THE CAREER NOVELIST
ROMANCE ROUND-UP
Once upon a time, the romance business was simple. There were
three types of stories, several of which are still around today:
- Regency romance is a genre that harks back to the genteel
novel-of-manners Pride and Prejudice by lane Austen. The field
was (and still is) dominated by a twentieth-century author, the
late Georgette Heyer. Accomplished as her many imitators may
be, they are still runners-up. Today the Regency category sur-
vives, though in a severely weakened condition. - Gothic novels, and their cousins romantic suspense novels,
were once another stable category. Harking back to the dark,
threatening heroes created by the Bronte sisters, they present-
ed a story in which a vulnerable heroine falls under the spell of
a man who, at first, appears to be a threat (usually on several
levels). A surprise revelation at the climax inevitably leads to a
happy ending. Sadly, the ending for gothics and romantic sus-
pense novels as a category is not as pleasant. Despite recent
attempts to revive them, both are virtually dead. - Finally, there were Harlequins, short contemporary tales of love
found, or lost and found. Canadian-based Harlequin had this
field virtually to itself, and is still a major player.
That was then.
Today, the romance field is a booming business (nearly $1 billion
a year), ruthlessly fought over by every major commercial publisher.
In their quests for market share the houses have tried and succeed-
ed with a variety of strategies. One of the most significant trends
has been the explosion of imprints.
As of this writing, here are some of the imprints tempting read-
ers on bookstore shelves: Denise Little Presents, Desire,
Dreamspun, Fanfare, Heartfire, Homespun, Intrigue, Love Spell,
Lovegrams, Loveswept, Monogram, Shadows, Special Editions, To
Love Again, Topaz, Treasure, and Wildflower.
Some of these imprints cover a variety of story types, others are
narrowly focused on a particular subcategory. And what subcate-
gories! Current romance novel types include American, Native