Lori here~
I found this interesting tidbit when blog surfing one of my favorite sites : Dear Author
According to the Business of Consumer Publishing 2006, the net revenue from retail sources in the U.S. accounted for $6.31 billion in 2006. Romance sales accounted for $1.37 billion or 21% of the overall sales just behind religious/inspirational sales which accounted for $1.68 billion. According to the Assocation of American Publishers, religious/inspirational sales includes the sale of Bibles.
Other genre sales figures include: (after the cut)
- Science fiction/fantasy $495 million
- Classic literary fiction $448 million
- Mystery $422 million
- Graphic novels $128 million
Other mile markers for romance books include the dominance on the bestseller lists. There were 288 titles on the list (some represented twice because of the different formats for a total of 304 books) and 161 romance authors making the lists.
The romance genre is the same size as the next three smallest combined.
Thoughts? Bear in mind FOFO's, I also write erotic romance, so keep the snark to a minimum!
Who ever said sex doesn't sell?
And thanks for the link, Lori. It's an interesting site.
Posted by: J.D. Rhoades | November 19, 2007 at 07:33 AM
Really interesting, Lori. I do have to say, it hammers home how truly unfair a lot of romance contracts are. Five, ten-book deals at a paltry advance -- and here they are, raking in more than practically anybody.
Posted by: AlisonGaylin | November 19, 2007 at 07:38 AM
The majority of readers are women. This comes as no surprise to me. Romance was always strong, but now it's getting stronger. When things aren't going well, romance surges, because it is, at heart, a hopeful genre.
And sex can get your mind off a lot of things. Or just get your mind off. ;)
Posted by: J. Carson Black | November 19, 2007 at 08:25 AM
Thrillers don't even make the cut? Scary. I wonder how much of romance sales are erotic romance sales. Just curious, since I've been known to scribble those, too!
Posted by: spyscribbler | November 19, 2007 at 12:13 PM
Spy, I believe thrillers are put in with mysteries. Regarding erotic romance, they're below 5%. The same stats had the genre breakdowns, with 40% of all romance being category romances, followed by contemporary, historical, suspense, (I think . . . I'm doing this from memory.) Romantic suspense was like 9%. Which surprised me, I'll admit, because the Levy people said at a recent conference that historicals and romantic suspense were their two top sellers. But it's also how books were categorized in this particularly sample.
Still, romance and all its subgenres are going strong. My mom just lectured me that I'd better not remove romance from my suspense "or else."
Posted by: Allison Brennan | November 20, 2007 at 12:27 AM