(StatePoint) Do you need more romance in your life? For many Americans — especially women — the answer is «yes,» as romance novels, films and cable networks devoted to the genre continue to proliferate and gain in popularity.
Interestingly, while romantic fiction continues to flourish, the divorce rate is climbing and the marriage rate is falling — leading many experts to conclude that both happy couples and lonely hearts are turning to fiction for a good dose of romance. And the genre itself is growing and changing to encompass all types of love stories, such as those set against science fiction and paranormal backdrops.
Indeed, nearly 50 percent of all marriages now end in divorce and the marriage rate is dropping, according the U.S. Census Bureau. Meanwhile, 74.8 million Americans read at least one romance novel in 2008, according to a 2009 InfoTrends survey.
«It’s no surprise romantic fiction is surging in popularity, as people continue to turn to the printed page and the screen to get their fill of love and romance. Life and fantasy can meet in romance fiction and readers transported to wherever their deepest emotions can carry them,» says Christina Brashear, founder of Samhain Publishing, one of the fastest-growing and largest digital publishers of romance fiction.
The romance genre is evolving beyond bodice-rippers and historical fiction of years past, and even moving beyond the printed page into digital devices. Here are the hottest and latest trends in romance fiction, according to Brashear:
* Subjects and settings are being redefined: The romance novel is evolving. It’s no longer simply a genre focused on women escaping into affairs or forging more desirable lives in traditional settings. New settings appeal to both women and men and include the paranormal or occult, science fiction, horror and fantasy worlds. Also popular are inspirational, suspense and time travel romance novels.
* Technology brings romance everywhere: New technologies are spreading romance fiction to different platforms and impacting book lengths. It’s all about accessibility, as electronic books are increasing in popularity, changing where and how romance fiction is devoured. You can choose 1000 page books or short novellas. Technology makes it easier to read stories with varying lengths on such devices as the iPhone, Sony Reader, Kindle or Blackberry.
* Readers want more, faster: The industry and technology are evolving so that publishers, such as the three-year-old Samhain Publishing (samhainpublishing.com), are able to satisfy the public’s appetitive faster and with more frequency. For example, the company now issues 10 new romance novels a week, with 60 percent appearing both online and in print.
* Changing values are impacting storylines: Quick relationships are being glorified, along with lasting ones. A quick affair can make for lively reading for many, as American values and customs change.
Samhain Publishing, one of the most prolific romance publishers with 1000 releases in the past three years, publishes within a growing genre. According to Nielsen Bookscan figures, recent retail sales of romance were up seven percent, while overall adult book sales were down and adult fiction sales were flat.
For more on the shifting world of romance and to download ebooks, visit www.samhainpublishing.com.
«With all the bad news in the world, readers want to be absorbed in stories that help them escape and that move and inspire them,» says Brashear. «No matter the
