Reading While Black

Romance Literature Statistics: Overview
Explore the results of Romance Writers of America’s market research study on romance reader demographics and the romance fiction industry. These statistics offer insights to help you share in this billion-dollar-a-year industry.

Romance Sales

* Romance fiction generated $1.37 billion in sales in 2006.
* Approximately 6,400 romance titles were released in 2006.

Market Share of Romance Fiction

* Romance fiction outsold every market category in 2006, with the exception of religion/inspirational.
* 26.4% of all books sold are romance.

Romance Market Share Compared to Other Genres
(source: Simba Information estimates)

* Romance fiction: $1.37 billion in estimated revenue for 2006
Religion/inspirational: $1.68 billion
Science fiction/fantasy: $495 million
Classic literary fiction: $448
Mystery: $422 million
Graphic novels: $128 million

* Of those who read books last year, one in five read romance novels. (AP-Ipsos Poll)

Romance Fiction Breakdown by Subgenre
(source: Romance Writers of America, 2006 Romance Releases)

* Category/series romance: 40 percent
* Historical romance: 17 percent
* Contemporary romance: 16 percent
* Paranormal romance: 9 percent
* Romantic suspense: 7 percent
* Inspirational romance: 6 percent
* Other (includes young adult, erotic romance, chick-lit, and women’s fiction): 5 percent

Romance Fiction in 2006
The overall decline in the publishing industry was not evident in romance fiction, as sales remained steady in 2006 with $1.37 billion in estimated revenue and approximately 6,400 new titles published. Romance fiction was a strong seller—overcome only by the religion/inspirational category.

* Romance: $1.37 billion
* Religion/inspirational: $1.68 billion
* Science fiction/fantasy: $495 million
* Classic literary fiction: $448 million
* Mystery: $422 million
* Graphic novels: $128 million

(as per Simba Information estimates)

With these revenue numbers, romance fiction was a 26.4 percent share of all market categories in 2006. What accounts for the strong sales? Variety. Consumers of romance read it how, when, and where they wish. Readers have proven to be consumers of romance in a variety of formats, from traditional to digital.

Readers who want to listen to a romance in the car, bus, or train on the commute to work can purchase an audiobook on CD or download it onto an MP3 player. While audiobook sales as a whole were down 11.7 percent in 2006, Brilliance Audio increased its revenue with “the gain driven by continued success with suspense and romance audiobooks” (Agostino 2007, 12). Similarly, Audible’s revenue was up 20 percent, and Director of Communications Jonathan Korzen “said that romance…titles have done especially well” (Agostino 2007, 13).

Romance titles have “done especially well” in the electronic book format, too. According to the New York Times, “As the readers and the devices become more common, e-book publishers are noticing a shift in tastes.The early best-seller lists were dominated by science fiction novels and other titles favored by men….But lately, the lists are led by romance and women’s fiction”(Wayner 2007). The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDF) reported sales of trade e-books for 2006 at around $24 million, which is double the amount of sales for 2005. In what could be a breakthrough for the industry, the IDPF voted on an official e-book standard. “The IDPF adoption of OPS 2.0 along with the ‘.epub’ file format that goes with it…means that publishers can now create one digital book file instead of the 6 to 10 formats previously required” (Reid 2007). With the new e-book file format, debut of the Sony Reader, and new software from eBook Technologies, Mobipocket, eReader.com and others, sales will continue to rise.

Romance fiction sales should continue to benefit from these technologies, as new (and existing) readers embrace audiobook and e-book romance titles in addition to traditional print books.
The Readers

So, who are the readers? According to an Associated Press–Ipsos poll, among those who said they read books in the past year:

* One in five read romance novels,
* People from the South read slightly more, mostly religious books and romance novels,
* More women than men read every major category of books,
* Women read nine books per year, while men read five.

Best-Selling Authors and Publishers
The best-seller lists were awash with romance novels in 2006, as “there were 304 editions of 288 romance titles on the best-seller lists, up 24 percent over 2005, and the strongest level in five years” (Agostino 2007, 192). One hundred sixty-one authors, representing fifty-seven imprints, made the lists, with the top spaces going to Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Catherine Coulter, Debbie Macomber, and Jayne Anne Krentz. The leading romance subgenres were suspense, history, and fantasy.

Who sold the most romance fiction? The top five romance book publishers of 2006 (as per Simba Information estimates) were:

1. Harlequin ($418 million)
2. Random House ($81 million)
3. Penguin Group ($71 million)
4. HarperCollins (64.8 million)
5. Kensington ($37 million)

The solid sales for romance publishers may be attributed to the increasing popularity of niche markets/subgenres such as erotic romance and paranormal romance, innovative partnerships, on-line marketing, and contests. Major New York publishers recognized the popularity of erotic romance and, in 2006, released their first erotic romances through imprints such as Aphrodisia, Avon Red, Spice, and Berkley Heat.

Harlequin signed a licensing agreement with NASCAR to publish women’s fiction titles in an effort to reach the approximately 30 million female NASCAR fans.

Avon sponsored a FanLit contest where the readers and writers collaborated on a novella, which was published as the e-book These Wicked Games.

The willingness of publishers to explore new avenues within romance fiction is good news for the future of the industry.
2007 Estimates

Sales of romance fiction are predicted to hold steady for 2007, with $1.375 billion in projected revenue. Overall, the U.S. trade book sales are expected to rise 2.6 percent in 2007, thanks to a new Harry Potter novel, to $6.47 billion. The popularity of romance audiobooks and e-books, publisher involvement in on-line communities and contests, and the expansion of subgenres spell a strong future for romance fiction.

Romance Literature Statistics: Readership Statistics
Number of Romance Readers
64.6 million Americans read at least one romance novel in the past year.
2002: 51.1 million readers in America
1998: 41 million readers in America

Geography of Romance Readers
29% of the Southern population reads romance
27% of the Western population reads romance
26% of the Midwest population reads romance
12.6% of the Northeast population reads romance

Gender of Romance Readers
78% of romance readers are female
22% of romance readers are male (a significant increase from the 2002 survey that showed only 7% of readers were male.)

Marital Status of Romance Readers
50% of romance readers are married
37 % of romance readers are single
8% of romance readers are widowed
4% of romance readers are divorced
1% of romance readers are separated

Age of Romance Readers
22% are between the ages of 35-44
19% are between the ages of 25-34
18% are between the ages of 45-54
11% are between the ages of 55-64
9% are between the ages of 18-24
8% are 75 and older
6% are between the ages of 14-17
6% are between the ages of 65-74
1% are 13 or younger

Education Level of Romance Readers
42% have a bachelor’s degree or higher …
27% have college degrees
15% have post-graduate work or degrees
7% have associate degrees
17% have attended a trade school or have some college
23% have high school diplomas

Number of Romance Novels Read By Romance Readers in the Past Year
54% have read between 1 and 5 books
17% have read between 6 and 10 books
14% have read between 11 and 20 books
8% have read between 21 and 50 books
2% have read between 51 and 100 books

How Romance Readers Obtained the Last Romance Novel They Read
36 % bought their book new
25% checked their book out from a library
16% borrowed their book from a friend
13% received their book as a gift
5% bought their book used
4% got their book in other ways
1% traded another book for a new book

The Percentage of Romance Novels That Are Bought New
54% buy 20% or fewer books new
32% don’t buy any new books
15% always buy new books

Where Readers Purchased Their Books
Mass merchandisers such as Target or Wal-Mart have become the most popular place for readers to buy their books.

31% bought their books from a mass merchandiser
22% bought their books from a mall bookstore
16% bought their books from a free-standing bookstore
8% bought their books from a mail order
6% bought their books from another outlet
5% bought their books from a book club
5% bought their books from a grocery store
4% bought their books from the internet
2% bought their books from an airport bookstore
1% bought their books from a drug store

Settings or Subgenres Romance Readers Enjoy
Romance readers ranked the following setting or plot elements for romance novels in order of most enjoyable:

1) Mystery, Thriller, Action plots preferred by 48% of readers
2) Exotic Settings preferred by 36% of readers
3) Contemporary themes preferred by 33% of readers
4) Inspirational romances with a spiritual sub-plot preferred by 31% of readers
5) Colonial American settings preferred by 27% of readers
6) American West settings preferred by 25 % of readers
7) Historical romance set in England preferred by 24% of readers
Scottish-set historical romances preferred by 21% of readers
9) Medieval set romances preferred by 21% of readers
10) Paranormal romances preferred by 18% of readers
11) Futuristic romance preferred by 14% of readers

Types of Covers Preferred By Readers
53% of readers prefer covers that are either abstract or romantic
35% of readers prefer sedate and abstract covers
12% of readers prefer romantic covers

Source: RWA National