September 18-22: Online Workshop

HEIDI BETTS
“Writing Category: Breaking In and Staying In”

Keep running up against the brick wall of rejection or feel as though your career is stagnating? You may need to embark on a different path.  “Writing Category: Breaking In and Staying In” will focus on ways to get the adrenaline pumping again and increase attendees’ chances of selling in the category market. Heidi will share her own experience of selling to Silhouette Desire, and the intensive research it took to make that sale. Whether unpublished or previously published but looking to break into a new genre, everyone will benefit from the “secrets” she’s discovered. 

Some of the highlights of the workshop will include:

  • An extensive list of currently bestselling authors who started out writing category, to show that these are not insignificant, forgettable little books…category can be the springboard to future success
  • The Pros and Cons of writing category versus writing single title
  • A step-by-step guide to doing your homework, even if you’ve never read a category romance before or have read across the board, but aren’t sure which line best suits your personal writing voice and skills
  • A breakdown of the tone of the category lines and tips for “finding the formula” so you can write your manuscript accordingly
  • (if time allows…) Advice about writing a synopsis geared toward category editors… promotion for category authors…continuities…recent changes in some of the lines…changing with the times, etc.
  • The session will wrap up with a Question and Answer period.

About Heidi Betts
Bestselling, award-winning author Heidi Betts combines believable characters with compelling plotlines to create stories that focus on the commitment of one man and one woman to each other. She has written more than ten historical and contemporary romances, with several more projects in the works. Her first book for Silhouette Desire, Bought by a Millionaire, hit #1 on the Waldenbooks Series Romance Bestseller List, where her books have continued to make an appearance ever since. Heidi loves to read, write, watch movies (and just a little too much television), and surround herself with furry, four-legged friends in her home in the beautiful hills of Central Pennsylvania.

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