Heads Up! The Annual AAR Reader Poll is Coming
Can you believe that in less than a month we will be celebrating a new year? Before that, we hope that many of you will have lots of free time during the holiday season with more time to read. So, with those wonderful thoughts of time to yourself running through your head we would like to remind you that on January 13, 2014 we will open AAR’s Annual Reader Poll for romance books published in 2013. That’s right, it’s time to buckle down and read those “to be read” books of 2013.
This year’s poll will be a bit different from previous years as we lay to rest a few categories that AAR readers have shown little interest in (Guiltiest Pleasure, Best Inspirational and Most Disappointing) while adding/changing categories that we hope will spark some interest.
First we are going to split the Paranormal category into two new categories: Best Paranormal/Time Travel Romance and Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Romance. The paranormal romance has come to encompass so many different creatures, magical abilities and types of world building that we wanted to try and give our readers more room to vote for their favorite books.
The next additions are for our readers who read just as happily outside the romance genre. First we are adding Best Young Adult Romance AND Best New Adult Romance as the crossover appeal of these books has drawn many new readers from the romance genre. Finally we will poll for Best Novel (non-romance) with Strong Romantic Elements.
Listed below are the categories that will be polled for including the new ones:
* Best Romance
* Best Contemporary Romance
* Best Romantic Suspense
* Best Paranormal/Time Travel Romance
*Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Romance
* Best Historical Romance Set in the U.K. (this includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
* Best Historical Romance Not Set in the U.K.
* Funniest Romance
* Biggest Tearjerker
* Best Love Scenes (in a Mainstream Romance)
* Best Category Romance (this means series category books published by Harlequin, Mills & Boon, Entangled, etc..)
* Best Chick Lit/Women’s Fiction
* Best Young Adult Romance
* Best New Adult Romance
* Best Erotica/Romantica
* Best Romance Short Story
* Best Debut Author (an author who was first published in 2013. This will exclude writers who have been previously published and are now writing under pseudonyms).
* Best Romance Hero
* Best Romance Heroine
* Most Tortured Hero
* Most Kickass Heroine
* Best Romance Couple
* Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements
Overwhelmed by all the categories? Don’t be. As always, you will only need to vote in six categories to make your ballot count.
Are you ready to vote now? Do you have some books you “must read” before voting? Then get busy. January 13 is going to come faster than we imagine. We look forward to counting your ballots in January.
We realize the new categories won’t please everyone, but we’ve listened to your comments over the past years and have tried to accommodate your recommendations. Please feel free to comment below on the new categories or any aspect of the Annual Poll that might interest you.
– Cindy, LeeB, and LinnieGayl
