Revision Interruptus (AKA Kathleen is Procrastinating)

Laurie Likes Books current At the Back Fence column focuses some on the quality of series romance. It's a fairly good breakdown of the trials and tribulations of category romance. I do know that all of publishing is hurting, but category used to be a true cash cow in the book biz, and the cash cow is getting a little lean. I have always liked category romances, but I don't read nearly as many as some die-hard regions (and thank God for each and every one of you). One of the problems, IMHO with series is that there ARE readers out there who know exactly what to expect with series romance and Harlequin/Silhouette is walking a fine line trying to not lose those loyal readers that are pumping up the bottom line, but to attract new readers as well and grow their own market. All I can say is that I'm glad I'm a writer and not a bean-counter.

Laurie Likes Books article on series romance

Part of the problem is that reading tastes have evolved, and the reader base has evolved. Someone pointed out that the price of a hardback these days can run you over $20. Compare that to a DVD, which you can get for $14. Visual media has gotten very cheap. The music industry is experiencing some of the same market loss that publishing has experienced and I think it's because TV and DVD's are relatively cheap. The movie-going experience is certainly not, although I wonder when that will change. There's a certain "must-see" attitude inherent in culture today that fuels the blockbuster movie and book phenomena. Some publishers and authors are now doing "trailers" for books, which I think is interesting, and I'm wondering if it works.

Celebrity and sex and currently politics seem to transcend the downward trend, although I'm wondering if the political market will be as hot post-election as pre-election. I would assume not, but we'll see. And segueing right into political sex, the blogging sex diva of Capitol Hill has a spread (ah-hem) in Playboy and has a fiction book due out next year.

Playboy interview (kid safe, no pictures)

Note that if you're a Washington intern, Playboy wants you!!!

In current book news (which has absolutely nothing to do with Playboy and politics), I'm at the tail end of my revisions (and how many days have I been saying THAT?), but this time I absolutely, positively mean it. I got my back cover copy and I'm very happy. Here it is:

Don’t hate me because I'm beautiful . . .
Call me V. I used to be a nobody, just a girl from New Jersey who was probably going to hell anyway—or worse, mediocrity and a size 14. Now I get whatever I desire just by casting a little spell . . . a flawless body, a luxury penthouse, and a Fifth Avenue shop where rich women clamor for my overpriced handbags. Even better, I have power. I can taunt my ex-husband, break hearts without guilt, and love every minute of it. My secret? I lost the one thing I never needed in the first place: my soul. I sold it. And you’ll never guess who’s got it now.
She’s a devil in disguise.
You know her as the dishiest gossip columnist in the city’s trashiest tabloid. I call her Lucy. And our deal is this: the more clients I recruit for her Life Enrichment Program, the greater my rewards. But just between us, my fast track to heartless apathy has hit a few speed bumps—lately, I’ve had the totally annoying impulse to do things that are . . . good. First there was rescuing a kid in the park. Then there was the date with the handsome, decent guy who wasn’t even a celebrity. What’s next, giving to charity or something? All I know is Lucy doesn’t like it, not one little bit. And when she finds out, there will be hell to pay. . . .

Okay, nose back to the grindstone.