That sounds awfully philosohical, doesn’t it? But it’s really a question all of us writers keep asking.
I did a signing with some other New Jersey Romance writers on Saturday. It was our first warm sunny day for a while, and the day before the big nor’easter was going to move in. So we didn’t have a lot of traffic.
Which was okay because it gave us time to gossip and catch up, talk about our careers and the future of our writing.
A lot of “stuff” came up in the conversation about where romance writing is going. If vampires had glutted the market, if kick-butt heroines are out or in, if inspirational and erotica are the happening sub genres.
It’s something I don’t think about when I’m buying a book. I just buy what I think I’ll like to read. But I have noticed lately that my bookstore is giving more space to one sub genre or the other. We discussed this for a while, then one of us said, all we ever talk about is where the market is going. What about where we want it to go?
That brought on some lively discussion, I can tell you. We all had our favorite niches, one loved fantasy, of the unicorn and lost world varieties, one loved dark paranormal, I like action adventure, romantic comedy, and another said westerns were the only thing for her.
So many different kinds of romance.
So I thought I’d take a poll. Where would you like to see romance go? Suspense? Inspirational? Historical? Romantic Comedy? Erotica? Paranormal? Old fashioned boy meets girl? Any other venue?
If you could decide, what would you like to see more of on the shelves the next time you go into your favorite bookstore?
Romantic comedy, Inspirational and Old fashioned boy meets girl.
Suspense, Romantic Comedy and Old fashioned boy meets girl.
I think I like the romantic comedy (this can have suspense as well), suspense, good old fashioned boy meets girl and light paranormal (leaning to what Jill and Karen write).
Since you’re talking about romances, I guess more historical, comedy, suspense, boy meets girl and combinations thereto.
But just looking at the last sentence of the blog posting, I would tell bookstores to stop shrinking their science sections. . . it is quite annoying to walk into a store and seeing a science section that used to be such and such large now less such and such large. LOL Hate to think I’m the only one out there who goes into those aisles. . .
Lois
Historical and suspense and then anything else I guess lol. I like a variety and there should be room for all genres.
Right now I’m obsessed with paranormal romance… werewolves to be exact
, but one of my first favorites is romantic suspense 
I love the classic boy meets girl romances. Historical romances were my first love but the contemporary romances are my thing at the moment.
I like a large selection of books so I wouldnt complain if I had more choices to choose from.:)
I read almost everything. I have to say that my favorite is romantice comedy, but that’s because sometimes I just need a big laugh.
Romantic comedy, the classis boy meets girl, erotica and historicals. I really do not care for the paranormal reads, vampires just creep me out. Give me a good classic romance with some spice and I will be in heaven.
I agree with the old-fashioned boy meets girl – no frills, not outside forces, no paranormal elements. Just lots of intense emotion. I am really in Jill Shalvis’ books, as well as Sylvia Day’s stories like the ones in Bad Boys Ahoy – sexy pirates!
I like the erotic romances, but I’d rather there be more quality to the scenes vs. more quantity. More can be done with one or two scens than six or seven.
And for me, historicals never go out of style
I love to read historical and suspense. Sometimes paranormal. Mostly historical romance. I just love reading about the past.:lol:
I love paranormals, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of them. I’d like to see more time-travels, those seem to be out of fashion now. I’d like to see more SF romance, too.
Hello Gemma,
Great topic
I do enjoy reading Romantic comedy, Erotica and other genres. If I can decided what I would love to see more of on the book shelves I would say vampires. I would really love to see more vampire books and more authors writing them.
Hugssss
LindaH
more romantic suspense books, but i love contemp and erotic
Great to hear so many different likes out there. Maybe the book stores need more shelves.
and Lois, I’m the other person on those science aisles.
I also wish there were more cultural history choices, and the list goes on and on.
The best thing of all is we love to read!!
Urban fantasy/romance is my favorite stuff.
HATE inspirational, most historicals, many traditionals. Tired of werewolves and vampires unless they’re done with a new twist. Like romantic suspense if it’s well-done, no freaking stalkers. Like Brava but most erotica leaves me pretty cold because by now it all seems so manipulative.
My current rant, though, is that so much of the best paranormal (latest favorites include Karen Chance, Patricia Briggs, Rachel Caine, CE Murphy, JR Ward–who is the exception to this rant–and Laura Ann Gilman) is serial and the stories go on and on and ON. Every once in a while, I like to pick up a book and FINISH the story when I read it. A quaint notion, I know, but one that draws me to Brava.
I don’t know if I want to see the romance genre going to any particular direction. Hopefully, it continues as diverse so we can enjoy the variety.
Suspense:grin: