Customer Reviews

Man, Oh Man, Writing M/M Fiction for Cash & Kinks

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Kinks and cash? Who wouldn't be tempted with a juicy title like that? With this intriguing title nibble, author Josh Lanyon, entices readers to dig further into this smorgasboard of writing about male/male fiction, erotica, and romance. A multi-published author himself, Lanyon has the publishing experience and awards to author a how-to guide on appealing to the male/male market.

Lanyon makes the distinction early on that male/male stories are different than gay fiction. "In M/M fiction, the romance is the foundation." He emphasizes that even a genre story such as mystery, thriller or paranormal, must have the appropriate genre elements plus the romantic elements that focus on a male/male relationship (which may or may not include traditional romance elements such as Happily Ever After). In traditional gay fiction, the emotional elements of relationships are often glossed over and are not the focus of the story.

The reason for this romantic emphasis is the nature of the male/male market: women. Yes, gay male readers are beginning to discover--and enjoy-- these stories, but the vast majority of publishers in this genre readily admit that most of their customers are women. Women enjoy stories without the "baggage" of main female characters; they want exciting stories with adventurous action; and they want hot sex scenes with two men. Sex scenes that don't include women.

Lanyon traces the history of male/male fiction to its roots in fanfiction (stories written in an already created universe such as Star Trek and The Sentinel). Written almost entirely by and for women, a substantial number of male/male authors have made the transition from fanfiction to professional publishing. And they've taken with them the recipes for cooking up a best-selling story: characters that readers care about, dramatic scenes with clear settings, and sex scenes that both serve the story and arouse the reader.

Lanyon quotes a number of publishing professionals throughout the book, letting their comments add distinctive flavor to the points he's making. (And a few appear to mis-step; one editor for a New York print publishing house makes statements that show a clear lack of understanding of the totality of the male/male market, dismissing women as readers entirely). The e-publishers readily embraced male/male fiction, and editors from Amber Quill, Aspen Mountain Press, Loose Id, Samhain Publishing, Torquere Press, and others discuss what storylines work, what submissions catch their eye, and how quickly the market changes. MLR (Man Love Romance) Press founder Laura Baumbach has terrific insights into the ever-evolving market for readers and authors.

With chapters on topics such as characterization, pacing, dialogue, and setting, a reader skimming the Table of Contents might mistake this for the same-old, how-to-write-good tomes of the past. But Lanyon's nitty-gritty details on these topics, and their application to male/male writing is the real meat of the book. By using examples from his own writing and others, Lanyon is able to point out exactly why or why not writing works. (Clunky blocking, un-necessary adjectives, boring physical beats). Even better, Lanyon edits on the page several writing samples to show readers how to maintain POV, how to block action scenes, how to cut bland words, and how to incorporate the crucial elements of male/male fiction.

He generously provides some real-world samples of an outline, synopsis, and query letter for his book The Hell You Say. Seeing the actual words on the page along with Lanyon's advice on pinning down a storyline is invaluble. For readers who are new to publishing, the resources section include listings of contests and publishers that are open to male/male fiction. Chapters are laid out in a logical order, and the overall design is easy to follow. Major points are often in a call-out text box or bolded for emphasis.

Even if you don't write male/male fiction, anyone writing erotica, GLBT fiction, romance or other genres will get a satisfying meal out of this. More than a how-to genre book, Lanyon's advice on writing is universal--and tasty.

Josh Lanyon's long awaited opus on the essentials of crafting a successful M/M novel hit the bookstores recently after a whirlwind of publicity and it was well worth the wait. This book is a step by step tutorial for both the novice and experienced writer on how to write the next great M/M novel. In his book Josh provides the reader with his own observations as well as astute and perceptive comments from others in the business such as publishers, writers, editors, reviewers and a host of insiders on how to create believable masculine characters while ensuring that the essential elements of a good novel are present in a story.

In Man, Oh Man! Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks and Cash Josh covers the basic fundamentals of good writing such as Hook, Characterizations, Dialogue and Conflict and he overlays this with the creative elements that are absolutely necessary for M/M romance in order for the book to grab the attention of editors, publishers and readers. Josh cautions that M/M romantic fiction should be from the male perspective and not stories about women masquerading as men and it must also be able to stand on its own without the sex.

I have been reviewing M/M romances for some time but didn't quite grasp the difference between M/M romance and gay fiction until I read Josh's succinct explanation in the book, and I'm sure that I am not the only one who was unaware of this distinction.

This is one of the most impressive how-to books that I have read in a while. What made this book different is Josh's easy, laid back, armchair style of imparting knowledge as a result of his years as a published author. The book provides practical examples and ideas that even a novice writer could easily grasp and implement. Josh uses humour in the book which makes communicating his knowledge easy on the reader. This book is rich in content based on Josh's experience, but he also gives us valuable information gleaned through a series of interviews conducted with industry insiders over the course of several months and offers the combined expertise of professionals in the business. Publishers give their take on what the current trends are in M/M fiction and offer a range of opinions based on reader surveys.

Josh takes us through the creative process starting with how and where to find fresh ideas and strong hooks, to creating believable masculine characters (since the majority of M/M authors today are women, I think they will find this very revealing) , to "selling" your carefully edited manuscript to a publisher and marketing the book after its release. Writers can take a page out of Josh's book, literally, and copy some of his strategies on the marketing of this book which were extremely effective.

Man, Oh Man! is geared to the rapidly expanding market of M/M romance and I would anticipate that the numbers of authors in this genre will grow exponentially as the market continues to increase. I attended Josh's recent on-line workshop for Cobblestone Press, which took place just prior to the release of the book and I was struck by the clarity of his presentation.

If I may, I would like to recommend a few chapters I found extremely relevant and informative - Looking for a Few Good Men - A strong character can carry a weak story; Cheat Sheets for Chicks -What makes a man and a woman different; Do the Math - Pacing - moving the story forward; What's it all about Alfie -Theme; MM! MM! Good and Rent Boys. I am not going to elaborate on all of the chapters because that would be a disservice to the reader and the book, plus there's only so much information that a reviewer should convey.

Each chapter is a little gem but there is not enough space to mention all of them. In order to get the full flavour and Josh's expert knowledge you need to read the book for yourself. Suffice it to say that I was inspired to write after reading Man, Oh Man! Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks and Cash, and if you've ever thought of writing for this genre then I think you`ll be motivated too. Authors and would-be writers of the genre should have a copy of this excellent reference source or your competition will blow you away. One bit of advice from Josh that resonated with me - write what you enjoy reading, make it fresh and write your passion.

It took me three years and a lot of self doubt to write my first novel, a funny and sexy mystery isn't "M/M" fiction, necessarily, but which certainly shares some of the same conventions.

The process would have been more easier if I had had "Man, Oh Man..." for inspiration and advice.

Lanyon is a terrific writer - clear, intelligent and generous with his knowledge and humor. "Man, Oh Man..." is a practical book that will walk you through finding your genre, shaping your plot, and understanding the market. Lanyon helps you focus on the core of your plot, while reminding you of the importance of the subtleties and subplots that make your book stand out,

Lanyon's instruction benefits from being very specific. For example, he recommends you develop an outline for your novel, but he also includes advice from authors who don't. In his discussion of point of view, he offers ""If you're finding it difficult to nail your main character's voice, or find the focus of the story, try writing from a different POV." He stresses the importance of pacing, and illustrates his advice with examples from his and other author's works.

While that kind of writing instruction is available in innumerable books from the good people at Writer's Digest and others, Lanyon offers wisdom you're not likely to find in more mainstream publications. He gives explicit examples of what makes M/M sex scenes work, and what makes them fail. While much of that is too graphic to include in this review, let's see if Amazon.com lets this pass..."I caressed his velvety rod" is WRONG, "I pumped his d***" is RIGHT. BTW, Lanyon writes, "He pumped MY d***" is "WAY more right."

Lanyon goes on to walk you through the entire construction of your story, the revising and editing phase, and he even provides a list of publishers who might buy your work. He includes examples of his own development and marketing materials, including original notes, outlines, synopses and query letters for his novels. "Man, Oh Man..." works not just as an instructional manual, but as a fascinating study of how a novelist in this genre conceptualizes, creates and sells his work.

Throughout "Man, Oh Man..." Lanyon includes advice and feedback from editors, other authors and some of his fans. While this gives the book some very interesting three-dimensionality, I often skimmed these parts, anxious to get back to Lanyon's words. While the book would have been successful without these other voices, they certainly add some value, and you're free to read or skip that at your pleasure. (Or, as I did, fast forward through them the first time through and then read them more thoroughly on a second pass).

Lanyon offers an editing and consultation service for authors on his website (Amazon won't let me include a link here, but that's what Google is for, right?). I might have to reach out to him as I work on my novel's sequel, but till then, I have "Man, Oh Man..." on hand to keep me on track. I couldn't have asked for a better writing companion.

Scott Sherman, author, First You Fall: A Kevin Connor Mystery

Very basic craft-of-writing advice--probably not useful enough for a writer with experience even if it's in another genre. The reliance on pages of quotes from other authors and editors gives it too much of the feel of a survey (particularly where the sources each seem to be saying the same thing, or just giving light anecdotes) in lieu of a little more depth and substance. I did also have a bit of an irked reaction to the text's too-frequent (I'd say just through carelessness) characterization of women as one stereotype or other (irrational, submissive in marriage, wanting to take a back seat to men in real-life relationships, etc.). I can gloss over the formatting issues in the Kindle edition--those didn't distract me. But although the author tosses in the occasional compliment, in his effort to teach female writers how not to stereotype or feminize male characters, he seems to have shortchanged one of the reasons some female readers are drawn to m/m romance--to escape the expectation that men and women must form an unequal relationship because, well, women are just like that. I don't accuse the author of having some sort of anti-female focus, and he's well established as a successful fiction writer. It's just that this advice book sometimes dips in an unpleasant direction in order to make distinctions between males and females, without an apparent sense of irony. That made it a little irritating in places, mostly concentrated in the first half of the text.

As a book on writing as a craft it offers general advice on outlining, basic plotting, characterization, setting, etc. Except for one chapter, the perspective on storytelling and characterization is very modern, 21st-century, western/American male--which is probably what the majority of aspiring writers are looking for. Although the quotes from other published writers are often interesting, they take up a big bulk of space in the book and don't always contribute new insights.

So, this book could possibly be useful for someone just starting out as a writer and hoping to focus on this genre, and for fans of the author's fiction to get a look into his process. A few chapters do specifically address writing and publishing in the genre, rather than the fundamentals of writing--but not enough. Also, the field is growing and evolving so rapidly, that even after only a few years since publication this book might be getting a little long in the tooth. In any case, it was the wrong book for me, and though I would have liked to be able to give a book on this topic a higher rating, this one could have used a little more substance than "survey."

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to write a novel. It is filled with information that isn't available to the gay fictional writer. It is filled with good and bad examples of writing and comments from publishers as to why they would publish or not. I found this book to be so informative, I couldn't put it down. Not only that, but it motivated me to keep writing!

I loved this book! It is a great how-to write book and takes you through many things you need to know if you are interested in writing M/M fiction. It is also very good for new writers period. Many of the items in the book take you through the writing organizational process.

But the best thing I liked about the book was the humor. Josh Lanyon takes you through the process like he was a friend trying to teach you something with fun and excitement. I don't think you could do better than this book for getting all of the information with fun, intelligence and great information.

This is my new favorite reference book! As I have come to expect from Josh Lanyon this book is thoughtful and very entertaining. He stakes out new territory in describing the features that make m/m fiction distinctive and compiles the literary critique of current authors and publishers of this emerging genre. Especially interesting to me is his description of the craft of writing and where it meets the business of publishing. I am fascinated by his observations concerning the particular allure of m/m fiction to women and gay male readers. Ultimately we all seem to respond to quality romance. The author is very generous to his public and I am glad to return the favor by highly recommending this window into the world of the writers who give us so many dreamy sleepless nights!

I have an extensive collection of writing reference books, some helpful, others not so much. I was a bit skeptical at first, seeing this, but I figured if it was completely useless, I would just return it.
I'm glad I plunked down the cash.

I have bought books on writing erotica and been vastly disappointed, as they almost always have nothing helpful to say--or anything that I hadn't already figured out on my own. Most of these books, in fact, are just the authors' way of plugging their own, less-than-spectacular, works.

This book, however, is the exact opposite. I was extraordinarily pleased to see that the book is not some slim tome, or printed in 14-16 point font--at 300+ pages, it is printed in the same font size as any good reference book available in a brick and mortar store. Considering I had just received a book on writing erotica that was under 100 pages and looked like it was suitable for my grandmother's less-than-stellar vision...well, I was disappointed, and had been expecting something along the same lines for Mr. Lanyon's book.

The author addresses his subject with humor, taste, and a very down-to-earth voice that engages the reader immediately. The TOC alone had me thankful I had purchased this book; not only does the book address the mechanics of writing M/M, it breaks it down into chapters that address aspects of ALL fiction writing: characterization, setting, conflict, etc. And while Mr. Lanyon does use his own works as examples, his is not the only voice being heard in this book. Authors and publishers in the genre weigh in in each chapter, which makes me, as the reader, feel like I'm truly getting good advice, and not just having to take Mr. Lanyon's word for it.

I love this book, and could go on and on and on as to why, but I highly suggest that you check it out (it does allow one to 'Look Inside', a feature I love here on Amazon). Seriously, if you have any kind of interest in writing M/M (or even writing in general, as the advice given can be easily applied to any type of fiction writing), buy out this book.

A very technical book with too much information re writing gay stories. Intended for those who wish to write m/m stories.