BookTok author Ana Huang mastered the art of billionaire romances. She said her first sports novel didn't come as easily.

• On Tuesday, Ana Huang released "The Striker," her first sports romance.
• Huang had to investigation shot and ballet to bring nan book to life.
• She worked pinch alpha readers pinch knowledge of nan crafts to constitute nan book.

If you person publication immoderate of Ana Huang's books, you cognize astir her affinity for billionaires.

Huang, 33, writes spicy romance novels, galore featuring billionaire emotion interests, for illustration Alex Volkov successful "Twisted Love" aliases Dante Russo successful "King of Wrath."

Readers look arsenic smitten pinch Huang's able protagonists arsenic she is. Variety reported that she has sold complete 15 cardinal copies of her books to date, and she has go a fixture connected bestseller lists since "Twisted Love" was released successful 2021. She besides has complete 731,000 followers connected TikTok, wherever BookTok has embraced her romanticist leads.

For her 13th novel, "The Striker," released Tuesday, Huang decided to research a caller romanticist archetype: nan athlete. "The Striker" follows master shot subordinate Asher Donovan arsenic he tries to find emotion pinch a erstwhile ballerina.

Since nan book revolved astir 2 high-intensity sports, Huang told Business Insider she had to return a different attack to preparing to constitute than pinch her erstwhile works.

Tackling sports

Huang introduced Asher successful 2 of her erstwhile titles — "Twisted Hate" and "King of Wrath" — but "The Striker" yet tells his emotion story.

A master shot (aka football) subordinate successful nan Premier League, Asher is forced to train alongside his teammate and nemesis Vincent Dubois astatine a ballet academy aft they autumn short of winning a championship. Scarlett Dubois, Vincent's sister, is their trainer — and nan female Asher can't extremity reasoning about.

"It's my first ever sports romance," Huang said. "I deliberation that it is, of course, a small different from nan caller big billionaire romances I've written successful nan past. I deliberation nan reside will beryllium somewhat much lighthearted."

Soccer and ballet are heavy progressive successful nan book's plot, truthful Huang needed to study astir some to constitute it.

She said that was a newer acquisition for her, arsenic she had already been willing successful really nan able unrecorded and recreation earlier she wrote nan "Twisted" and "Kings of Sin" series.

"I person been reference Vogue and Travel & Leisure and Forbes and each of that since I was a teenager," she said. "So nan billionaire stuff, I really didn't person to investigation that much, but nan sports, I really did."

For instance, Huang's characters often hop connected private jets to romanticist destinations aliases splurge connected costly jewelry without a thought. She besides uses a fictional private members' club called Valhalla Club arsenic nan backdrop of respective scenes successful "King of Sins," creating an aerial of exclusivity.

Getting successful nan mind of an athlete

Huang told BI she spent a batch of clip researching for "The Striker," first connecting pinch "experts" successful shot and ballet earlier she moreover started writing.

"Some were erstwhile aliases existent ballerinas and shot players," Huang said of nan experts. "Others activity for a Premier League nine aliases are specified immense fans that they cognize astir of nan rules and technicalities. I for illustration having a scope of perspectives connected each topic."

Huang besides said she worked pinch alpha readers who publication portions of her caller arsenic it was successful advancement and provided feedback. She told BI that alpha readers are peculiarly celebrated pinch self-published authors, though traditionally published writers could use from them, too.

Huang has a "core group" of alpha readers who person been reviewing drafts of her books since mid-2021 aliases early 2022. She besides tapped readers pinch expertise that would beryllium adjuvant for "The Striker" arsenic she worked connected it.

"I person 'specialty alphas' who publication for accuracy successful circumstantial niches for illustration shot aliases ballet," she said. "The specialty alphas alteration by book and are chiefly originated from my scholar pool."

For "The Striker," Huang said she made a Google shape exertion that she shared connected her societal media pages and her newsletter to find readers. It asked questions astir an applicant's acquisition pinch ballet aliases shot and being an alpha reader.

"I usually prime 2 to 3 readers per niche," she said. "I'll besides inquire my editors if they cognize anyone who tin alpha publication for definite topics, and they usually do."

Huang told BI nan benignant of penetration she gets from alpha readers varies by person.

"I person an alpha scholar who leaves wide notes astatine nan extremity of each group of chapters, but astir supply granular feedback via way changes," she said, adding that immoderate readers inquire circumstantial questions while others conscionable respond to sections of nan book.

"They'll often show maine whether a statement made them swoon, laugh, aliases cry, which is awesome because it's adjuvant to cognize which parts of nan book request to beryllium improved and which parts readers already love," Huang said.

In summation to speaking to alpha readers and experts, Huang besides watched "day successful nan life" YouTube videos of shot players, learning nan ins and outs of their lives.

"It was benignant of a multimedia benignant of investigation process," she said. "Thank God for nan modern property of video."

Despite each of nan caller elements, Huang said "The Striker," which is conscionable book 1 successful nan "Gods of nan Games" series, still has galore features her readers loved from her erstwhile works, for illustration recovered family, glamorous events, and travel.

"I deliberation it's going to beryllium a nosy mix," she said.