Why Romance IS NOT Going To Disappear

When I opened Greyhaus Literary Agency in 2003, I focused entirely on romance and women's fiction. People thought I was crazy. Why wasn't I going to represent all of these other genres. The answer was simple. I believe in these, and more specifically, I believe in the romance genre. 

Now I get it, this is not the highest paying of all those genres out there, but it is consistent and it has a huge following. Honestly, if you look around you in large gatherings where people can be on their phones or reading books, look at the book readers. Most are reading some sort of romance or women's fiction novel. Consider the fact that in 2023 there was close to 40 million printed copies of romance novels sold. That is well over the 18 million sold in 2020. This genre alone generated over $1.44 billion in revenue.

Not bad for what people who once called these "bodice rippers."

But these are far from that stereotype. The thing that made the romance novel successful in the past, successful now, and certainly successful in the future is the fact it is about people. It is about bringing people together. It is about the human condition.

For so many, the world today is not a pretty place. People struggle paying bills, issues at work, crisis in the world, politics, religion... OK, simply turning on the television. According to one Gallup News Poll in 2023, at least 29% of Americans report having been diagnosed with depression. Note that this number is only those who have reported and those who have been "diagnosed." 

And it is romance that helps so many simply get through the day. Knowing that HEA (Happily Ever After) is going to be there keeps our hopes alive.

What is more exciting are the number of younger readers now diving into the romance genre. In 2023, 44% of the reading population was below the age of 40. This younger group, thanks to the Romantasy genre, had a huge impact. According to Circan, a market researcher, sales increased by 42% with authors like Sarah J. Maas selling over 40 million copies worldwide.

But for me, it is a lot more than just the numbers. If you attend writing conferences, you will see the enthusiasm. I go to general writing conference with people in everything including poetry, non-fiction, memoirs, "literary fiction" (they love throwing that one around), and some romance, the tone is always very serious. They talk about "the craft of writing" and "strategies for sales." It is all about the numbers.

BUT... when you attend a conference with romance writers, the tone is over-the-top positive. They talk about their characters as real people. They talk about how much they loved that scene when the couple kissed in the rain. They talk about the future of their characters even after the HEA and they close the book. These readers are passionate. 

And these authors are women.

In February of 2023, 83% of romance novels were written by women. 

And this is what I love about this genre. Women, who for so long in history have been "dismissed" in society for various social and political reasons are the ones who truly get it. They are the one who see what is keeping humanity together. The romance genre is about the future!

For me, this is a future I am sticking with as well!

Why Romance Gets An Unwarranted Bad Rap

When I tell people that I represent romance and women's fiction, I always get a few snickers in the group. I see the same thing when I attend general fiction conferences and writers talk about what genre they work in. Most of the time, the romance authors are the quiet ones in the room. If asked what they write, the often respond with "I write historical" or "I write suspense and thrillers." It is only after being pushed, or they hear someone say they like reading romance, or they represent romance like I do, that we hear the full story. "Actually, I write historical romance much like Nicola Cornick". Why do they keep the fact they write romance hidden?

In all honesty, I do believe it is the negative stigma many outside of romance tend to apply to this genre. What is amazing is how quickly those people often get very quiet when you mention statistics such as:

• Estimated annual total sales value of romance in 2013: $1.08 billion (source: BookStats)
• Romance unit share of adult fiction: 13% (source: Nielsen Books & Consumer Tracker, BISAC Romance)
• In what format are romance books being purchased? (source: Nielsen US Romance Landscape Q1 2014) 

FROM THE ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA

To add to this, we have common stereotypes, comments and perceptions that are always tossed around, sometimes in joking of:

• bodice rippers
• romance is writing just formulas
• these are silly little stories about women and their fantasies

I do believe that writers in this genre are not helping matters much either. If they do come out and say they write romance, it is often phrased "I just write romance." Just? Really?

Romance has been a genre that has been around for a VERY long time and there is a good reason for it. Romance deals with human beings and that primal raw emotion of love and relationships. These are stories about the human condition and take writers into the most intimate side of this condition. Sure, other stories out there deal with human condition such as isolation, discrimination, social responsibility and so forth, but these are all external conditions. But when it comes to romance, it is that one genre that takes the reader into areas we often don't talk about, but maybe we should.

I have also heard some people criticize the time an author spends on writing romances. This again comes from that stereotype of formulaic writing. I am sorry to say this, but all genres out there have formulas the authors follow. Edgar Allen Poe clearly identified this in the 19th century with the mystery genre.

But what makes romance authors so powerful is their ability to keep up with the demand of the readers who want a constant flow of books. To produce high quality stories and keep those stories coming to meet that demand is tough. They have to constantly keep thinking of new ideas, and, more importantly, finding ways to create new approaches to stay fresh. To add to this, they are constantly trying to keep up with the ever changing public and trends. Political and social issues have to be brought into the stories without overshadowing the romance. If the story is a historical romance, the level of research has to equal some of the best non-fiction historical authors out there, and again, doing so without overshadowing the romance.

I am sorry to say this, but romance is not going away. And yes, we know all of you out there who claim you "don't read that romance stuff" do secretly check out those books when you pass through the bookstore or find the ones your significant other has left on her bedside table. And yes, we know you are out there secretly watching Outlander every Saturday night.

Why The Romance Genre Will Never Fade

Genres come and go. For anyone who has ever studied literature, this is a pretty obvious statement. Every generation has a moment when they create a new genre as a way to express their feelings, thoughts and emotions. When a new generation moves in, the older style disappears and a new one comes into play. But, if we look throughout history, a genre that has pretty much been there throughout the thick and thin has been romance. Yes, the style and approach the authors used might have shifted, but, at the core of it all, the romance has still been there.

Although we might like stories of action, demons, or criminal investigations, it seems that readers, time and time again, still like that good ol' romance. We love it when two of our characters find happiness. In fact, regardless of what some might say, we still love that happily ever after when we close that book.

If you think about it, when we talk about movies that we have seen, or tv shows we become addicted to, the stories that we frequently return to as we talk to our friends about it the next day are frequently the romance element. We are naturally drawn to it. Sure, the chase scene might have been great, the cinematography might have been incredible, even the dialogue might have been spot on, but it is still the romance that we bring to the center of our conversation.

Why is it? The simple fact is that romance is at the heart of human interaction. Remember, literature is found in the Humanities department on college campuses. The thing about romance is that we as "readers" can learn, grow and relate to the things these characters go through. We can view the relationships as wishful thinking and, like Snow White, think that "someday our prince (or princess) will come." We can see how people overcome struggles and problems most of us would run from like  Anna and Mr. Bates in Downton Abbey. We can reminisce about our first loves and the people that will always be in our hearts like Winnie and Kevin in The Wonder Years. And we can certainly learn from mistakes those characters make when they do something stupid so that we don't face the same problem in our life, like Scarlett and Rhett.

Authors in romance should be amazingly proud of the work they are doing. This is far from an easy task to take on. Telling stories that have to mirror real human emotions and feelings is a tough challenge. In the end, the success of the storytelling doesn't come down to amazing graphics or world building, but the ability of that author to accurately portray a human emotions and feelings at the basic natural level.

I have often been asked why I have specialized Greyhaus Literary Agency on the romance and women's fiction genre. The simple truth is that I have always been drawn to stories that focus on the human being at the core. All of my undergraduate and graduate work in Literature kept coming back to finding stories and pieces of literature that put the human relationship and all of the feelings and emotions attached to it at the core. Even when I studied history, I would always look at the things that happened, not simply as a series of events with outcomes that changed history. I would look at it through the eyes of the individuals living it.

Romance is here to stay. We might change how we deliver the romance to the readers (digitally or on paper). We might change who the characters are (zombies, demons or scandalous Rakes). But, we will still want that happily ever after.

The Only Constant Is Romance - Why This Genre Stands The Test of Time

As I was reading through submissions recently, I started seriously thinking about why I passed on some stories after I saw the original premise that sounded appealing. In other words, these were projects that, based on the initial query, I really thought I would like. But, once the partial or full crossed my desk, I found myself passing on it. What happened? I should note, I am strictly talking about the romance submissions here.

It hit me that, while there were issues with writing in some of the cases, most of the stories rejected had issues with the relationships. Despite all the claims the author made of a great romance, there simply wasn't that spark. The "romance" simply wasn't there.

In reality, one of the biggest reasons romance has succeeded in the past and will succeed in the future stems entirely from the fact that these are stories about "real people" with "real emotions" and truly are in love. Romance genres are not strictly stories for escape, but stories that connect the reader to emotions they had, have, or hope to have.

Regardless of trends out there in literature, the true stable story that will always be there will be the romances. Think about it. All of that fan lit reader scramble to, disappear just as quickly as it hit the books shelves. Even the trends we see in romance (erotica, Amish lit, vampires, demons, etc.) are simply that - trends. But what is still there that sticks as the constant? What stories do we always come back to as the stories we remember and want to read time and time again? It is the romance!

We can even forgive our favorite authors if the writing just isn't quite there, or the plot is just "so-so" as long as the romance in the story is honest, true and real. We give the authors slack as long as that hero and heroine are meant to be together and we fight through the trials and tribulations with those characters to the happily ever after.

When people ask me why Greyhaus Literary Agency sticks with romance (and women's fiction) the answer is simple. These are stories about real people. The characters are just like us. Regardless of what style clothing they wear, or the time period they live in, or the language they speak, they are us.

So tell me, what are your favorite romances novels?

Why Are We Settling for Mediocrity?

As most of you know, my kids swim competitively. We are constantly talking about goals and achieving the best that they can be. Of course, when we talk about this competitively, it is not to say you should simply be statisfied with where you are at. Lately, their coach has really been talking about this idea

Aim for the moon, that way, even if you miss you'll still be amongst the stars! - W. Clement Stone

Unfortunately, as I look out at the romance publishing industry, I am not seeing people aiming for the moon or the stars. Instead, I am seeing people aiming up and if they make it up, they are happy. For me, this is not something I am happy with. I personally am not happy with mediocrity and it frustrates me to no end when I see other people "just settling."

I am always hearing the romance industry complaining about how they are not taken seriously in the publishing world. They hate the stigma of the romance being nothing more than a cheap "bodice ripper." Even when I tell people that I represent romance and women's fiction, many will say, "You know, I just don't read that stuff. Oh I did when I was a kid but I have matured." For them, they still see the romance industry as cheap fluff written by writers that can't handle it in the business.

So where does this problem stem from? Those people in the industry that are content with what they are doing and not willing to push the envelope. Now please do not get me wrong. I am not suddenly making a call out there for people to send me stories that, in their mind, push the envelope. The stories still have to be marketable. A large population of readers will want to read the story. What I am talking about is the over-all attitude of publishers, agents, editors and writers of stepping it up a notch.

I am calling for editors to not just publish anything. I don't care how great of a book selling history a writer has, if the story they submit is not satsifactory, then turn it down and make them fix it. I don't care if it is inexpensive to put the book out there on a server and let someone download it, if it isn't good, then don't publish it.

I have two writers who are in great hands with their editor Joanne Grant at Mills and Boon in London. This is one editor that I honestly have to say is not settling for that middle of the road. She is not afraid to really hold her writers to the grindstone and demand the very best. When Mills and Boon said it was time to refresh their look, Joanne was right in the thick of it demanding covers that moved as far away from the covers "your grandmother used to read." This is great editing.

But this issue goes beyond the approach the editors have. It has to start with the writers. I applaud those writers that are still unpublished but keep on trying to get there. They attend conferences, they work with the comments that come back from agents in those rejection letters, they work. More importantly, they don't just run to the nearest "publisher" that will take their work. The are not willing to settle for mediocrity just to "claim they are published." Many of these writers say this is "just a step in their writing career." Really? I honestly have to say that this is nothing more than a justification on their decision to settle for something less than what they want.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not saying anything negative about these publishers, or those writers that "want" to take this approach. Some writers are happy with this and I applaud them for standing up to that. I am referring to those that just took the route.

I would love nothing more than to see the romance publishing world redefine what they are expecting in their writers. Stories can be fast reads, but it doesn't mean we should eliminate the depth. Stories can take on daring subjects, and not be afraid to shy away from the issues. And most importantly, all of us in the industry can take a serious look at the quality of the over-all writing. Grammar, punctuation, voice, character development, theme, setting and so forth need to be amped up a notch if we want to really do something with this.

Of course, maybe I am the only one that wants to see the movement forward. Who knows.

Scott