It’s just odd.

Leontine :

I’m all for reaching your potential and aim for the best education you can get but whether or not an author delivers a best selling novel depends on the imagination, writingstyle and so on, not the degree hanging on the wall.

Exactly. A well-written book is what matters. I’m indifferent to an author’s academic background. What concerns me is whether or not she can write. As I know from my own experience in the land of academia, a degree doesn’t mean a person can write coherently. Much depends on the subject they specialized in, and even then, a person can excel at non-fiction writing but not be in the least creative.

Both authors and readers of the romance genre come from every layer of the society, are based all over the world and diverse in personalities. I’m all for reaching your potential and aim for the best education you can get but whether or not an author delivers a best selling novel depends on the imagination, writingstyle and so on, not the degree hanging on the wall.

In terms of authors having academic backgrounds in fields unrelated to literature, I think it’s a marker for craftsmanship. And I do think it’s particularly important when writing an article about romance books for non-romance readers, because it’s likely that the people who read the article have a preconception that romances are formulaic and require very little skill to write.

And finally, did anyone notice that “bodice-ripper” didn’t get a mention? I quite like “frothy fiction” even if it doesn’t really describe the darker romances.

Magdalen :

I’ll keep it short. (For once.)

1. I went to law school because I wasn’t good enough as a romance author back in my 20s and 30s. Getting into an Ivy League law school was WAY easier than getting published, and I suspect that’s still the case today.

LOL!

As for the Amish virgin heroine: this is probably no joke. I can’t give you an author or title, but I can imagine a book like this being published by one of the inspirational romance imprints such as Harlequin’s Steeple Hill.

@Edie I agree with a comment Kat made on Twitter where she pointed out that many crime authors do reference their relevant backgrounds (e.g.: Michael Connelly is a former police reporter). However, a degree in Art History does not automatically qualify one to write good romance novels. I believe Laura Kinsale is – or was – a geologist. I doubt that had much impact on her ability to write excellent historicals.

@Kat Mentioning academic credentials was the whole purpose of the article, and I don’t have an issue with that. I would have liked some reference to the diverse readership and I find it frustrating that almost all recent articles on romance authors and readers focus primarily on their educational background. Particularly somewhere like the US where university fees are extremely expensive, higher education is a privilege and lack thereof doesn’t necessarily mean a person is not smart. (I didn’t have to pay for my university education, thank goodness. That would not have been pretty!)

On reflection, I agree with you about the Quinn quote. It’s just unfortunate that the first part reads: “Any regrets? “I’m married to a physician,” says Quinn,” and the rest of the quote appears a couple of lines further down: “I have a way better deal as a romance writer.”