction that you wrote so that your family and friends can read it in a bound form, it's great. But if you hope that self-publishing will lead you to the New York Times bestseller list, then I don't think it's a good idea. Aim for the top! Keep trying for a New York publisher, because they can fulfill your dreams of having a wider readership.

How do you market yourself, and what have your experiences in self-marketing been like?

My prime marketing tool is my website, which is huge, extensive and fairly interactive (we're adding a bulletin board in the next few months). A good website is expensive and time-consuming, but I think it's worth every penny. Other than that, I send out signed postcards when a new book is out. It takes time to sign thousands of postcards! But my readers truly appreciate it. And my web site company sends out electronic newsletters as well. That's about it for marketing. I've never tried much else, so I can't speak to other marketing tools.

Are you working on another novel now, besides your contribution of a novella to The Talk of the Ton?

I just finished Kiss Me, Annabel (due out next October), and I'm about to start writing another book -- I can't tell you the title because it would answer questions I don't want answered yet!

Trends seem to be changing. What can aspiring writers expect in the romance genre?

Trends are a dangerous thing to analyze because they change so quickly. I do think that at the moment there's a strong move toward fantasy characters: paranormal romances are doing brilliantly. Historicals, by all accounts, are having a hard time but Much Ado is currently on its second week on the New York Times extended, so I'm not sure I agree. Just when one might think a trend has died, it pops up with new life. Everyone was saying that westerns were dead, but recently Linda Lael Miller's latest western beat out a ton of other books to dominate the charts.

What are your long-term writing goals?

[To] continue to write popular fiction with the very best of my ability.

Are there writing courses you'd recommend to new writers?

I've never taken a writing course. I have learned an enormous amount from attending workshops given by the Romance Writers of America. I would recommend that an aspiring writer join their local chapter of the RWA and go to every meeting they can, as well as the national conference if it's at all possible.

What are some of your favorite books on writing?

I don't read much about writing. I'm too busy trying to do it! If you want to study writing, study the actual novel of someone who writes better than you do. Dissect it. Think about how she or he constructed the dialogue. Try to write as well as they do.

What advice would you impart to new writers?

Join the RWA. Don't be afraid to write terribly bad prose; we all do it. Often I look at a half hour's work and think despairing thoughts. Just keep going. Remember that a romance writer has to be a businesswoman as well: get an excellent agent and let her do some of the work for you, but keep a close eye on your own contracts and marketing. Don't be afraid of failure. No one cares very much about it except you. And stand tall when a publisher says "this book didn't perform to our expectations." It's not your fault! A cover can determine the success of a book. All you can do is write the very best fiction you can, and hope.

Finally, don't forget what a huge pleasure writing is, and how very lucky you are to have time to do it…published or not.
Good luck!

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Diane Domingo is the owner of Bookshelf Editing Services and is also a regular contributor and editor to WritersBreak.com. Diane can be contacted at editor-dd@earthlink.net.