Who Reads Romance Novels?
By Alyssa J. Montgomery
Romance novels have
been outselling every other genre for many years. The most recent figures I found
cited Romance/erotica sales as being at US$1.44 billion dollars and Crime
coming in at second spot with sales of US$728.2 million. According to the
Romance Writers of Australia website, of 10 million books sold each year in the
United Kingdom, greater than 7 million are romance novels, and there is a Mills
& Boon sold every three seconds in the UK!
So, who are all
these voracious romance readers and is there a ‘type’ of person who’s more
inclined to read romance?
In a fabulous article
for Huffington Post, (see link below), Maya Rodale quoted facts and figures to
dispel the notion that “It is a truth universally acknowledged that romance
readers are single women in possession of cats and in want of a man”; “younger
women who use them as emotional porn”; or “middle aged women who are bored in
their marriages and want to fantasise about hard, chiselled men”.
A study of 2000
romance readers, published by the Romance Writers of America found that contrary
to all the negative stereotypes, the basic demographic of the romance reader is
a well educated woman aged from 25-64 years. 82% of the romance readers
surveyed were female and 18% were male. A 2016 ARRA survey revealed that of 275
respondents, only one was male, and 78.1% said that 50% or more of the books
they read were romances.
Now, on some level statistics
may be interesting—particularly to publishers and authors who are trying to
determine the emerging trends in the marketplace. To focus on these figures,
however, is to overlook the essence of what makes a romance reader.
I believe the gender, sexual
persuasion or age of the romance reader doesn’t matter, nor does their
educational level or marital status. As far as I’m concerned, it’s of no
consequence as to what sub-genre of romance he or she is likely to enjoy or
whether they love billionaires, shape-shifters or cowboys.
The crucial commonality
is that all romance readers love to feel an emotional connection to characters
as they read. It’s the emotional journey undertaken by the characters that the
romance reader empathises with and finds satisfying. There’s your answer to the
question ‘Who reads romances?’
Romance readers are
generally compassionate people who feel deeply and possess great empathy. They’re
usually positive people who love a happy ending, and have a knack of making
others around them happy.
Sound like emotional
claptrap? Well, just attend any romance reader event and see the friendships,
the shared laughter and the sense of community! It's great to be part of the world of romance reading.
Who reads romance novels?
I do, and I’m
betting if you’re reading this, so do you!
Love to love:
Romance novels!!
Love to Laugh:
Romance novels make me laugh just as much as they make me teary. It’s that
satisfying emotional journey that counts!
Love to Learn: What
other romance readers are reading and enjoying, especially finding a new
author, so leave a comment below and perhaps make a recommendation of three
romance novels you’d recommend to someone discovering the genre.
References:
Hi Alyssa! Thanks for a lovely upbeat post about romance readers and the wonderful camaraderie we enjoy in being members of this 'tribe'.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is a great ‘tribe’, Marilyn!
DeleteI am team love romance and have been since i was 15. I suspect i always will.
ReplyDeleteI think you will too, Cassie! It’s reflected in your own wonderful novels!
DeleteHi Alyssa, thanks for such an inspiring article. Two books I’d recommend to new readers of the romance genre are “Flowers from the Storm” by Laura Kinsale and “The Winter Bride “ by Anne Gracie.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Sharon. Those stories are brilliant!
DeleteHi Alyssa. I've said it so many times, I'm sure it's a well-known fact by now. I read Cinderella as a preschooler and that was it. Instant love for romantic tales so it was no surprise I discovered Mills & Boon at nine years old. And my reading hasnth changed. Love feel good stories of happily ever after.
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point, Enisa. We are raised on romance and the HEA in fairytales. You not only love romances, you’ve contributed so much over the years to the romance community through all your involvement with RWAus, and I know I’ve benefitted from your feedback on my early novels. Thank goodness you read Cinderella!
DeleteOn the note of wonderful romance reader events and the fun to be had there, I’M looking forward to meeting more fabulous romance readers at the ARRA events in March next year (Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne) and the Booklovers Convention in New Orleans in May. Can’t wait!
ReplyDeleteI also love team Romance, and have since I was an early teen. It's not the only genre I read, I also love classics, thrillers, mysteries, inspirationals, girly novels, list goes on and on... But I always come back to romance for my romance fix. Long may it last. Thanks for a super interesting blog, as always.
ReplyDeleteHi Malvina,
DeleteHope you enjoy another romantic read this weekend!