663. RT Rewind: July 2000 Ads & Features

The ads and features from the July 2000 issue of Romantic Times are a treasure trove of wtfery! It’s PEAK stepback era.

Readers have been introduced to Half.com for selling their old books, and they are very excited about it – to say nothing of People.com and EW.com.

We get a peek into the Romantic Times and Lady Barrow BookLover Tours – the prices made me very envious.

We also spend some time talking about Monica Jackson, who died in 2012, and is part of the reason why we started addressing the racism in romance many, many years ago.

Seriously, the visual aids are a feast this week. 

❤ Read the transcript ❤

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Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:

We’ve got links. SO many links.

• THE ROMANCE SWATCH Y’ALL – it’s on eBay!
• PEOPLE in the 90s podcast: Fabio
• Steve Sandalis naked on a cover, bathing in a volcano
  • You can buy a signed copy of this book on eBay
• There’s also the Viking Diaper stepback
• We mentioned the late Monica Jackson, and I read some of her writing at AAR, accessed via the Wayback Machine. You can also read her comments about being a Black romance author at TeachMeTonight.

Monica Jackson said:

It’s exciting when a writer gets The Call from an editor. In many ways the call is only the beginning of an angsty rollercoaster for any novelist. But if you’re a black, you have a special ride reserved just for you.

Writing romance while black means you get a sub-genre of your very own – no matter what the content of your novel. Your special niche is already measured and the boundaries are set on your readership. Your marketing will likely be different than the white author in your chapter, even where your books are shelved in some bookstores. If you decided to attend book signings and other events with your white colleagues, the difference of your reception and audience will be thrown into stark relief.

Because since you’re black, you’re a romance writer that the majority of romance readers will never read. Your readership is defined and limited to only black romance readers by a variety of circumstances outside your control, so your opportunities are far smaller than any white romance writer from the moment you were published, regardless of your talent and determination.