FAQ: Finding more steampunk romance
In the past couple of months, and even more frequently since BURNING UP has been released, I’ve gotten this question: Where is the steampunk romance? They can find steampunk, but not much romance (and, okay, there isn’t much.) I’ve been replying to the e-mails naming titles and authors, but I know that I must miss some every time. Then I realized — there might be a better way.
When a category of romance is very big, I don’t find Amazon’s tagging system very helpful. If someone is looking for paranormal romance, 1,000,000 people have already tagged the books that everyone has already read, and so a reader looking for something new has to go pretty deep to find a book that isn’t a bestseller and already on a bunch of lists. But take a look at the steampunk romance tag.
There’s not much there. And even though there isn’t much steampunk romance in general, there should be MORE there. And it *could* be a useful tag for a reader who is interested in the steampunk romance subgenre.
So, readers and authors — if you are reading a steampunk romance, if you are selling a steampunk romance, please tag it steampunk romance. (Even if it only has steampunk elements … because judging by my e-mails, readers want those, too.) And I’ll point everyone who e-mails me in that direction.
(If you don’t have an Amazon account for tagging, leave a comment here or drop me a note, and I’ll tag it for you.)
Here’s one that doesn’t show up at Amazon yet, but is available on ebook: Ciar Cullen’s Steamside Chronicles
Moira Rogers has a book coming out next March called Wilder’s Mate with steampunk elements. Here’s the description:
“Wilder’s Mate is the first story in the Bloodhounds series, and will be available from Samhain publishing in spring of 2011. A little bit steampunk, a lot paranormal and a whole lot dirty, this series takes place in an alternate Wild West.” http://moirarogers.com/wilders-mate
Then there’s Marie Treanor’s Steamy Nights, also an ebook at Changeling Press.
Cindy Spencer Pape has one coming out next year, March. Steam and Sorcery: Gaslight Chronicles #1. This is coming out at Carina Press.
Valerie
valb0302@yahoo.com
in Germany
My friend, editor Trisha Telep, has a YA steampunk romance (steampunk elements) anthology coming out next year:
http://www.amazon.com/Corsets-Clockwork-13-Steampunk-Romances/dp/0762440929/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282384495&sr=8-1
No cover yet, but the mock-up she showed me was LOVELY. I hope they go with that. I don’t have a story in this one, but there are som great authors included. Can anyone tag products? I’ve never done that before or I’d just go ahead and do it.
Cheers,
Kaz
Oh! Great post! I love romance and now that I have sampled Steampunk I want more Steampunk romance!