When one stops to consider the expanding options in the romance section of the local library, a moment must be taken to celebrate the wealth of choices available to lifelong romance readers and those new to the genre alike. When one also considers the plethora of titles available in the digital realm, it’s hard to wrap one’s head around the actual number of romances waiting to be discovered.

It’s a reader’s delight on every shelf—both digital and actual. Once rigid lines that defined the genre are beginning to blur, and new ideas, trends, and subgenres are able to claim room for themselves in the market. The subgenre heavy hitters—contemporaries, historicals, and paranormals—continue to grow and evolve, inviting new readers to jump in while bringing longtime fans back for more.

Keeping it contemporary

One of the haziest walls within the romance world lies between books labeled romance and those tagged as women’s fiction. As an author of titles that fall into both genres, Marie Bostwick, who writes the “Cobbled Court Quilts” series of women’s fiction for Kensington, points to familiar traits that lead to this lack of distinction. “The two genres have so much in common—likable, interesting, strong, and intelligent but flawed and vulnerable heroines who are searching for a happy ending, which very often includes a loving and secure relationship,” says Bostwick. “The difference is just a question of how much emphasis the romance aspect of the story line receives in the overall plot. That’s why so much of my audience is composed of crossover romance readers.”

One title that should appeal to those crossover women’s fiction readers is Waking Up Joy (Tule, Oct.), by Tina Ann Forkner. When the adored town spinster ends up in a coma and is shocked by the conversations she overhears about herself while down for the count, she is determined to fix things. Joy must face the past—and her failed romances—in order to embrace a brighter future. In Kristan Higgins’s In Your Dreams (HQN: Harlequin, Oct.; see Q&A below), the fourth book in Higgins’s “Blue Heron” books about an Upstate New York winery, Jack Holland is facing a media blitz after a heroic rescue. Standing in as a wedding date sounds like the perfect escape plan—and turns out to be a perfect escape for readers.

At the end of the year, readers can place their bets on The Winner Takes It All (Zebra: Kensington, Dec.), by Jennifer Dawson. Cecilia and Shane are stuck in a house together for a wedding, but he’s up for a fun game if she is. Katherine Reay’s sophomore novel, Lizzy & Jane (Thomas Nelson, Oct.), was a hot topic of conversation at the American Library Association’s annual conference this summer in Las Vegas, following the success of Reay’s debut, Dear Mr. Knightley. Contemporary titles break down further into sub­categories that are also thriving. In the romantic suspense arena, New York Times best-selling authors/sisters Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush team up for the fourth book in their “Wicked” series, Wicked Ways (Kensington, Aug.), which pulls on the tension between a mother whose enemies seem to wind up dead and the private eye who’s been hired to check her out. Julie Ann Walker returns to her sexy suspense series “Black Knights Inc.” with Full Throttle (Sourcebooks Casablanca, Dec.). A member of the secret defense firm is tasked with rescuing the president’s daughter. J.D. Mason introduces a woman ready to fight tooth and nail for vengeance in Crazy, Sexy, Revenge (­Griffin: St. Martin’s, Oct.).

Cowboys and romance are a match made in heaven (or on the range, at least), and this upcoming publishing season will bring a herd of new titles into the hands of ready fans. “Readers and writers continue to embrace the cowboy as hero because of his physical strength, as well as his core values,” explains author Jane Porter, founder and CEO of Tule Publishing Group. “The cowboy isn’t a man who can be bought or manipulated, and he isn’t hung up on society, technology, or other people’s opinions.” Carolyn Brown will be expressing a number of those opinions when a woman is caught between two feuding cowboys—and a dark-eyed third who catches her attention—in The Trouble with Texas Cowboys (Sourcebooks Casablanca, Jan.). Jennifer Ryan’s “Montana Men” series will kick off with At Wolf Ranch (Avon, Mar.), throwing some romantic suspense at a former rodeo cowboy after he saves a woman who is running for her life.

Readers are also delighted to find independent stories that share common characters and settings. According to Lilian Darcy, editorial director for Tule’s Montana Born imprint, “One of the strongest trends in romance right now, especially in ebooks, is the linked series. Readers seem to love the opportunity to connect with returning characters and a beloved community across multiple books.” Tule will open its “Carrigans of the Circle C” linked titles with Close to Her Heart (Sept.), by C.J. Carmichael.

The past is present

“We believe historicals are basically timeless,” notes Tara Gelsomino, executive editor for ebook publisher Crimson ­Romance. “Though smaller in number than our contemporary releases, historical romance is our strongest-selling subgenre. Both our best-selling title of all time [Elizabeth Boyce’s Once a Duchess] and our best-selling title of 2014 [Julie LeMense’s Once Upon a Wager] are historicals.” Jennifer Robson will bring readers to the end of the Great War and explore what it means in After the War Is Over (Morrow, Jan.), as a woman who has dedicated her life to caring for others is torn about her future when a past love calls.

Westerns don’t get left behind just because the era changes. As author Carla Kelly says, “Honor, character, love, and courage are as in much demand today as they were in 18th-century New Mexico.” This led her to explore the time period and how a couple must consider the uneasy arrangement offered by an arrogant physician in Marco and the Devil’s Bargain (Camel, Sept.). The end of winter will see Josi S. Kilpack swap culinary mystery for Regency romance. Heidi Taylor, editor and publishing manager at Shadow Mountain Publishing, says that readers will find Kilpack’s A Heart Revealed (Apr.) hard to put down as they follow Amber Sterlington’s banishment from society to the country—near to one handsome lord—owing to a physical ailment.

For those looking to explore the Scottish Highlands after falling in love with Outlander, Suzanne Enoch has put a high-spirited but refined woman up against a rugged Scotsman in Mad, Bad and Dangerous in Plaid (St. Martin’s, Mar.). In Forbidden To Love the Duke (Signet Select, Feb.), Jillian Hunter will introduce a new Regency series surrounding the four Fenwick sisters, beginning with Ivy and her time spent as governess to the wards of the Duke of Ellsworth.

Yet these days, historical romances are also taking the gloves off and giving readers a new twist on the familiar. The final installment in Sarah MacLean’s “The Rule of Scoundrels” quartet will find handsome newspaperman Duncan West revealing ruined Lady Georgiana’s double life in Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover (Avon, Dec.). Elizabeth Boyce’s Honor Among Thieves (Crimson Romance, Oct.), the first in a new series, features a regency heroine with a respectable place in society by day who robs graves by night. In the same vein of ladies taking matters into their own hands, The Duke of Dark Desires (Avon, Dec.) by Miranda Neville features a woman who is hired as a proper governess but harbors a secret plot to avenge the death of her family.

Romancing the holidays

It would be remiss to preview the upcoming slate of fall and winter works without looking at the anticipated holiday titles that have become a staple of the romance world. “Christmas romances present a great opportunity for authors to incorporate the wonderful aspects of the holiday season, with all the themes that mean so much to readers—family, gifts, warmth, and love,” says Deb Werksman, editorial director for Sourcebooks Casablanca. “The spirit of the season inherently brings people close.”

The Scottish highlands will be ringing in the holiday season, as a marriage of convenience turns unexpectedly intimate in Grace Burrowes’s What a Lady Needs for Christmas (Sourcebooks Casablanca, Oct.; see LJ 10/15/14, p. 72), the latest in her MacGregor titles. Werksman promises Burrowes’s sensual writing will appeal to readers as she explores what it’s like to bring a new love home for the holidays.

For those who enjoy a romantic winter wedding, Zondervan will be continuing its “Year of Wedding Story” series with a new novella each month. Also on the schedule is Winter Brides (Zondervan, Nov.), the novella collection bringing together last year’s December–February releases.

Sheila Roberts’s The Nine Lives of Christmas, her holiday hit from last year, will be decking the halls on the small screen with a Hallmark Channel adaptation. On the book shelves, Harlequin’s Mira imprint staff are delighted that readers can celebrate the holidays once again in Icicle Falls with Roberts’s The Lodge on Holly Road (Oct.; see LJ 10/15/14, p. 75). Santa enters into the heart of the season as well-meaning family members try to give loved ones the gift of romance.

Tule is also embracing the cooler weather and will be releasing four e-novellas between now and December for its new “Southern Born Christmas” books. Giving the holidays a touch of Southern sass, the series deploys with Tracy Solheim’s Holiday at Magnolia Bay (Oct.). A Navy SEAL on leave following a devastating mission attempts to avoid his attraction to the siren trying to save the sea turtles.

Paranormal and fantasy

Following the success of multiple paranormal romances, the market was flooded with vampires and their brethren as publishers attempted to keep up with the craze. Many agree, however, that while vampires will never really go away, there’s a definite decline in the demand for these mythological yet ­alluring creatures.

So what may be coming down the pike? Cindy Hwang, executive editor with Penguin’s Berkley Books, points out that discovering new voices is the real challenge publishers face. Readers may look to established authors to provide that new timbre with titles that feature strong paranormal elements, according to Hwang. The Raven (Berkley, Feb.) is the first novel in Sylvain Reynard’s new series and her first foray into the subgenre. Others will continue to seek out the paranormal in original situations. Brenda Knight, publisher of the new Cleis Press imprint Tempted Romance, figures it’s time for new entities to get their say in the paranormal world. An increasingly popular choice for a paranormal “other” on the block is angels. Janine Ashbless’s Cover Him with Darkness (Tempted Romance, Oct.), which Knight calls “riveting,” explores a forbidden love between a priest’s daughter and an angel kept as a family’s secret beneath the church.

For those readers still yearning for more from the vampire world, Kerrelyn Sparks’s final entry in her “Love at Stake” series, Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire (Avon, Dec.), will include two strong individuals who partner to take down a master vampire.

Over at Kensington, publicist Jane Nutter is making the argument that fans of paranormal romance who are looking for something new might find it in the fantasy subgenre, citing the worldbuilding, magical elements, and unique cultures as aspects paranormal romance fans may find appealing. “Fantasy and romance are two genres that are just dying to be friends,” Nutter says. For Kensington, Jeffe Kennedy’s “The Twelve Kingdoms” series—which includes the second installment, The Tears of the Rose (Nov.)—would be a perfect kick-start to this blissful pairing, as it pays equal homage to both fantasy and romance, according to Nutter.

Fans of the already popular urban fantasy genre will be pleased to see Ilona Andrews back with a new series this fall. Burn for Me (Avon, Oct.), which features a determined detective and a tempting billionaire joining forces to track down a high-ranking magic user, will launch the series and has Avon staffers excited about the “impressive new direction” for the writing duo of Ilona and Gordon Andrews. Shape-shifters continue to be a draw, and they will be represented in Darby Kaye’s The Stag Lord (Spence City, Dec.), as a vengeful shifter forces a man and his son to seek the safety of a shield maiden in modern-day Colorado.

Those looking for magical realism won’t have far to go, as Amy ­Impellizzeri’s Lemongrass Hope (Wyatt-MacKenzie, Oct.) is already earning a spot on many to-read lists. With Jacquelyn Mitchard singling it out as a fresh new story, this debut explores love through time-bending layers and ordinary connections.

Where to Find Romance

AUTHOR TITLE PUBLISHER RELEASE Andrews, Ilona Burn For Me Avon Oct. Ashbless, Janine Cover Him with Darkness Tempted Romance Oct. Boyce, Elizabeth Honor Among Thieves Crimson Oct. Brown, Carolyn The Trouble with Texas Cowboys Sourcebooks Casablanca Jan. 2015 Burrowes, Grace What a Lady Needs for Christmas Sourcebooks Casablanca Oct. Carmichael, C.J. Close to Her Heart Tule Sept. Cole, Kresley The Master Gallery Jan. Dawson, Jennifer The Winner Takes it All Zebra: Kensington Dec. Enoch, Suzanne Mad, Bad & Dangerous in Plaid St. Martin’s Mar. 2015 Erickson, Megan Trust the Focus InterMix: Penguin Mar. 2015 Fawkes, Sara Anything He Wants/Castaway Griffin: St. Martin’s Oct. Finnegan, Erin Sotto Voce Interlude Oct. Forkner, Tina Ann Waking Up Joy Tule Oct. Glines, Abby You Were Mine Atria Dec. Grey, Andrew A Chaotic Range Dreamspinner Nov. Grumbach, Doris The Ladies Open Road Media Nov. Harris, Edie Blamed Carina: Harlequin Nov. Higgins, Kristan In Your Dreams HQN: Harlequin Oct. Hunter, Jillian Forbidden To Love the Duke Signet Select Feb. Impellizzeri, Amy Lemongrass Hope Wyatt-MacKenzie Oct. Jackson, Lisa & Nancy Bush Wicked Ways Zebra: Kensington Aug. James, Lorelei Schooled InterMix: Penguin Dec. James, Lorelei Unraveled NAL Mar. 2015 Kaye, Darby The Stag Lord Spence City Dec. Kelly, Carla Marco and the Devil’s Bargain Camel Sept. Kennedy, Jeffe The Tears of the Rose Kensington Nov. Kilpack, Josi S. A Heart Revealed Shadow Mountain Apr. 2015 Lane, Amy The Bells of Times Square Riptide Dec. MacLean, Sarah Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover Avon Dec. Mason, J.D. Crazy, Sexy, Revenge Griffin: St. Martin’s Oct. Merrick, Gordon The Peter & Charlie Trilogy Open Road Media Sept. Neville, Miranda The Duke of Dark Desires Avon Dec. Reay, Katherine Lizzy & Jane Thomas Nelson Oct. Reynard, Sylvain The Raven Berkley Feb. 2015 Roberts, Sheila The Lodge on Holly Road Mira: Harlequin Oct. Robson, Jennifer After the War Is Over Morrow Jan. 2015 Rosen, Rob, ed. Men of the Manor Cleis Sept. Ryan, Jennifer At Wolf Ranch Avon Mar. 2015 Solheim, Tracy Holiday at Magnolia Bay Tule Oct. Sparks, Kerrelyn Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire Avon Dec. Stein, Charlotte Intrusion Avon Impulse Nov. Todd, Anna After Gallery Oct. Various 1001 Dark Knights Evil Eye Oct. Various Winter Brides Zondervan Nov. Walker, Julie Ann Full Throttle Sourcebooks Casablanca Dec. Wright, Kristina, ed. Three of Hearts Tempted Romance Oct.

LGBTQ, the new kid on the block

“As a gay romance publisher, our readership and sales have grown since day one eight years ago, often exponentially. We had our highest sales ever in July of this year,” explains Lynn West, editor in chief at Dreamspinner Press. As to the continued and expanding interest in LGBTQ titles, she adds, “The audience is out there and wants to read happy endings involving everyone, not just a man and a woman. The genre itself doesn’t matter: mystery, fantasy, historical, science fiction, paranormal.” Of particular interest in that market has been male/male romances in a wide variety of subgenres. Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency recalls that at this summer’s Romance Writers of America (RWA) conference in San Antonio nearly every publisher seemed to be asking about LGBTQ titles, and many have already slated a number for release.

Andrew Grey’s latest in the “Stories from the Range” series brings together two ranch hands facing the harshest of conditions in A Chaotic Range (Dreamspinner, Nov.). The world of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs is the setting for Men of the Manor (Cleis, Sept.), an anthology, edited by Rob Rosen, that details encounters between lords and lads. Riptide Publishing is anticipating Amy Lane’s The Bells of Times Square (Dec.) to have a big year, featuring a war-time romance and a desire to unite the past and present. New publishers are also appearing on the LGBTQ scene, including Interlude Press, which opened its doors this past July. Its upcoming title Sotto Voce (Oct.), from Erin Finnegan, which brings an East Coast wine critic into the path of a West Coast vintner, is already earning industry buzz.

In exciting news, Open Road Media will be expanding the digital availability of backlist LGBTQ titles in all categories this winter. Edmund White’s coming-of-age tale A Boy’s Own Story (Dec.), Gordon Merrick’s gay romance The Peter & Charlie Trilogy (Sept.), and Doris Grumbach’s The Ladies (Nov.) are among the titles that will be downloadable on devices in the coming months. “Our mission at Open Road Media is to introduce the classics in all genres to new readers and also to make these books available to readers who loved them in the past,” says director of publishing partnerships Philip Rappaport. “It’s crucial to bring out books by gay and lesbian writers…. As a gay man, I know how fragile our history is—that is, how easy it is to lose our history. We need to ensure that these books become part of the world digital library.”

As to what else is on the horizon, Rachel Haimowitz, publisher at Riptide Publishing, sees an interesting development in the number of best-selling authors who are being signed to LGBTQ publishers. What this indicates to her is that these authors have “had queer characters knocking around in their heads for years and had just been waiting for a publisher willing to take the risk and support those stories properly.” Riptide itself within the last year has signed Kate Pearce, Megan Mulry, Stephanie Tyler, Larissa Ione, Sydney Croft, HelenKay Dimon, Christine D’Abo, Vivian Arend, and ­Lauren Dane.

Q&A Kristan Higgins

PROLIFIC AUTHOR Kristan Higgins has made a name for herself with her “sassy, upbeat romances” (her The Best Man [LJ 2/15/13] was one of LJ’s Top Ten Best Romances of 2013) and continues to tap into the world of Upstate New York’s Blue Heron winery. With the October publication of the next title in the series, In Your Dreams (see review, LJ 10/15/14, p. 76), Kristan has a thing or two to say about romance.

The fourth book in your “Blue Heron” series, In Your Dreams, is out this fall. What’s new and exciting with the Holland clan?
Quite a bit, actually! In Your Dreams is about Jack, the winemaker at Blue Heron Vineyard and a guy with a better than usual understanding of the female heart, since he’s blessed (or cursed) with three sisters. In previous books, we’ve seen him swapping insults with his sisters and hanging out with his dad and nephew. But Jack’s world is shaken when he becomes an overnight (and unwilling) celebrity after rescuing four teens from a car crash. He’s having a hard time accepting all the adulation and praise from what the media calls a “Midwinter Miracle.” So when local cop Emmaline Neal asks him to be her date for her ex-fiancé’s wedding, he says hell, yes. Getting out of town seems like a great idea and focusing on someone else’s problems might get his mind off his own. Besides, it’s a wedding in Malibu. How bad can it be? Pretty bad (and also very funny, the author hopes). Devoted readers of the series will get a chance to see Jack’s family in action, of course—two sisters are recently married, and one is expecting a baby. A lot of favorite townspeople show up as well as some new folks, including a book club called The Bitter Betrayeds—divorced or jilted women who spend more time talking about their exes than any book. And, of course, there are a few animal characters, too.

What draws you to plots, situations, and characters that aren’t typically seen or associated with romance?
I’ve always been drawn to a different kind of romance—as a reader, I’m hungry for something more than just a cute story full of rippling abs and snappy one liners. I write very realistic stories, I think, and I want them to reflect the people I most enjoy—complicated, conflicted, decent people who’ve got their scars and flaws but who are still trying to evolve, if you will. The love they find is more a by-product of their own character arcs than the point of the story. Yes, they’ll live happily ever after, because that’s the eternal promise of a romance novel. But, more important, they’re better people because of what they’ve learned and how they’ve grown during the course of the book.

Are there any new trends or developments in romance about which you’re excited?
It seems that emotional complexity is the new trend. When you have authors like Eloisa James, Sarah MacLean, and Julie James, who could choke a horse with their Ivy League diplomas and law degrees, you’re not going to get your grandmother’s romance novel. Today’s romances are more complex and diverse than ever, tackling some deeply emotional and societal issues. I think that’s a reflection of today’s reader—we want more than brain candy. We want a book that will stay with us and characters we’re not going to forget.

What romance titles, authors, or series are you excited about?
I do recommend a lot of fellow writers, because I think that the more a person reads, the better life is. Virginia Kantra has never been better with her Carolina series, which is set on Dare Island. Robyn Carr’s “Thunder Point” series has utterly captivated me with her unique blend of issues, romance, and community. And anything written by Sherry Thomas is a guaranteed home run. Her “Elemental Trilogy” is remarkable.

Is there anything you’re working on now that you can share with us?
I just finished my first women’s fiction novel, If You Only Knew, which is about two sisters confronting their expectations of relationships and the reality. Jenny, a wedding dress designer, is having trouble letting go of her ex-husband, even when she’s forced into the role of midwife for his new wife, who wants to be Jenny’s best friend. Rachel, a contented stay-at-home mom to three-year-old triplets, has to decide what to do when she learns her husband may be having an affair. While the book is slightly different for me, I think readers will find the same things they love in my other books—strong family ties, a few secrets, a lot of laughs, and maybe a good cry, too.—Kellie Tilton

50 shades of erotica

“Erotica never left, it’s always simmering,” Erika Tsang, Avon’s editorial director, slyly notes. And right she is—erotica has long been a part of the romance genre landscape, but, as many acknowledge, E.L. James’s 50 Shades of Grey brought the subgenre into the pop culture spotlight. With the film version of the title set to release on Valentine’s Day, it’s almost certain that erotica will remain in the limelight for a bit longer.

To whet readers’ appetites, Tempted Romance will be releasing Three of Hearts (Oct.), an anthology, edited by Kristina Wright, that explores the threesome dynamic. Charlotte Stein’s latest, Intrusion (Nov.), will be available to readers from Avon Impulse, while Kresley Cole fans can look forward to The Master (Gallery, Jan.), the second installment in “The Game Maker” series. Lorelei James’s newest in the “Mastered” series, which NAL executive editor Kerry Donovan says has a “compelling erotic hook and wonderful intensity to the emotional and physical relationships,” will gain a digital novella, Schooled (InterMix: Penguin, Dec.), to hold fans until the publication of the third book in the series, Unraveled (NAL, Mar.). Sara Fawkes’s popular e-novellas Anything He Wants and Castaway will be bound together in one intense volume (Griffin: St. Martin’s, Oct.).

Berkley’s Hwang concurs about the rise in popularity of erotica but makes an interesting observation about the effect of that phenomenon. “With the huge increase [in the publication] of erotic romance over the last few years, what readers consider ‘erotic’ has changed. Many of the authors who started out as ‘erotic’ are now considered mainstream in their appeal.” Cleis’s Brenda Knight thinks that BDSM titles were actually growing in appeal before 50 Shades made its appearance. However, Cleis is happy to continue to ride the pop culture hoopla—and the sales bump!

New adult mania

One of the newest subgenres to enter into the romance pantheon is new adult (NA) (see “A World of Firsts,” LJ 9/15/14, p. 22–25 [ow.ly/BHrbt]). It’s created a shelving identity crisis, and figuring out what makes new adult different from other established genres has left librarians in a bit of a pickle.

This subgenre of books started out as all self-publishing, all the time, according to Peter Senftleben, associate editor at Kensington. “The self-publishing boom of new adult romance [books] made [traditional houses] take notice of a category that we had been cautious of previously,” he says. “I credit those self-publishers for the rise of new adult coming from traditional publishers but also for the resurgence of contemporary romance. The success of new adult has shown that there are, in fact, readers for college- or postcollege-aged characters, and we’re actively looking for NA projects.”

One of the established authors in the NA field, Abbi Glines will be putting out book number nine in her “Rosemary Beach” series, You Were Mine (Atria, Dec.). In this anticipated release, the hidden past between Tripp Newark and Bethy Lowry will be pushed front and center. Gallery Books will release a newly revised and expanded print version of After (Oct.), the young adult novel by Anna Todd that was first embraced by over a billion readers through the e-platform Wattpad. The sequels will follow in November and December. Coming along next year will be InterMix: Penguin’s Trust the Focus (Mar.), by Megan Erickson, the digital imprint’s first foray into NA, which features an M/M romance.

Going it alone?

The self-publishing boom has created an interesting conundrum throughout the publishing industry. The Knight Agency’s Deidre Knight said at a recent event that self-publishing was the most hotly debated topic among fellow publishers. “Certainly, publishers are looking for self-published successes,” she notes, while reminding us that word of mouth from friends and fans and the ability to go to a bookstore to purchase a copy of a book is just as important for a title’s success. At Riptide, it has become more apparent that self-publishing is where the primary competition for talent is coming from, not other houses. “We’ve worked very hard to offer clear and unbeatable value to authors,” Haimowitz says.

Still, with the success of numerous self-published-to-­traditional books, the tenuous relationship between self and standard houses will likely continue for the near future. The strong audience in the digital arena can have slightly different demands. “Trends in digital tend to be different from those that happen at the print retail level,” says Angela James, editorial director of Harlequin’s e-publishing arm Carina Press. “The new adult trend is a good example of that. It began over three years ago in digital, but it’s still a small pickup in the retail print market.” James also notes darker and edgier romance and romance with a good dose of angst are starting to gain traction. There is also continued interest in romantic suspense, states James, and Carina will be bringing spies and spicy situations to readers in Edie Harris’s Blamed (Nov.), the first in a series.

“I like to think that digital is an expansion on the ‘mass’ format—which, by definition, is a format in which a majority of readers buy their material in an inexpensive format,” Avon’s Tsang says. “Readers have an insatiable appetite, and they want more, they want variety, and digital is where a publisher can feed that appetite best.” And digital is increasingly where readers are going, with nearly every publisher creating a digital imprint, crossing into every subgenre and category the romance world can hold—and just about all are now available to libraries.

Cleis/Tempted anticipates the continued growth of its “e-treats” but also uses the digital arena as a test market. It will be releasing Tristan Taormino’s how-to 50 Shades of Kink: An Introduction to BDSM (Mar.) into the print market after its initial electronic success. The digital stage has also allowed authors to be able to work together in unique ways, such as the 1001 Dark Nights project (www.1001darknights.com), guided by Evil Eye Concepts, which releases a new romance each month inspired by The Arabian Nights. Spanning paranormal and erotica and with a slate of best-selling authors (e.g., Shayla Black, Lara Adrian, Heather Graham, Julie Kenner, and Christopher Rice), the project is expected to continue into 2015. Yet a large group of readers maintain “that they want the physical product in hand, and that group is willing to pay for the paperbacks,” Dreamspinner’s West acknowledges. If that demand drops in future, she surmises, e-only business will be the preferred choice.

Stay the romance course

By whichever means that satisfying reading experience comes in—be it “e” or “p”—romance fans are out there in droves. “More people are reading romance than ever before,” states author Bostwick. “Personally, I attribute it to the quality of the writing and especially the characterization.”

With long-standing subgenres exploding in numbers of releases and new ones growing in fan appeal, romance is becoming just as diverse as its readership. As the digital realm becomes more robust, libraries will have the opportunity to expand their holdings beyond the scope of shelf limits. Romance continues to be a popular draw for patrons. Libraries should take that to heart and embrace this many-faceted genre with a passion.

Kellie Tilton is an Instructional Technologies Librarian at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash. She has been reading romance novels since she discovered them in her hometown library collection at 12 and has been reviewing born-digital romance titles for LJ since 2011