Who Reads Romance, Anyway

 

Now isn't this the perfect picture to illustrate an article about romance? She was the ring-bearer.

By Becke Martin Davis

 

Who reads romance? Hmmm, judging by that show of hands, it looks like most of you do. But a fair number of romance readers are still in the closet, based on my personal, totally unscientific online research.

 

Reading romance is sort of a guilty secret – millions of women and a growing number of men read (and write) romance, but some are awfully shy about it. Non-romance readers might be surprised to learn that Romance/Erotica was ranked the top selling book genre in 2014, bringing in $1.44 billion. ¹ That said, a report from Publishers Weekly noted that sales in all genres except Graphic Novels and Westerns fell in 2014. ² The pandemic has probably brought book sales back up again, but I haven’t done the research on 2020 sales.

 

I’m an obsessive reader, but as a grandma, I’m not in publishers’ preferred demographic for readers. That’s okay – the more people who read romance, the more of my favorite authors will be able to shed their day jobs and write.

 

“According to Nielsen’s Romance Book Buyer Report, romance book buyers are getting younger—with an average age of 42, down from 44 in 2013. This makes the genre’s average age similar to the age for fiction overall. In addition, 44% of these readers are aged 18-44. . . These core romance fans are avid readers who stay very loyal to the genre. Some 6% of buyers purchase romance books more than once a week, and 15% do so at least once a week. Moreover, 25% of buyers read romance more than once a week, and nearly half do so at least once a week; only 20% read romance less than once a month. Younger buyers (those under 30) are not quite as devoted, reading and purchasing less often. They also have different tastes; while romantic suspense is the most popular subgenre overall, these younger readers trend more toward erotic stories.” ³

 

Whenever possible, I try to read a book a day. Over the years, I’ve done my bit to keep several bookstores in business, and I’m happy to put money into the pockets of hardworking authors. Nowadays, I read all kinds of genres and sub-genres, but it wasn’t always that way. For many years, mysteries were my number one choice of reading material. When I was in my twenties, I realized a lot of my favorite authors – Mary Stewart, for instance – incorporated a romantic subplot into their stories. That led me to take my first baby steps into the world of romance novels. Janet Dailey’s books were everywhere back then and, much to my surprise, I liked them. Kathleen Woodiwiss’ books also landed on my keeper shelves. When I took the brave step of suggesting that my mom might like to try a romance, my mystery-reading mother nearly laughed me out of the house.

 

If my mom reacted that way, I dreaded to think what my friends might say if they caught me with a Harlequin or Mills & Boon paperback in my purse. I was hooked, but it remained a secret passion. Rather than risk the raised eyebrows of a judgmental bookstore clerk (one elderly bookstore cashier said, “You don’t want to read that, honey, it’s full of bad language and filth!”). I bought the book anyway, but it taught me a lesson. If I read romance, I would be judged.

 

“Romance novels feature archetypal characters, occasionally contrived plots, and predictable endings. But, wait…bookstores are full of sci-fi novels, fantasy novels, and mystery novels that check each one of these boxes. Yet other genre fiction readers, instead of being characterized as simpleminded or unwilling to challenge themselves, are often stereotyped as smart. So what gives? Oh yeah! It’s the sex. A talk radio show host essentially called women who use birth control “sluts.” State Legislatures suspended people for saying “vagina” on the floor. Current legislation proposes to deny expectant mothers access to testing that would help ensure their health and the health of their fetuses. Our society feels threatened by women having sex.” ⁴

 

Before the days of e-commerce there were ways to get books by mail, in anonymous brown cardboard boxes: I subscribed. I subscribed to them all – Harlequin and Silhouette in every line I could find, Candlelight Ecstasy Romance. Others whose names I’ve forgotten. I had book boxes coming every week, and I gobbled them up like chocolate. I commuted to work by train, and could read one book there and another on the way back. I made a note of my favorite authors and was excited when one of them, Nora Roberts, soon had thrillers on the best seller racks. My daughter bought me a compendium listing all of Nora’s books and I read all 200+ of them. When I finished the last one (thankfully, she’s written a lot more since then), I panicked.

Agatha Christie was dead, Mary Stewart hadn’t had a new book in years – if I didn’t have Nora Roberts, what was I going to read? A month or so later, my husband had to go to Las Vegas on a business trip, and brought me with him. I had all kinds of free time during the day. It’s a fun town, but I’m not a gambler. I found a small bookstore and desperately looked for something to read. I picked up a book called TELL ME LIES by Jennifer Crusie. An hour later I was in my hotel room, laughing out loud as I tore through the book. As soon as I finished it, I ran out and bought every Jennifer Crusie book in the store. The next day, I sat by the pool with another Crusie book, totally caught up in the story. I was almost finished when I realized I was the only person at the pool – in fact, the gates were locked and I had to flag down a maintenance man to let me out.

 

Discovering Jenny Crusie’s books was a life-changing experience. A few months later I found out she was holding a fan conference called Cherry Con just a few miles from my home. I managed to get the last available registration slot. Mid-conference, I ran out to a nearby bookstore and bought everything I could find by Lani Diane Rich and Anne Stuart, who were also at Cherry Con. And as soon it was available, I ordered a historical romance by a new author Christine Merrill. When Christine read an excerpt from her back, I was surprised at the snappy dialogue and humor. Up until then, I had avoided historical romance. In my head, those books were torrid costume-dramas with nothing to hold my interest. She and Anna Campbell, who gave me a “must read” list, have a lot to answer for! Michelle Buonfiglio, who hosted a popular book review blog, and Melanie Murray Downing, who moderated a romance forum at BN.com, each gave me lists of historicals I absolutely had to read. My keeper “shelf” now includes two whole bookcases of historical romances.

 

Christine Merrill, Jennifer Crusie, Barb (Caridad) Ferrer, Alyssa Day (background), Anne Stuart, Lani Diane Rich. In tiara, the wonderful Jill Purinton at Cherry Con, 2007.

When Bridgerton aired on TV, my daughter-in-law (a high school assistant principal and mother of two) was intrigued. I gave her all my Julia Quinn books to read and any I missed, she bought for herself. Since then she has discovered Eloisa James and Lisa Keypas. I've given her books by Joanna Bourne, Lorraine Chase and Julie Ann Long to keep her going. Hooked!

 

I had been a fan of romantic suspense since I discovered Suzanne Brockmann's books when she first started writing about the Troubleshooters. My daughter introduced me to young adult books, a writer friend introduced me to erotic romance, and yet another friend led me paranormal romance. I was predisposed to like paranormals, since I had enjoyed the sci-fi books I sampled back in high school. (Reviewer Paul Goat Allen is an excellent source of new sci-fi and paranormals.) 

And so it goes…and so my keeper shelf grows. I’m a proud, addicted reader of romance in all forms but, although I hate to admit it, I’m a poor suffragette for the romance movement. I’m happy to talk books with anyone, and if I could find a “romance reader” tiara, I’d wear it with pride. (A good friend, who writes mystery and romance, gave me a carved sign that spells out “Romance.” Another writer friend gave me a “Happily Ever After” plaque.)

 

And yet, I have a really cute Vera Bradley quilted paperback book cover that I bring with me to cover those bare, tattooed male chests when I read in public places. Am I ashamed of my reading choices? Not on your nelly. But I choose my battles, and I don’t want to get into a shouting match with readers who are clueless about the romance genre. They don’t know what they’re missing.

                                                                        END

 

To see more statistics about romance readers and the romance genre, check out the website of the Romance Writers of America®.

Sources: 1 “What 5 Book Genres Make the Most Money?” by Thomas Stewart, 1/31/2014, The Richest

2 “The Hottest (and Coldest) Book Categories of 2014,” by Jim Millott, 1/23/2015, Publishers Weekly

3 “Literary Liaisons: Who’s Reading Romance Books?” 8/10/2015, Nielsen

4 “Why Smart Women Read Romance Novels” by Anne Browning Walker, 7/12/2012, Huffington Post Books

This article was first published at Romance University, a site that is no longer active. I am now retired and, sadly, can’t support my author friends as much as I used to. Sometimes I have to get used books, and I order books from the library, too.