I am so pleased you found this page. Today I was thinking as I was working on my website, “What is the problem many people have with romance readers?” Well, I think, it goes something like this:
Romance has a bad reputation. A
lot of people think of romance readers as their maiden aunts sitting on
the train with the knitting in the bag and that ugly old cat waiting
for them at home getting their daily passion ration with the book they
keep stashed under a pillow on their chair. You know what? There
could be a proportion of readers like that out there, but there is a
growing movement of readers, young and old, professionals and tradesmen
and women who also enjoy a good romance.
Why? Because it feels good! In
the worst economic climate our country has seen in a while, things are
pretty grim so we are looking to escape our reality, to live someone
else’s life for just a while and to experience that flash of something
special we all think of as love and the start of a brilliant and
lifelong, not to mention emotionally satisfying partnership. Wow! Sounds Fab right?
Did you know romance is THE fastest growing genre in the world? When
you stop and consider that there is now in excess of 1500 romance
titles released each month (in every format) that means more and more
people are looking for the boost. Romance is a multi million dollar industry. Publishing houses are pumping big dollars into these lines because people want to read them because they feel better afterwards.
Is romance pornographic? I hear this question time and time again. No. Romance is about that special relationship between 2 people. Romance
readers are looking for their payoff – the Happy Ever After (HEA) and
they invest a lot of emotion into the stories they read. Not quite what a lot of people think. Yes,
many do have physical scenes that leave you a little hot under the
collar sometimes (and let’s be frank – some do read it for that) but the
books are about that feeling you get when Hero gets Heroine, they beat
the bad guys and get their HEA. End of story it is about making you feel good.
Romance books are formulaic. I wish writing a book was really that simple. In fact, have you actually read what many Romance Specific publishing companies state on their websites? Most only accept between 1 and 3 percent of ALL submissions made to them. That means a lot of people are writing books and many will never get past first base. If
romance books had a formula, just like cooking, we could have 2 parts
of love, half a cup of lust and a litre of happy ever after to make a
perfect romance. Unfortunately though, there would be a lot more books released if that was the case.
But at the end of the day, we still see articles telling us Romance Books are bad. Why is that? Sure
there are people out there with addictive personalities who don’t have
the skills to see that these books are, at the end of the day a story. Not true. But for many, it gives them something to strive for and look for in a relationship.
As a reader of romance, I walk tall and openly state that I am a romance reader. But in case you missed it...”Hi, my name is Nicola, and I read romance.” And I am not the only one. There
are now associations world wide who encourage their readership to
engage with others in open discussions about romance books. In Australia, there is the Australian Romance Readers Association. These
are places where those who previously were underground romance readers
can come together to share their passion for romance books. (Pardon the pun!) But
they discuss the good points, the bad points and everything in between
of their favourite authors, to share new authors and to critique the
books they read. They are
hotbeds of creativity, where many will get their springboard into
writing themselves, thus joining associations of romance writers!
So
the next time someone says, “Oh, you read romance,” remember that this
is a growing trend in males and females of every walk of life. From Princesses to street sweepers, from pool attendants to Solicitors. From booksellers to graphic designers and everyone in between. We just want to feel better even if the buzz only lasts the period of a book.
Written by Nicola Pitt
Owner and Manager of Love Books Australia
Are you a proud romance reader?
This article was written ages ago, before I began writing so it was one of the things that always sat in the back of my mind. Since then I have started to get a handle on issues that romance readers and writers face.
Things such as comments... "Have you done everything you write about in your books?" or "You write romance? Can you tell me about the formula?" People really don't understand that there is NO formula to writing a romance, or that hours and hours of research come before you even put your fingers to the keys. That is why romance novels have such a strong basis in reality.
Sure, it is easier to publish your own work now. Many do. Some of the stuff out there is cringe-worthy but there is also a lot of things written to a really high standard by authors who have a strong grasp of the craft. These authors have taken and invested in their pieces, have had their work professionally edited and high quality cover art created. It is, for many now, a business. Not a job, because that implies 9-5 and this is so much more. In fact, I would go so far as to call it a lifestyle choice.
For me, the romance is about the passion and the growth of the characters. Particularly, I like my settings to be predominantly set in space, where the hardships and crises both the Hero and Heroine face are out of the ordinary. (Because we can all use something extraordinary to strive for, right?)
So the next time, someone says to you, "Oh you read romance." or "You only write romance, don't you?" step forward and issue the challenge. Write a character rich novel, filled with important details, find a publisher and show us your mettle. I'll bet you, many will back away from the task, because it is a huge endeavor in a market that wants quality and choice.
Imogene
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