I read on another forum that science fiction romance doesn't sell as well as the other romance subgenres. Is there a place on Amazon or elsewhere that lists how well each romance subgenre sells? I'm new, so just trying to be thorough in my research.
I opened this because I'm interested in learning what works in romance. My question is, What does pretty wicked or twisted (e.g. sexual abuse/rape, torture, kidnapping, etc.) have to do with romance?NatWrites said:Hmmm. Good question.
My experience is almost purely anecdotal, so take it with a little bit of salt. (Ok, maybe a small lump of salt...)
In terms of broader genres, I think Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance will always sell best, but I have found that sub-genres, like Erotic Romance and especially Dark Romance have found a HUGE following lately.
I hear a lot about Romance readers liking works with darker themes. Don't know if this is just a trend or something that has or will continue to be in "market," but I can't tell you how many readers and friends I have that love very similar Erotic stories (e.g. Sexy boss that wants to bend over his assistant and talks like a sailor) or stories that get pretty wicked or twisted (e.g. sexual abuse/rape, torture, kidnapping, etc.).
I don't know what's ringing people's bells so much in these sub-genres, but something seems to be resonating...
Just my two cents. For all it's worth
Dark romance has been around for ages. It is not a new trend. It was made more popular with books like 'Captive in the dark' by C.J. Roberts back in 2011.NatWrites said:Hmmm. Good question.
My experience is almost purely anecdotal, so take it with a little bit of salt. (Ok, maybe a small lump of salt...)
In terms of broader genres, I think Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance will always sell best, but I have found that sub-genres, like Erotic Romance and especially Dark Romance have found a HUGE following lately.
I hear a lot about Romance readers liking works with darker themes. Don't know if this is just a trend or something that has or will continue to be in "market," but I can't tell you how many readers and friends I have that love very similar Erotic stories (e.g. Sexy boss that wants to bend over his assistant and talks like a sailor) or stories that get pretty wicked or twisted (e.g. sexual abuse/rape, torture, kidnapping, etc.).
I don't know what's ringing people's bells so much in these sub-genres, but something seems to be resonating...
Just my two cents. For all it's worth
This data is almost 3 years old. It may not still be accurate. I think that contemporary romance and new adult may be ahead of romantic suspense. I see much more of both it seems.KelliWolfe said:Romantic suspense is the top seller for both ebooks and paperbacks, followed by contemporary. RWA has a good breakdown by subgenre and print/ebooks.
Even if a certain subgenre sells best, doesn't mean it's the best choice, both in terms of personal enjoyment but also because a subgenre might sell best, but there also might be a lot more competition. So from a purely business POV it would make sense to find the genre with the greatest popularity to competition ratio.SnickersBabe said:I read on another forum that science fiction romance doesn't sell as well as the other romance subgenres. Is there a place on Amazon or elsewhere that lists how well each romance subgenre sells? I'm new, so just trying to be thorough in my research.
The world needs more SFR!Elizabeth S. said:Science fiction romance is a pretty good niche, actually. It's gotten a little saturated recently, but there is an avid readership. You just have to hit the right tropes.
Again here--it's also what you can write well. I couldn't write a mafia or motorcycle club or MMA hero to save my life. I make an excellent living writing strong, sweet men. I don't think it's a trope and it sure ain't in style, but they sell for me.Elizabeth S. said:With romance, it's more than just subgenre--it's themes, tropes and trends within each subgenre. Shifters, bad boys, billionaires, etc.
Science fiction romance is a pretty good niche, actually. It's gotten a little saturated recently, but there is an avid readership. You just have to hit the right tropes.
I think the more appropriate word I should have used is "trend-y." Nothing is new under the sun...but certain genres and sub-genres are cyclical. We all know that.BellaJames said:Dark romance has been around for ages. It is not a new trend. It was made more popular with books like 'Captive in the dark' by C.J. Roberts back in 2011.
Dark romance books on goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/dark-romance
It usually entails the heroine (the "h") overcoming some past or current trauma to be with the Hero (the "H"). Sometimes, the H IS the tormentor; sometimes, he is the savior.Ryn Shell said:I opened this because I'm interested in learning what works in romance. My question is, What does pretty wicked or twisted (e.g. sexual abuse/rape, torture, kidnapping, etc.) have to do with romance?
Are you researching in order to decide what genre to write in? SciFi Romance definitely has a lot of fans, and there are plenty of SciFi Rom authors selling well. It's tough to say one genre is better to write in vs another, because a lot of it has to do with other variables, such as how saturated the market is for that niche, not to mention if the book you're writing is likely to do well for basic factors (genre appropriate cover, story, editing, etc). I have a much smaller subset to examine than Amazon does, but from my mailing list promos, these genres have the most subscribers: (Most subscribers to least subscribers, and many are so close that I consider them ties)SnickersBabe said:I read on another forum that science fiction romance doesn't sell as well as the other romance subgenres. Is there a place on Amazon or elsewhere that lists how well each romance subgenre sells? I'm new, so just trying to be thorough in my research.
Really valuable stuff, ebbrown, thanks for sharingebbrown said:Are you researching in order to decide what genre to write in? SciFi Romance definitely has a lot of fans, and there are plenty of SciFi Rom authors selling well. It's tough to say one genre is better to write in vs another, because a lot of it has to do with other variables, such as how saturated the market is for that niche, not to mention if the book you're writing is likely to do well for basic factors (genre appropriate cover, story, editing, etc). I have a much smaller subset to examine than Amazon does, but from my mailing list promos, these genres have the most subscribers: (Most subscribers to least subscribers, and many are so close that I consider them ties)
ROMANCE
1 Contemporary Romance
2 Paranormal Romance
3 Fantasy Romance
4(tie) Historical Romance
4(tie) Time Travel Romance
5(tie) New Adult Romance
5(tie) Erotic & Dark Romance
6(tie) Romantic Comedy
6(tie Inspirational Romance
FICTION
1 Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
2 Cozy Mystery
3(tie) Paranormal Fiction
3(tie) Science Fiction
3(tie) Fantasy Fiction
4(tie) Horror
4(tie) Historical
5 Women's Fiction
6 Literary Fiction
Like I mentioned, this is just my observations from what I do and the feedback from my readers, after a busy year of running these things. I'm definitely curious to see how the numbers breakdown this time next year.
I know others mentioned it upthread, but I think you truly need to write something that you are at least interested in, because it does come through in your work. The ebook market is tremendously saturated in every genre today in comparison to even a year ago and it's harder to get noticed even in the smaller niche genres, because even the niche genres have bestselling authors who dominate the lists. And I'm a true believer that if you have a quality product, write something you are passionate about, and work hard to target your niche audience, you will attract readers who are equally as passionate about your work. I keep telling myself that anyway, since my first book was a time travel romance featuring native american characters put out at a time where time travel romance was pretty much only sexy highlanders.
See this is what I mean. Authors on here share their experience but that is not everyones experience. There are many romance authors that are not on this forum, actively talking and sharing their experience.jmb3 said:Speaking as a new author who released her first novel in the New Adult field eight months ago, it's not impossible to break into, and be successful, in this sub genre-even with no following or ad campaigns. I put my book in KU Unlimited with no expectations and didn't get my first review for eight days. It took about two weeks for it to take off. The only ad I've ever run on it was a Bookbub in August. New Adult seems to have a huge, passionate following and the readers span all age groups. I get the twenty somethings for sure but many of my biggest fans are grandmas.
Thank you for explaining.NatWrites said:It usually entails the heroine (the "h") overcoming some past or current trauma to be with the Hero (the "H"). Sometimes, the H IS the tormentor; sometimes, he is the savior.
For a lot of readers, I think that "Savior" trope or "Reformed Bad Boy" part of it adds an extra level of intrigue. I've read my share, but can't say I'm a "fan," per se. *shrugs*
I do know some authors who can write the HELL out of a Dark Romance and almost draw you in against your will
No prob. I hope others find it useful. 😊Evenstar said:Really valuable stuff, ebbrown, thanks for sharing