Penguin special event

Oh yeah the Penguin special event. This was a bit of a mystery, we weren’t sure what kind of event this was.

Well, in a very interesting development, Penguin announced it’s new digital imprint, Destiny Romance.  It is going to have a strong Australian author focus apparently – there are 5 Australian authors in the launch line up, and another 4 in the second release – although I don’t think it will be exclusively Australian.

They seem to be looking at quite a few subgenres – rural romance, historical, suspense, paranormal, otherworld / fantasy, erotica and contemporary.  And they are willing to look at unsolicited manuscripts for this line.  One of the new friends I made at last year’s conference is part of the launch release (congrats again Peta! 🙂 ) and everyone seems very excited about it.

However, I do find it interesting because the Penguin reps who attended the conference last year were among those who were quite adamant in their refusal to use ‘romance’ and their use instead of the phrase ‘women’s fiction’.  They are not the same people who have developed and launched the Destiny Romance line, who appear to have done a fantastic job.  But I can’t help wondering how much the Powers That Be at Penguin are trying to tap into the romance $$ because their ‘literary fiction’ just isn’t selling.

Time will tell I guess, and we will see if it is a successful new line, and perhaps if it develops into a print line too.  But still it is good news for aspiring authors, congratulations to those who have been accepted already, and good luck to those who want to try their hand at submitting something.

 

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