In honor of Read-A-Romance Month and Romance Awareness Month, this August we’ll once again be sharing some new, focused insights of indie romance authors who have been navigating the world of the genre and writing all about love in their latest novels. To read this year’s article, click here! Here, you can read the full interview with Jagger Cole. For her website and social media, see below!
How did you first get into writing romance novels – why romance? Do you have any stories you’d like to share about your initial experiences in this particular genre and how they have influenced your journey going forward?
I’ve been a genre fiction reader my whole life. It started with Hardy Boys mysteries and the Boxcar Children, moved into a massive horror phase, then spy thrillers. Eventually, I got into fanfic (so much Harry Potter fanfic…). When Fifty Shades of Grey came out, I read it, and something clicked for me. I honestly didn’t love the book, but it opened my eyes to how good romance could be.
Without veering too hard into gender norms or anything like that, I’m a cis, straight man. So in a strange way, romance wasn’t really “on the table” for me until I was an adult and chose to try it myself. And I’m truly glad I did, because some of the best books I’ve read in the last fifteen years have in fact been romance books. I grew up seeing the Fabio books in grocery stores, or other “bodice rippers” at my grandmother’s house, and they never really spoke to me. But once I discovered things like mafia romance, or romantic suspense, and dark romance, I hit a groove I wasn’t expecting.
I think genre fiction gets sh*t on a lot for being formulaic (I disagree) or not being unique or “thought provoking” enough. And while books that do do those things are always a joy to read, I’ve always felt that, at least personally, my drive to read is for escape and fantasy. So, yes, I can pick up something thought provoking and intellectual like The Road, or Into The Wild and thoroughly enjoy them. Or, for instance, I can always read Hemingway and fall in love all over again. But a lot of other times, I want a snack of a book that hits exactly the notes I’m looking for, and romance hits that like no other genre.
What does your writing process typically look like? Where do you gain inspiration from, especially because there is a depth and complexity to these stories that set them apart from traditional conceptions of romance novels?
I’ve weirdly learned not to look too hard for inspiration with my books. Because when I do that, that’s when the block comes. So instead, I think I’m just always open to the oftentimes bizarre thoughts that hit me late at night, or in the shower, or when I’m tucking my kids in. I have about eleven billion notes on my phone, some of which have turned into great books, and others that, to this day, I have no idea what I was trying to articulate to later self. I also watch way too much TV, and I gravitate to things that I find well written or really engaging. So I do know a lot comes from soaking that up. For instance, last year, I wrote a four book mafia romance series involving a Yakuza family in Japan, which was absolutely influenced by me binging Shogun and Tokyo Vice.
In terms of the actual process, I’m a huge plotter. I know plenty of “panters” (people who write by the seat of their pants, chapter by chapter), but my ADHD/anxiety brain thinks that’s legitimately psychotic. So, plotting it is. I also write huge outlines, as in fully fleshed-out scenes, some dialogue, basic directions, notes about future events, etc. for each chapter. And I have to do this for the entire book, all the way through the epilogue, before I can even start the book, which is extremely annoying at times, but I’ve learned not to fight my brain on that.
How do you approach determining the nature of the plot or the trope(s) that you pursue in a given novel? Do you tend to stick with what is popular among readers or what is trending at the moment?
At this point, I know my niche, both in terms of what my readers want, as well as what I’m in my comfort zone writing. Right now, that’s dark romance, and usually mafia-flavored. It’s also what I read myself, so at this point, I know the tropes I write pretty intimately. While all of us writers want to think of ourselves as special snowflakes writing the next greatest gift to the world of literature, I’m also aware that a huge part of writing genre fiction, especially as an indie author, is that you absolutely do need to give people what they want to read. And yes, sometimes that means pulling your book a little more in the direction of a current trend in tropes or subgenres. My job as a writer is to find the right balance between my own voice and stories, and the “of the moment” trends that will pull in new-to-me readers.
Are there other key decisions at any point in the writing process that you tend to struggle with, or that are particularly notable?
I write all of my books linearly, which, quite frankly, sucks, a lot of the time. I’m an extremely fast writer, in that an average “head down, hands on keyboard” day for me is usually in the 7-9,000 word range. But a major thing that can slow me down is getting to a tough scene, or a plot twist I haven’t fully thought through. Because my brain doesn’t let me “move on” and come back to the problem.
How do you curate a cohesive aesthetic and visuals for your stories and series? What about the creation of merchandise that pairs with your stories? What sorts of artists and creatives do you normally consult for your vision to be realized?
I’m big on playlists, and actually link to them in the beginning of most of my books. In my previous life before writing, I was a professional musician, so it’s a huge part of my life. When I sit down to even start thinking about a book or a series, I put a lot of time into putting together a playlist of various music – tracks that inspire aspects of the books or overall tone, or songs that the story I’m writing or thinking about makes me think of. A lot of times, I’ll write the book while listening to that soundtrack I’ve created, or I use certain songs to get into a specific mindset for a specific scene.
I’ve also really gotten into Pinterest lately, and post a lot of pins, some on public and some on private boards that I feel work within the aesthetic of a book, or help me craft that aesthetic.
Going off of this, explain the process of seeking out and attaining cover photos/art for your books. What is it like to choose designs and/or models that best fit your story?
I actually design all of my own covers. It’s kind of a nice break for me, if I’m burned out on writing, where I can just switch gears to a different creative output track and start screwing around with Photoshop. A lot of the private boards I use on Pinterest are design inspo or aesthetic edits that I try and draw from when I’m creating a cover.
The covers for these books is a lot like adhering to certain tropes or hitting the notes that your readers expect. That’s any genre, not just romance. For instance, you can look at the top charts on Amazon for thrillers and see how many of them look very similar, which is because there’s just a certain look and aesthetic that those readers are gravitating to, and it makes no sense to “blaze your own path” by publishing a thriller book with a watercolor painting of a sunset on it, because it is going to get overlooked. Romance is the same way, and it’s even specific to each genre.
My books all have male models on them, though I do also offer almost all of my books in “discreet” or artistic cover versions in paperback form. Looking for the right model, with the right “look” that really drills into what a dark romance reader is looking for is tough, and it means I spend a comical amount of time looking at shirtless dudes on the internet. I’m comfortably straight, and while I can obviously still look at a male model and say, “Yeah, that guy, those eyes, and those abs are cover worthy,” I tend to double check my own impulses by running cover model potentials past my wife and some female friends. Men do read romance, and I’m pretty sure it’s more than will admit it openly, but the predominant market is obviously women. So if you’re putting a half naked man on the cover, you’d better know for sure that he’s hitting the right notes!
If you use real people on your covers, is it difficult to find models that align with the characters in your mind? Do you pick the model(s) before or after writing the character or couple?
Definitely. I’m picky, and I have very specific ideas in my head of what my characters look like. I’m also not huge on using “of the moment” cover models that are on 100 other covers. No shade at all, I just personally have a hard time deciding that this model is “Gabriel Black” in my book, when he’s also Dudebro McHockey, the best friend’s sexy older brother, and Jack Steel, the enigmatic single dad billionaire who falls for the nanny, and Buck Ryder, the rugged small town cowboy.
Most of the time, I’m picking the model before I’ve written the book, but after I’ve conceptualized it, so I know who I’m looking for.
When it comes to illustrated or discreet covers, whether this be cartoon illustrations or more subtle designs, what is your thought process?
I have a lot of fun with these. Yes, they still need to hit the right notes for the genre they represent. If it’s dark mafia, you should probably have a darker cover, with thorny roses, or fire, or shattered glass. My illustrated “alternate cover” paperbacks tend to involve themes and little easter eggs from the books.
To what extent has the cover design process changed/evolved over time based on trends and the cover styles and design choices that are deemed most popular at the moment? What is your overall perception of the fluctuating nature of book aesthetics? How have these been impacted by both reader preferences and social media discourse?
When I first started publishing five years ago, it was “man chest” cover models, or nothing. But since then, object covers have gotten much more popular, especially with the rise of BookTok. Part of it is that readers and influencers on that platform would rather show an object cover when they’re talking about a book, because TikTok will censor or block them if they’re showing “too sexy” of a model cover. There’s also been a huge influx of younger readers, who genuinely prefer a beautifully designed book that doesn’t have a naked dude on the cover.
I think it’s great, personally. I still mostly release books with model covers, because that works for me. But I love that it’s always changing. It keeps things fresh and encourages creativity and new ways of thinking, and that’s always a good thing.
Social media, particularly TikTok in recent years, has played a huge role in book promotion with the advent of “BookTok” and the progression of online fandom activities that have existed for decades. How has social media provided a platform for promoting/marketing your books and creating a fandom space for your novels? Do you have any notable stories in mind about your works going viral or skyrocketing via social media?
I’m terrible at social media. Even in my personal life, I don’t think I’ve logged into Facebook in twenty years. But, social media is obviously a huge part of this gig. So a big thing that’s helped me is nailing down what I know I’m good at (writing words), and accepting what I’m terrible at (social media). For the things I suck at, I seek help for it. I work with an amazing PR company and have a fantastic, truly life-saving PA who does most of my social media. Every now and then, I swear to myself that I’m going to get better at it, but all it does is suck time away from the things I know I’m kicking butt with.
More generally, how do you navigate the ever-changing ebb and flow of trends and popular preferences within the online book community? Feel free to share your thoughts about the dynamics of the community itself, as well as your approach to it.
The romance community is wild, and I love them for it. The sheer amount of aesthetic edits, teasers, book reviews, reels, TikToks, whatever when it comes to the books we as indie romance authors put out is mind boggling. I will say that romance-land more than other genre communities tends to draw, find, or often times create the most drama. But I genuinely love this community. I spent a long time, and still do, feeling a little nervous about delving too deep into it, being that I’m a guy, and I acknowledge and respect the fact that romance-land is predominantly a female space, and a safe space for a lot of women. So I try to walk a very specific line as a male romance author.
Going off of this, readers are more connected to authors than ever through social media and independent publishing. How do you feel about this sense of connection and attainability?
I’ve got mixed thoughts on this, and it doesn’t just pertain to the book world. Social media is great in terms of bridging that gap between artist and fans. But I do think things have gotten a little muddied in the last couple of years, especially with “fan influencers” gaining a ton of exposure and fame of their own on platforms like TikTok. Another factor is musicians, or authors, or whoever making themselves so accessible on social media. But it can create, and I hate to phrase it like this, but a little bit of toxic mindset where fans feel a sort of “ownership” of that author or musician. I’ve seen it manifest in ways like readers actively trying to create a boycott of a certain author because that author didn’t write the couple they were personally shipping. That’s a very different scenario than expressing regret that you didn’t get the couple you were expecting, and I think it’s that blurring of the lines between fandom and ownership of an artist where you start to get these mindsets where reader/fans/followers feel they are “owed” something, and if what is delivered isn’t exactly that, it’s expressed almost as if they’ve been cheated or wronged.
To be clear, this isn’t anything I’ve experienced myself, and I’m not trying to paint this as a common thing. But it’s out there, and it’s not just with indie romance authors.
How do fans and their feedback (i.e., reviews) impact your writing process, whether directly or indirectly? Describe what it’s like having an ARC team, beta team, etc. and being able to receive trusted feedback from your readers, as well as influencers and fans who make content about your work.
I love feedback, but in full transparency, what I mean is that I love nice feedback. I very, very rarely look at negative reviews. Because quite honestly, they’re very rarely helpful in terms of actual feedback, and almost always just mean. But even with the good reviews, I tend to kind of gloss over them when it comes to being influenced by them. Otherwise, you’ll get into a situation where you fixate on that one reviewer who really wanted a clown in the book. So all of a sudden, all of your books involve clowns, and 99.9999% of your readers are very confused about it, because none of them ever even remotely asked for clowns.
That said, there are a few influencers/reviewers/readers who I always pay attention to, and not just because they also happen to say really nice things about my books, but because I respect their thoughts and I find their feedback honest, and not just about my own books.
Tell me about what it’s like to be an independently published novelist as a whole. What obstacles have you encountered with this approach? What are some of the advantages you’ve been able to enjoy?
I’ve never been trad published, so I can’t really compare the two. For me, I think the obstacles are the same as the perks. By which I mean, the pros are things like “I get to be my own boss.” But the cons are “I have to be my own boss.”
But that said, this is the best job I’ve ever had, hands down. I did work from home, but since COVID, I’ve rented an office space near my house to allow me to have “home me” vs “work me,” which I think is really important for balance and mental health.
How do you handle the “business” aspect of being not only the author, but the publisher and promoter of your stories? Is it a difficult balance to achieve? Have you developed a particular approach to self-publishing that works best for you? Do you work with a PR company, influencers, or any other collaborators in this process?
Yes and no. It is challenging to have to switch hats from writer, to promoter, to cover designer, to marketer, and a dozen other hats. But at this point, I also write my books with the marketing angle to them already in my head. So it’s not nearly as chaotic as “I wrote a book. Now what?” I tend to come up with teaser concepts, cover ideas, general aesthetics before I even sit down to write a new series. And while I’m in the writing process itself, I try to be pretty aware of certain lines or scenes that I write that I know would resonate with readers, so I make a note of those as I go.
I work with a phenomenal PR company (Valentine PR), who have an incredible list of influencers they work with, and that’s been hugely helpful for me.
What has your experience been like writing as a man in the indie romance genre? Describe how this unique position has impacted your perspective.
Very interesting, very eye opening, and at times, very tricky. While men do read romance, it’s without question a predominantly female space, and is also a female-specific safe space. So to come into that as a man absolutely needs to come with certain degree of self awareness. For instance, a female author can reply to comments on her social media with a kissy-face emoji and a “thanks babe!” If I did the same (I wouldn’t, but for the sake of argument), it’s weird, because it’s pushing a line between “this is an author I enjoy who writes sexy books I love to read” and “this is a man. Full stop.” And I’m constantly hyper aware of that.
It’s also not like it’s hard for me to be a normal person with normal interactions with a mostly female reader-base (pro-tip for the dudes out there, it takes approximately zero effort to not be a creep to women online. Write that down). I’m a father to two girls, I was raised by a strongly feminist mother, and I like to think of myself as a decent human being. But I’m always extremely aware that romance-land is, predominantly, a female space, and I’m, in a sense, a guest in it.
I will say that I do get a little bummed out when I read comments or reviews along the lines of “wow, I didn’t think a man could write like this,” because it’s sort of a loaded compliment. It’s always nice to hear when someone took a chance on one of my books and loved it! But the gender-specific comments always throw me a little. I’d never write a Yelp review of my physician and say, “I couldn’t believe a woman could practice medicine!” because that would be, for one, insane, but also cartoonishly sexist. I think some of that is that men generally have a way of walling off emotions more than women, but I also think we as a society put way too much thought into how various genders are “different.”
What has your experience been as an indie author encountering pirating and copyright issues with companies like Amazon or Apple Books? Has this struggle worsened or evolved in any specific ways over time? Feel free to share any specific anecdotes you might have regarding this topic.
I’d like to think this has gotten better. Maybe. Piracy exists, and it’s not going anywhere. I’ve seen authors lose their minds trying to send DMCA takedowns to the gazillion pirate sites out there, and it’s a game of wack-a-mole you will never, ever win.
Do I like the fact that there are people who steal my books to give them away for free? No, but I’m also a little past the point of giving a sh*t, in a sense. I was a professional musician in my previous life, and I came up while Napster and online file sharing was almost literally burning the music industry as it then existed to the ground. It’s changed a lot since then. But we all still listen to music. We all still buy music. The same goes for books. If someone is going to steal your book, they’re going to steal your book, and there will always be a way for them to do so. When I do give a sh*t, it’s because I’ve gotten a nasty email from Amazon about finding one of my books on a pirate site or someplace like Apple Books, which is a violation of the ToS for having your book enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, which all of my books are. To their credit, though, Amazon has gotten a lot better about how they word these emails and how they approach the situation. It used to be basically, “you’re a cheating scammer and we found your free book online. Fix it or we’ll throw you and your family in [jail].” Now, it seems they’ve accepted that popular books are always going to be pirated, and that the authors are even more motivated than Amazon is to get those pirated books taken down.
With the advent and rapid evolution of generative AI, particularly in creative fields like writing and visual art, have you seen this making an impact on the online book community at large, or your particular body of work and fanbase? Have you encountered any challenges in the face of AI? In other words, tell me about your AI-related experiences and your stance on it.
The thing with AI books is, it’s always obvious that they’re AI. I’ll grant that the visual generative AI stuff has gotten freakishly good at imitating photographic realness. But when it comes to the creative process and experience of the human brain, I think gen AI is WAY behind.
There are three annoying things to me that’s come from AI. One is the avalanche of truly sh*tty books flooding the market, which just end up burning readers, because, again, they’re awful. The second is the prevalence of AI covers using AI models that were clearly trained off of actual people. I have a moral issue with pretty much all generative AI because all of it was trained on stolen copyrighted material. For those in the back, ALL OF IT. So when you see a book kicking ass in the Amazon charts, and the AI cover looks eerily like Henry Cavill, to me, that’s just obnoxious. Anyone could sell a million of anything with Henry Cavill on the cover. Obviously, that would be a huge copyright issue, but because we’re still in this grey legal area of using AI generated images that “only” look 99.9% like Henry, that’s what you end up seeing on books, and it pisses me off. The AI fans will, of course, say, “so why aren’t YOU using the Henry Cavill AI models,” but my answer is and always will be “because it’s theft with extra steps that we as a society haven’t quantified yet.”
The third AI annoyance I have is that it’s made everyone suspicious of everything. Do you write and release books at a rapid pace, because you’re working your ass off writing ten hours a day, five days a week? Must be AI. Do you use em dashes? Totally AI. That one is a particular grievance for me, because I’ve always written with a ton of em dashes. But because they’ve become so used by AI, I find myself self-editing to avoid them. So now I’m actively altering my writing voice to not sound like the plagiarism machine that probably trained itself off of my writing voice.
Are you publishing your books in audiobook form? If yes, what has this process been like and what is your approach to it? Have you seen this format becoming more popular over the years? Why do you think it’s a preference among some readers?
Having come from a music and recording background, I always had this fantasy of producing and maybe even narrating my own books. But the reality is, every other ball I have up in the air aside from audiobooks are insanely hard enough to keep up there. So when it comes to audiobooks, I’ve actually signed with publishing companies who take over pretty much all of the process. Some authors will swear on producing their own. But for me, at this stage in my life and career, it’s simply something I would never have the time to do. So I’m very happy to have partnered with publishers to get them out there.
To learn more, please visit Jagger’s website, jaggercolewrites.com. Here, you’ll also be able to find his socials!