LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Romance Novels: Books
built 254 days ago
The major publisher of romance novels is Harlequin, based in Canada. Harlequin is known for its category romances, and is almost a stereotype for books that are considered light reading. But, there’s nothing light about the power that Harlequin has over the North American book market. The publisher puts out about 120 original titles every month, selling over 130 million books a year. And it’s not just romance- from Harlequin’s romance beginnings has come a global empire with imprints for mysteries, fantasy and literary fiction titles. Those imprints are then further blended into hybrid imprints, such as the horror-romance imprint Nocturne and one of the more recent hybrids- Harlequin NASCAR.
One of the earliest romance novels was Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, by Samuel Richardson. Published in 1740, Pamela was the first popular novel to be based on a courtship as told from the perspective of the heroine. Unlike many of the novels of the time, Pamela had a happy ending. The book was one of the first bestsellers, with five editions printed in the first eleven months of release.[51] The genre did not fully take form... until the nineteenth century.[2]
Source:
While romance novels may be the target of elitist scorn, they ... have plenty of fans. Over 40 million people read a romance novel in the past year, according to a survey on reading habits in America. And not all of them were girls and women. Men accounted for nine percent of those who admitted to picking up a romance book last year. So what's the big draw? Well, a happy ending for one.
Source:
According to the Romance Writers of America, the main plot of a romance novel must revolve around the two people as they develop romantic love for each other and work to build a relationship together. Both the conflict and the climax of the novel should be directly related to that core theme of developing a romantic relationship, although the novel can ... contain subplots that do not specifically relate to the main characters' romantic love. Furthermore, a romance novel must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." the core of the book."[2] In general, romance novels reward characters who are good people and penalize those who are evil, and a couple who fights for and believes in their relationship will likely be rewarded with unconditional love.[1] Bestselling author Nora Roberts sums up the genre, saying "The books are about the celebration of falling in love and emotion and commitment, and all of those things we really want."[3] Women's fiction (including chick lit) is not considered part of the romance novel genre because in women's fiction the heroine's relationship with her family or friends may be equally as important as her relationship with the hero.[2]
Source:
Because of this, the early lesbian pulp novels of such authors as Ann Bannon and Valerie Taylor cannot be considered true romance novels. Their tones are too gritty, and their lesbian heroines too tortured. Written during the repressive 1950s and early 1960s, books like Beebo Brinker (1962) and Whisper Their Love (1957) could almost be described as anti-romance novels, reflecting societal assumptions that lesbians could not have happy endings.
Source:
At least half of all the paperbacks on the American book market are romance novels. And, a recent poll showed than one in five Americans regularly reads romance novels, which far out paces the rate at which they read literary classics. Far fewer classics are printed and far fewer are sold in today’s book market as more and more romance series lines are developed by the major romance publishers.
MORE ABOUT
Books