Market News for the week of August 6, 2006

[vicki]

Welcome new members. A lot of you joined just this week. Don't forget that you can go back and review the archives of this newsletter anytime. And thank you for joining.

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This week I'm taking a look at the Spotlight on St. Martin's Press from the Romance Writer's of America Annual Conference in Atlanta. The Spotlight was presented by Publisher Matthew Shearer, Senior Editor Monique Patterson, Marketing Director Anne Marie Tallberg and President and Publisher Sally Richardson. Executive Editor Jennifer Enderlin was not present, as she was home with her new baby. Editor Rose Hilyard was at conference but not present at the Spotlight.

Matthew Shearer spoke first and acted as moderator for the presentation. He described St. Martin's as "a big company that acts and reacts like a small one." He also said "There's nothing we can't publish and nothing we don't publish." He said St. Martin's is committed to finding new authors as well as more established authors who want to break out of category or move up in their careers.

St. Martin's is publishing "more romance than ever" and is looking for both contemporary and historical romance, comedy, suspense, light and dark paranormal, and erotica. Monique Patterson buys all of the above. She likes 'sexy and funny' paranormal, romantic comedy, erotica and paranormal. She likes "someone who can world-build -- whether it's fantasy or someone who can make the streets of New York come alive." She wants books that are "so sexy I need a cold glass of water nearby when I read...or so scary I have to go over to my mother's house and curl up in bed next to her." The editors at St. Martin's are also interested in women's fiction and multi-cultural romance, and romantic adventure. In historicals the traditional settings of Regency England, Scotland and Medieval times continue to be strong sellers. "Anything after 1900 is tougher to market as historical romance though those books may be marketed as something else." Matthew Shearer said that Jennifer Enderlin is looking for a very sexy western romance.As with many of the publishers presenting at this conference, St. Martin's has found that sex sells and for them "there's no such thing as too sexy." In closing her part of the presentation, Monique said "I want writers who aren't afraid to go for it all."

Anne Marie Tallberg is a former romance buyer for Waldenbooks. She talked about St. Martin's marketing efforts for their authors. St. Martin's always buys multiple books, even from new authors. They send out many ARCs for review and will work with the author to promote the book.

St. Martin's has begun to publish more YA -- for the 15 and up age group. The editor for YA submissions is Stefanie Lindskog.

St. Martin's does accept unagented submissions. The house rule is to query first, but Monique Patterson would like to see the first three chapters and a query. Completed manuscripts should be 90,000 -- 125,000 words. Always query by snail mail, not email. Address your query to one of the editors at St. martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010

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Random House has purchased Christian book publisher Multnomah and plans to integrate Multnomah with Random's Waterbrook Press. The division will be known at Waterbrook Multnomah and will be managed out of Waterbrook's Colorado Springs office.

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Editorial Assistant Allison Brandau has been added to the list of acquiring editors at Berkley/Jove
Lara Hyde is an assistant editor acquiring for Mira books.
Sulay Hernandez is an assistant editor acquiring for Kensington Books.

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If you're in the Denver area, please join me at the new Tattered Cover on Colfax Blvd. next Friday, August 18 at 7:30 pm. I'll be participating in a panel discussion with a great group of writers: 2006 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Writer of the Year Carol Berg and runners-up Maggie Sefton and C.J. Box. We'll be discussing Secrets of Publishing and signing our newest books.

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ONLINE CLASS: WRITING PIs IN NOVELS. What is life and work like for a real PI? How can you make your fictional PI more credible and life-like? Two real-life PIs (one also a multi-published author) are teaching a 4-week online course (September 4-28, 2006) that covers everything from misconceptions generated by fictional PIs in TV, movies, and books to specialized investigative techniques used in real-life situations. Questions answered via email in between. Registration deadline: August 20, 2006. To read more about the class and to register, go to http://www.writingprivateinvestigators.com. Note on the registration form that you're a subscriber to Cynthia Sterling's marketing newsletter and get 10% off!

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My website has been updated. Visit http://www.CindiMyers.com and check out the great cover for my September release, Fear of Falling. You can read an excerpt from the book, which received a four-star review from Romantic Times that said "Fear of Falling by Cindi Myers moves at an exciting pace, creating an extremely sensual story with the thrills of a dark gothic. The pages race by!"
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Feel free to pass along this newsletter and to encourage others to sign up to receive it. If you reprint or forward the newsletter, all I ask is that I be given credit for it. Anyone can sign up by sending a blank email to cynthiasterling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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Cindi Myers
The Birdman's Daughter, Next, April 2006
Fear of Falling, Harlequin Blaze, September 2006 (1st Gothic Blaze!)
www.CindiMyers.com
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