Alexa Martin: On Romance and MLMs
Alexa Martin is the award-winning author of romance and women’s fiction novels. Her books have been chosen by NPR and Amazon for the best books of the year and her…
Alexa Martin is the award-winning author of romance and women’s fiction novels. Her books have been chosen by NPR and Amazon for the best books of the year and her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, and NPR. She lives in Dallas with her husband, four children, and German Shepherd. Her first series, The Playbook, was inspired by the eight years she spent as an NFL wife and her deep love of all things pop culture, sparkles, leggings, and wine. When she’s not dreaming up her next romance hero, you can find her catching up on whatever Real Housewives franchise is currently airing or filling up her Etsy cart with items she doesn’t need. Follow her on Instagram.
In this interview, Alexa discusses how the joy of writing a character from her previous novel helped inspire her new romance, How to Sell a Romance, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Alexa Martin
Literary agent: Kimberly Whalen
Book title: How to Sell a Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: July 15, 2025
Genre/category: Romance/Romcom
Previous titles: The Playbook series, Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes, Better than Fiction, Next-Door Nemesis
Elevator pitch: When Emerson Pierce signs up for a Petunia Lemon, a skincare multi-level marketing company, she’s excited to make some extra money and friends, but when she meets Lucas Miller, the investigative reporter trying to bring down Petunia Lemon, those plans change. After an explosive first meeting, fate forces them back together in order to bring down Petunia Lemon and try to come out on top in this pyramid scheme of love.
What prompted you to write this book?
I love the idea of writing a romance in a setting that seems a little unconventional. The book I wrote before this, Next-Door Nemesis, was about a homeowner’s association, and there was a character in the book who joined three different MLMs over the course of the story. I had so much fun writing her, and my editor and I both thought a story set around a multi-level marketing company could be really interesting to write and read.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
This book took about two years from idea to publication. My editor and I came up with the general idea of a romance set in the multi-level marketing world, but then I had to sit and get a lot more specific about the story I wanted to tell. The idea transformed a few times over the time it took me to draft it. It’s probably not surprising, but the balance between moving an MLM storyline forward along with a romance plot took time and a few rewrites before I felt like I got it write. My editor was so helpful in finding the places where I could expand on MLM storyline without slowing down the romance and I’m so grateful to have her one my side.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I think there will always be surprises in this process, but for the most part, this book was pretty uneventful. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with my editor since my very first book and I feel like we have created a relationship where we both know what to expect from one another. I think maybe the biggest surprise is that when I first started in publishing, I thought there’d be a time where it would just be easy and I would never doubt myself. If that does happen, I’m not there yet!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I think the biggest surprises in this book came from my own experiences. I have fallen victim to my fair share of “hey hun!” messages on Facebook and for a while, I was really hard on myself for joining. But in talking to other women who have joined and watching videos, I was able to see the common theme for most of the people who join. I thought most people joined for the opportunity to make money and even though that is definitely an incentive, most women were joining for the community. The need to feel connected is such a universal and human need, it made finding the actual story so much easier. At the end of the day, feeling loved and accepted is at the core of romance, no matter the silly scenario they happen to discover it in.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I just hope they have fun. Whenever I start writing, my goal is that readers will finish the story with a smile on their face. The world is hard, and I want to provide a place where readers can go to escape, laugh, and hopefully fall in love along with my characters. I think reading should be joyful and I hope my readers feel that whenever they open one of my books.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
It can be so easy to get lost in the stress of deadlines and reviews and all of the other things, but at the end of the day, it’s so important to remind ourselves how lucky we are to get to do this. We get to create worlds and build stories while calling it work. If you can find the joy in the mundane, your readers will feel it in every word you write.
