From Marginalized to Mainstream: The Romance Novel’s Ongoing Struggle for Literary Respect

Romance is not dead. Or, rather, the romance novel is not dead.

From Jane Austen to the Harlequin novels up to Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez, the romance novel has maintained its notable presence in the publishing world. Though it has historically been a genre looked down upon or pushed aside by readers and authors who consider themselves more sophisticated than a happy ending, the genre’s fans and authors have not wavered.

Now, romance novels are topping all the bestseller lists. And while novelists are proud of how far the genre has come, they are still adamant about how far it needs to go. Though many readers are no longer hiding the books they are reading in public, authors, specifically female authors, are not exempt from being critiqued for the nature of their work.

More often than not, people think of romance novels as the stereotypical woman-riding-into-the-sunset-on-a-horse-with-a-shirtless-man book cover whose contents fit in the palm of their hand—the traditional Harlequin romance. Filled with angst, lust, and excitement, these books presented as more emotionally vulnerable, speaking to some of the romantic fantasies readers wanted to dive into as a break from their everyday lives. Perhaps it is because of this vulnerability, however, that romance readers shied away from publicizing their current reads, making sure nobody could see what they were reading. 

Romance fan and owner of Smitten, a bookstore for romance and women’s literature in Ventura, California, Mae Tingstrom said, “I remember growing up my stepmom would hide her romance novels in the bathroom. She didn't feel comfortable having them on the bookshelf for guests to see.” Even bookstores relegated romances to the back stands, stowed away to prevent customers from discrediting their reputation. 

To Barbara Delinsky, a novelist for over 40 years with 19 books on The New York Times Best Seller list, the public eye forced the romance novel into hiding. She said, “[Bookstores] needed the sales because that helped them pay their bills at the end of the month. But they didn't really want people knowing that they sold romance novels.” For years, novelists and readers alike have felt judged for their work and hobbies. The escapism found in books with happy endings seems to draw more criticism than any other genre.

Genres like mystery or science fiction are equally forms of escapism and entertainment, yet they have received significantly less nitpicking, if any at all. Beyond reading, historically male-dominated activities and forms of entertainment have been exempt from public scrutiny. About this double standard, Delinsky said, “The mystery novels are escapism. A baseball game, baseball is escapism…You know, there's escapism all over the world. Unfortunately, women's escapism, you know, with something about love…something about that is very intimidating, I think, to much of the world. And so there is an effort to demean it.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic and in the years since, there is no doubt that many people have searched for outlets to escape from their everyday lives. There is escapism everywhere: television, music, art, sporting events, etc. For some reason, however, it is romance novels that have become most widely shamed. In this comparison between traditionally male and female leisure activities, it is important to consider where they collide. Nicholas Sparks, for example, is one of the greatest romance novelists, with all 23 of his published books having been featured on The New York Times Best Sellers list. Even more, many of his novels, most notably “The Notebook,” have been adapted into heart-wrenching major motion pictures. However, Nicholas Sparks is defined on Google as an “American novelist.” He remains unattached from his romantic narratives and is implicitly known simply for the success and quality of his writing, rather than its content.

Delinsky, with nearly the same number of bestsellers as Sparks, is defined by Google as an “American writer of romance novels.” Unlike Sparks, Delinsky is directly associated with the content she writes. Both authors have written books that deal with family, dramatic turns of events, and romantic relationships, so what reason is there for Delinsky to have the “romance novel” qualifier attached to her name and not Sparks? 

Even for her books that were not centered around romance, Delinsky often found them shelved in the romance section of bookstores. “I would walk in, and they would be my beautiful full-length books, which told about sibling rivalry or about the destruction of a marriage because of a woman's accident she was involved in that killed their child,” she said. “These books, you know, they would put with romance books in the back of the store because that was the perception of me as a romance writer.” Aware that genre labels can influence reader expectations, Delinsky prefers to call herself a novelist to prevent any preconceived notions about her work.

In contrast, contemporary romance novelists and younger readers often seem to embrace the romance label. While Delinsky grew up and began writing at a time when romance novels were mostly dismissed as guilty pleasures, newer authors and audiences are working and reading in a more progressive, genre-celebrating age.

Sarah Adler is a USA Today Best-selling author who began her career in 2019 and has since published three books. When she began both reading and writing romance, she felt more pride than a sense of concern for how others may perceive her. “I never felt like I needed to hide it. I didn't really feel like there was anything wrong or embarrassing about it,” she said. “It's not about what other people think. You're doing this for you and the people who will find your book and mesh with it.”

What seems to continue to drive the romance genre despite these cultural pushbacks is the community found among readers and authors. Discourse around romance novels has taken place largely on social media platforms, most notably on TikTok. A popularized hashtag on the short-form content app, #BookTok has provided free publicity for numerous authors, primarily in the romance and fantasy genres. Content creators post videos of books they are currently reading, their recommendations, and books they thought got perhaps too much attention. Through this platform, users have fostered communities around their shared love for reading, specifically their love for romance novels.

Last September, 831 Stories, a romance fiction company, held an advanced reading event at a bar in New York City where creators across TikTok, Instagram, and Substack gathered to fan over the company’s first novel. According to The Washington Post, romance readers are now becoming even more involved with the publicity of books, attending Comic-Con-esque events for both the genre as a whole and individual book releases. Beyond connecting users over their favorite books, though, BookTok is now a sales driver for the romance genre.

With every video they make, BookTok creators provide free publicity for authors. Some even promote books years after their initial release, going as far back as Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” In 2012, author Madeline Miller published her first novel, “The Song of Achilles,” which detailed the love story between Greek mythology figures Achilles and Patroclus. Though it only initially sold 20,000 copies, it soared to two million after gaining popularity on #BookTok in 2021, according to The New York Times. 

Publisher’s Weekly, a weekly trade news magazine for publishers and booksellers, reported that seven out of the top 10 books of 2024 were either romance or romantasy—romance and fantasy combined. Publisher’s Weekly reporters John Maher and Jim Milliot wrote, “Both genres continue to drive remarkable sales in the business.” The economic success of the genre has contributed to the recent rise of romance-centric bookstores across the country. According to The New York Times, there are currently over 20 romance bookstores in the United States. 

Best friends and co-owners of Atlanta’s Sincerely Yours Bookstore, Madison Glines and Mallory Gay, opened their romance-fantasy-fiction bookstore just over a month ago, with a grand opening that hosted over 400 people. In discussing the conception of their store, Glines said, “[Romance] is what we like to read, and there's not an outlet for that. So we wanted a place that was just, like, chill and cool. People could come in and get what they want and not feel weird about it, hang out, and chit chat.”

Similarly, Katie Cunningham opened Kiss & Tale in Collingswood, New Jersey, as an outlet for herself and her fellow romance fans. She said, “We don't yuck anybody's yum. I love when a customer comes in and can find their next read and they feel comfortable asking us for help. We have it all and if we don't we will try and get it.” Among these bookstore owners, there is a clear sense of openness and acceptance, a sentiment crucial for a genre like romance that has historically fallen victim to public shame. 

Romantic literature has undoubtedly made strides since its beginning. As of this week, three of the top five hardcover fiction novels on The New York Times Best Seller list are in the romance genre. However, authors are still looking for more change—wider varieties of stories, representation of non-heterosexual relationships, etc. Adler said, “More inclusivity is always good. So, you know, finding ways to make sure that lots of different types of people get to write their book and get it published and get it in front of readers, whatever that looks like, whether it be traditionally published or indie published.”

Romance is an ever-changing genre, and while contemporary romance may not exactly resemble the first mass-market Harlequins, the genre has still held onto the traditional elements of lust and passion. Over her career of 40 years, however, Delinsky shifted her view of her work from romance novels to love stories. About her hopes for the genre’s future, Delinsky said, “I want my granddaughters to see examples of strong women. That's what I hope for romance novels. Romance was not a bad word, and you could call it romance because that's kind of what leads up to love in many regards. But right now, I just call them love stories.”

These stories have much more to them than the general public is often aware. Books center around a main character’s search for love, but that love is not always necessarily just romantic. They deal with family issues, friendships, and undergo journeys of self-discovery. They find love within themselves and in the world around them. Authors provide figures for their readers to aspire to and stories to admire—as Delinsky said, “There's no worry. You knew that as bad as things got in the process of the story, it was gonna be okay.”

After all, who doesn’t love a happy ending?

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Lucy is a senior in the College studying English and Journalism. She is the INDY's outgoing Editor-in-Chief.