I had nearly given up finding a home for my first
manuscript. The advice I received from family and friends was that I should
tweek my writing and make it spicier (in other words, sex it up!) It became annoying
to try to explain to them why I wanted to keep my book “clean”.
It was my agent who submitted my manuscript to Astraea Press
and I’m so grateful that she did. The success that Astraea has seen in the past
two years, proves that there is a definite niche for clean romance and for
authors whose work wouldn’t necessarily be marketed in a Christian bookstore,
but also wouldn’t fit in the erotica section of Barnes and Noble. I also like
the fact that Astraea offers many genres so that – as an author – I can try
something different (maybe young adult or inspirational).
I’ve also met some lovely authors who have welcomed me and
offered their help whenever I needed it. It’s a great team to be a part of!
Your story sounds so much like mine. I didn't have an agent, but I was lucky enough to have a friend direct me to Astraea Press, and I'm so happy I didn't have to change my story to fit the "traditional" guidelines. Maybe someday AP's clean fiction will become more of the norm!
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased that you came across Astraea Press. I stop by the site regularly and have discovered some great new authors and excellent books here.
I have very eclectic reading tastes, however erotic sex is something which I am tempted by, only when an author requests a review from me. Generally, keeping it 'clean', is the way to go for me and as an author, I don't see why you should have to change the style and content of your books to fit in with what a publisher requires.
I have just downloaded the gift version of 'The Trouble With Charlie', which Astraea are promoting as part of their birthday celebrations and I was wondering if you would like me to offer promotion and a review of the book?
You can check out my site at:
www.fiction-books.biz
before making a decision and also make sure that I am not 'treading on anyone's toes' at Astraea.
My contact details can be found on the site,
Yvonne