Even though there's a preponderance of delicious looking breasts and lips on the covers, how come the books are never marketed to men?
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Even though there's a preponderance of delicious looking breasts and lips on the covers, how come the books are never marketed to men?
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Guess what, no one corners the market anymore.
Hi Jane,
Shades of Grey is erotica, not romance. And most of the rest of your descriptions sounds like they're from Harlequin type romances, which take up a small proportion of the romance industry stocklist. Look for single title authors like Lynn Kurland (who doesn't write sex in her books), Linda Howard, Charlene Raddon, Sherrilyn Kenyon/Kinley MacGregor, JoAnn Ross, Deb Stover, Alexis Harrington, Amy Fetzer, Cheryl St John, Dee Davis, Eileen Dreyer, Julie Kenner, Lisa Hendrix . . . I could go on. These are traditional romance authors available through local bookstores. There's a huge list of single title authors publishing through small press as well. With all of them, their heroes and heroines get a fairly equal mention.
I agree there are a lot of books like you mention, where women can imagine themselves as the heroine, but Harlequin corners the market there.
I agree with you there! ;-)
I thought women had long gotten over the 'shame' of reading romance with steamy covers.
These days, there are some really beautiful covers. Harlequin has really ramped up their covers recently. I very nearly bought one called Butterfly Swords just for the cover. I have no idea what the book was about. I just loved the artwork :-)
Adding to what Stephanie said, because most books are written by women, the POV will be the woman's. Traditionally, romance has been about escapism for women . . . much like soap operas were back in the beginning . . . something for the woman to watch on TV while her wash was doing. Those soaps are just as risque and action-packed as romance novels. Maybe not as much nudity . . . at lesat not in America. Europeans aren't hung up on nudity like Americans are. Pre-watershed, commercials can be quiet suggestive, even hinting at a side view of a nake person, such as in a shower gel commercial. After the water-shed, everything comes out except around the panty line.
There are men romance readers out there. More and more every day now that ereaders have become so popular. Some men who write romance include Wayne Jordon (real name), Leigh Greenwood (real name Harold Lowry), Tori Carrington (husband wife team Tony and Lori Carrington) to name a few. Now these are traditional romance novelists, not men writing romantic novels, like Harry Bingham who wrote The Lieutenant's Lover or Nicholas Sparks who wrote The Notebook, etc.
What I find interesting is that mostly women are writing gay romances for men!
I suppose it's because the majority are written from the female's pov. We need more from the man's. And there are some excellent rom-com for guys authors out there - Simon Lipson, Jonas Ericsson, David Nicholls and blovelist Rorie Stevens, to name just a few.