During a recession, good news always seems hard to find, but this month I’ve discovered something that should make both writers and readers smile. It’s the launch of Ravenous Romance www.ravenousromance.com. It’s the brainchild of New York agent Lori Perkins and the owners of book packager, Hollan Publishing, Holly Schmidt and Allan Penn. Together they’ve teamed up to create a new type of publishing company. Readers can buy great stories at affordable prices and writers find a home where they can grow their careers. Ravenous Romance sells short stories, e-books and audio books. Here, Holly Schmidt tells us all about their books and what it takes to sell a manuscript to them.
Susan Palmquist (SP) When did Ravenous Romance launch?
Holly Schmidt-(HS)December 1, 2008.
SP-You emphasize low cost, affordable reads. Have you seen a surge in sales because of the recession?
HS-Well, we launched in the depths of the recession, so it’s hard to know what our sales would have been like had we launched during a time of economic prosperity. But we have been pleased so far.
SP-Your Website mentions you sell books by bestselling and award winning authors. Do you care to share some of their names?
HS- Sure. In the romance genre, we have several RITA and Golden Heart nominees and winners, including Skye Alexander and Lexi Ryan. We also publish Cecilia Tan and Rachel Kramer Bussel, who are award-winning erotica authors. We have several best-selling authors from other genres who are writing under pseudonyms, including NYT best-selling horror writer John Skipp who’s writing as Gina McQueen. And we publish many authors who have been published in print by Harlequin, Avon, Dorchester, Sourcebooks, Random House, and other major houses.
SP-Can you tell me more about your Book a Day Program and The Reader’s Club?
HS-We feature a different book every day, and our Readers’ Club is a membership discount program that enables readers to save 15% on everything they buy for a low annual fee of $19.99.
SP-You also offer audio books. Are these growing in popularity? Do you see them outselling e-books or vice versa?
HS-The audio book market is ten times the size of the e-book market, and with the ease and affordability of digital formats I anticipate it will only grow in size. Romance is the top-selling category in audio books, and there is a lot of untapped content out there that should be presented in audio format. We feel as though we’re ahead of the curve in this respect.
SP-I know lots of writers…myself included, will want to know if you consider e-books published by other houses for your audio book program? Or is it just Ravenous Romance books that are turned into audio books?
HS-We only publish our own books in audio, but we are launching an initiative to help other publishers (and self-published authors) create and distribute high-quality audio versions of their books. I’d be happy to talk to any publisher or author about this if they email me directly at holly at ravenousromance dot com.
SP-Your Web site mentions you work with your writers to develop their careers. What’s the advantage of publishing with Ravenous Romance?
HS-At Ravenous, we have decades of traditional publishing experience. So we use that to guide our writers’ careers, whether that means licensing the print, foreign, or film rights to their work or helping them to develop new ideas for series. Lori and I have been working with authors for our entire careers, so we bring a lot of experience and industry knowledge to the process.
SP-Anything particular type of story you’re looking for but have yet to find?
HS-I have an idea for a book called “Succubusters,” which would be a romantic comedy a la “Ghostbusters,” but with succubuses. I have yet to see it. I’m also always looking for great, innovative, sexy vampire books and really hot historicals.
SP-What common mistakes are you seeing in the manuscripts you’re receiving?
HS-Underpolished writing and personal fantasies presented as fiction are my two pet peeves.
SP-You have lots of categories, romantic suspense, Second Chance at Love etc., are any easier to break into, any that aren’t getting so many submissions?
HS- Historical is a bit easier than say, paranormal, where we get a ton of submissions.
SP-You also publish short stories? What makes a great Rendezvous read?
HS- It has to be really hot, and there has to be a fully-developed romance, which isn’t easy in a few thousand words! We reject 90% of what is submitted to us.
SP-On the heat scale, do all stories have to be spicy/hot or does it depend on the plot and characters?
HS- It really depends on the plot and characters—and the author and her comfort level and ability to write good sex scenes.
SP-What book/books would you recommend us buying so we can get a better understanding of what makes a Ravenous Romance and sets them apart from other books?
HS- Well, I feel like you’re asking me to make Sophie’s Choice here! I love all of our books, and think they each bring a unique emotional experience to their readers. However, one thing we do that I think is pretty interesting is we do m/m retellings of classic romantic movies—An Officer and His Gentleman, Marrakesh (an erotic m/m “Casablanca”), and Pretty Man are all top sellers. For more traditional romance, I would recommend Nashville Heat by Bethany Michaels or Ripping the Bodice by Inara Lavey, which is a romantic comedy.
SP-If there’s anything else you’d like to add that’s not covered in the questions; feel free to add your own comments.
HS- Thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed, and thank you for your interest in Ravenous Romance.
