Romance novels are the biggest-selling genre in publishing, selling more books each year than mysteries and science fiction combined. Numerous romance authors appear regularly on the New York Times best-seller lists, and they often carry their romance audience over into the mainstream, and vice versa. Nora Roberts, Tami Hoag, Linda Howard, LaVryle Spencer, Sandra Brown, to name a few, all got their start in category fiction -- and they were all romance fiction readers who once said, "I wonder if I can do that." CIG to Getting Your Romance Published, written by a successful romance novelist, teaches aspiring writers everything they need to know about this popular, highly successful genre. From plotting to characterization to approaching agents and editors, the book gives readers a head start toward publishing their own novels. Some topics covered are- Love sells--why those "little books" are so popular, the rules of romance writing--respect the genre, focus on relationships, and more, the aspiring romance writers checklist, the subgenres--historical, contemporary, time-travel, futuristic, paranormal, multicultural, finding your voice as a writer, pacing checklist, undercovers--sex and the single (or married) writer, punching up your prose--editing and rewriting, hiring an agent and finding an editor, submitting your manuscript, book covers and pseudonyms, promotion tips, the key to a long-lasting writing career, and romancing the publishing industry.