Janet Mullany described the US market as tough but exciting.  She reminded the audience that the US is less secular than the UK, with around 80% of the public believing in God and 60% attending church.  This results in some parts of the market being almost puritanical, though Rosemary Laurey countered by pointing out the vast demand for erotica.  This led to some heated discussion about US attitudes to sex in fiction, and Janet’s interesting observation that in erotic romance, the sex is filthy but there for character development.

Agent Erin Niumata sees a market for new British voices, and believes that US publishers favour writers who have built up a social networking platform. 

Up-and-coming genres include young adult fiction, especially steam- and cyber-punk.  Futuristic and paranormals remain popular, though vampires have perhaps been overdone, as has the Regency period, unless the author can introduce a new twist. 

Erin, in common with most US readers, expects a fast pace, with the hero and heroine introduced, and preferably meeting, by page 25.  Erin won’t buy a book if she isn’t invested in the book and characters by page 50. 

Nicola Cornick warns writers for the US market to expect candid reviews and reader feedback, particularly where historical detail is concerned.  She once received a 4-page letter, complete with diagrams, explaining that her heroine had folded a letter incorrectly for posting.  Rosemary Laurey has had similar experiences, including a reader who emailed to inform her that everybody knew vampires couldn’t go out in daylight.  On being told that Bram Stoker’s vampires did, the reader argued that she didn’t remember that in any of the movie adaptations! 

Other guidelines for US publishers included making sure the ending is a Happy-Ever-After with no loose ends, and being cautious about references to slavery in historicals.  Some authors spell-check in US English, while others rely on copy-editors to Americanise spellings, and this is not usually an issue.  US characters and settings can help to sell a story, but are not required.  Around 75% of US publications are set in America, but as Erin pointed out, if the book is really great, it can be set on Mars and it will still sell.

Written by Stephanie Cage