Comments on Lyn's Licks & Laughs: What Color Is Your Parashoot?

...and I meant HAVE, not need to segregate ourselv...

2007-03-15T13:30:00.000-05:00

...and I meant HAVE, not need to segregate ourselvs. I DON'T see the need for shelving anything that's romance anywhere but with its category, or mystery or anything else...

About the time I think we've come a long way, some topic like this crops up, and I think nope, we have yet to catch up to our aspirations.

Sam, I agree with you - I think it's their readers...

2007-03-15T13:27:00.000-05:00

Sam, I agree with you - I think it's their readers who want them separate, if I'm understanding what I've been reading at Karen's and other places.

Makes no sense, though, if those authors NEED that sort of thing that they don't band together and take responsibility for handling it themselves. There's only so much a bookseller can DO. Which...is sad that so many of their blogs (Kimani as an example) didn't work. The books I read were excellent.

According to one gal over at Karen's, white readers felt cheated if they bought a book with non-white characters, which is dumb, but...it's probably true.

Books are to entertain, enrich, and inform, IMO, plus a few other things, but I've never used one to validate me, which is what it seems the persnickety readers are wanting. I could be wrong - I was once in 1972.

--sorry--on a rant, I guess.

I actually had reverse discrimination aimed at me from a publisher years ago - lol. Had 'the phone call' and editor said that I didn't sound black. Told her I wasn't, and she said that there was no way she could publish me, then (I had an interracial family - one white sister, one black, shared the same father but different mothers). Her reason was that the readers wouldn't stand for it, a white woman at an otherwise all black booksigning, that sort of thing.

So...guess it's just across the board. Nothing against readers per se. It's just that we as writers have to cater to certain expectations or needs if we're to market ourselves well.

Again, I could be wrong. I just think it's bad form that we need to segregate ourselves. A good book is a good book is...

*sigh*

Ok, I'll shut up now.

I have no idea why the AA books are separate, I ha...

2007-03-15T05:21:00.000-05:00

I have no idea why the AA books are separate, I have no idea why they are labeled AA romance and not just romance books. The color of a character's skin shouldn't put the book into a separate catagory. I don't know why they should have to have a marketing plan or a special group blog. They shold be completely integrated into the romance book scene, period.

I enjoyed Karen's survey results so far--they're v...

2007-03-14T21:11:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed Karen's survey results so far--they're very interesting. I think kayla (was it Kayla?) who suggested more generic covers had a good idea. I think it goes back to NY thinking they know what the reading public wants (we've seen that before *cough*).

FWIW my hero in Kink is biracial. And I've heard from another ER author that black men/white women scenarios don't go down as well as the reverse. Maybe a totally diferent topic but it's all interesting.

I've read a couple of books with mixed primary cha...

2007-03-14T21:05:00.000-05:00

I've read a couple of books with mixed primary characters. You pose a good question... Why does it seem there's not a successful marketing plan? All good romance books and authors are vital to our industry!!

: )

2007-03-14T15:07:00.000-05:00

: )

Agreed.Hope people will check out the blog. Lots ...

2007-03-14T01:12:00.000-05:00

Agreed.
Hope people will check out the blog. Lots of insight there.

Checked out Karen Scott's blog and read the interv...

2007-03-13T20:17:00.000-05:00

Checked out Karen Scott's blog and read the interviews.
What the heck is going on?
I'm wondering because the AA line of the True Magazines also "went under."
Hell, I read any good book by any good author.