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Understanding Romance Novels & Readers
by
Christie Craig & Faye Hughes
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- Romance readers can be anyone from anywhere
- The romance genre reader reads for the romance
- Learn by reading romances written by the best
Who reads romance novels? A better question might be who doesn’t read romance novels? According to statistics provided by Romance Writers of America, the average romance reader is female, married, and college educated. But fans of the genre can be of any age and any economic background. They could be your mother, your babysitter, your doctor . . . or even the father of one of your children’s friends.
Yes, a steadily increasing number of romance readers are male. But regardless of gender, income, or career, the thing to understand about the romance reader is why they read this particular genre of fiction. They read it for the romance. They read it because they want to experience the emotion of falling in love.
Reading Romance Novels Is Recommended
Of course, one of the best ways to learn about romance novels is to read the work of those who are considered the best in the genre.
And who determines who is the best? Usually the readers who buy the books, the reviewers who rate the books, and the published membership of Romance Writers of America, who nominate them for the annual Rita award. RWA has several lists on their Web site—www.rwanational.org—of the current bestselling romance titles and award winners.
Another great resource for finding a recommended reading list of current titles is to pick up a copy of Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine (www.romantictimes.com), a leading monthly publication for fiction lovers of all genres, including romance. With over 250 reviews of current titles each month, as well as informative author interviews and writing tips for beginners, RT has been a staple of the romance community for years.
Famous Romance Novelists
So, who are the more renowned authors of modern romance fiction? The list is a long and varied one. Barbara Cartland, Danielle Steele, and Janet Dailey usually come to mind when thinking of popular romance authors from the twentieth century.
In recent years, though, several men have gained fame for their romance novels. Chief among them are Nicholas Sparks and James Patterson, who have both had romance titles at the top of the bestseller lists.
However, the most famous romance author working in the industry today is probably Nora Roberts, who sells more books each year than any other U.S. author.
...from The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel.
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