This post is really going out to all of you writers who think that you know romance. This is for those of you in the fiction world that think what you are writing is a romance. Now, for those of you in the romance industry, please understand I AM STEREOTYPING here to make a point. 

Just yesterday, I posted here about authors who submit to Greyhaus projects that are clearly not falling into the romance or the women's fiction genres. I should also add that I did get a second gentleman who proceeded to tell me that all of these great movie actors are looking at his manuscript and to also remind me that "Harry Potter attracted the attention of a lot of editors" what ever that meant. 

So, with that said, if you think you write romance, would your book end up on a shelf with covers like this:

 

 

Or better yet, would there be descriptions in your book such as:

"Sucking and licking, she was so close."

"His hardness was pushing against her womanly core."

"She shattered as he plunged one final time."

"I want you in me now!"

and I did leave out all of the lines about nubs.

O.K. So maybe you say, "I am writing romance not smut". Fine, let's try this then...

"Her hand tingled with electricity from his touch."

"She knew from the first glance that he was for her."

The point of all this is simple. Do you know what your write or are you simply throwing darts at a wall and hoping that something will stick?

I teach a session on understanding romance and women's fiction and one of the easiest tests is to wander around a bookstore and tell me where your book would be placed. If it is not in the section on romance, the odds are you are not writing this genre. 

And once, again, yes, I was stereotyping but it is there to make a point. Know what you write. Know the genre and submit only to agents and editors who acquire that genre.