Dear Amazon, I'm Pretty Sure That Sexy Bastards is NOT Women's Fiction

Dear Amazon,

I decided to treat myself to a new book this week. I was in the mood for women's fiction. I hopped right over to your Top 100 bestseller list, and guess what I found?

Sexy Bastards
Break Me: A Stepbrother Romance
Shawty Fell In Love With A Hustla
MMF Bisexual Romance Vacation for Three
Bad Boy Fire Bear Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance


I decided to try Romantic Comedy instead. There I found...

Monster Prick
Blindfold The Complete Box Set
Dirty Little Secrets
Stepbrother With Benefits
Call Me Killer A Bad Boy Romance


Obviously, it's me. I'm not using these lists correctly! So I decide to try one last list...my favorite at this time of year. HOLIDAY ROMANCE! And I found these...


Stepbrother With Benefits Third Season
Bad Boy Daddy
Push Ultra Alpha MMA Badboy Mafia Romance
Steel Justice Romantic Suspense
Deliciously Mated


Now, don't get me wrong. I'm sure that some of these books might have something to do with Christmas romance. And possibly humor. And a woman's journey. But I have to admit that a lot of these titles sound like they're pretty-close-to-a-porno. I have no problem with that, per se. If you had a list of books called "pretty-close-to-a-porno" that would be great. But instead, I'm finding them in women's fiction.

What does that mean?

It means that the most important tool for browsing at Amazon--the bestseller list--is now worthless. The lists are filled with non-category books that don't belong there. And since Amazon has billions of books, it effectively destroys the only way that I can browse for books I like.

That's an epic fail for readers.

And from the other side of the coin--as an indie author--it's also an epic fail. One of the best ways I can reach readers is via the bestseller lists. But my Klaus Brothers Christmas romance cannot compete with MILFs and Stepbrothers and Badboys. So, I'm shit out of luck as an author, too.

Recently, I visited the bookstore in my hometown, and it was a lovely and pleasant experience. There were women's fiction books in the women's fiction section. There were comedies in the humor section. And there was a whole table of holiday fiction, and not one Stepbrother book in sight.

Dear Amazon,

You can do better.



Sincerely,

Penelope

I'm Hangin' With Steve...You Know, Stephen King.

Updates from the Peanut Gallery....

1) I got a kindle for Christmas. Hee hee hee heeeeeee..... I am in love. I will never buy a print book again. My husband gets big-time brownie points for the next decade.

2) Corollary to number 1: Gotta work on my kindle addiction. Sigh.

3) Much to my surprise, my debut novel Sweet Inspiration is cropping up on some bestseller lists. Seriously, seeing my half-naked Santa book cover next to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol is pretty hilarious. And totally cool. And completely unexpected. Here is the latest bestseller list from Fictionwise....

Top eBooks, Fictionwise, Sat Jan. 2

1.	Blame It On The Mistletoe by Lily Graison [ROM]
2.	Divine Misdemeanors [Meredith Gentry Series #8] by Laurell K. Hamilton [DARKFANT]
3.	Shades of Midnight [Midnight Breed Series Book 7] by Lara Adrian [ROM]
4.	Under the Dome: A Novel by Stephen King [SF]
5.	Altar of Eden by James Rollins [SUSP/THRILL]
6.	Night Watch [Tall, Dark, and Dangerous Series Book 11] by Suzanne Brockmann [ROM]
7.	Witch and Wizard by James Patterson [SUSP/THRILL]
8.	Sweet Inspiration by Penny Watson [ROM]
9.	Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas [ROM]
10.	Street Game (Game/Ghostwalker) by Christine Feehan [FIC]

I am on a top 10 list with Stephen King. Un-freakin-believable. Sweet Inspiration is also rated #2 on the romance bestseller list for Readerwise.com. I am amazed and humbled and completely appreciative of all the folks who took a chance on this book. And totally pumped and inspired to work on my WIP....which leads us to....

4) Goals for 2010: Finish/publish Sweet Magik, #2 of the Klaus Brothers Series. Finish Diabolical, my botanical mystery/romance. Travel to a new, exciting place with my family (already have the reservations for Jackson Hole, Wyoming...Yellowstone and Grand Tetons! Yay!). Work on my fitness before August so I can hike the Tetons without requiring oxygen.

5) One more update...I emailed Christine Feehan to ask her when she was writing Skyler and Dimitri's story, and she said...."I don't know"--- Criminy!!!!!!! She is killing me.

6) New books coming up for 2010....Julie Garwood's Sizzle, Christine Feehan's Street Game, A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh, and Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz. I can't wait to read these on my new kindle! Weeeee!

I hope everyone had a festive holiday season, and that 2010 will bring you exciting and wonderful adventures!

Penelope