While many would find fault with the above title, the claim that romance novels are a form of literature, the fact remains that more romances are read than any other genre in North America. This has been the case since 2004 when fifty five percent of all paperback books sold were in the romance category.
That's an incredible amount of books, and surely a vast array of people reading them. But here again, there seems to be an unwillingness to accept that facts. Why? Because many like to claim that only women who are single, desperately unhappy or just desperate, and let's not forget uneducated, are the only people who read romances in any form. And this is despite reams of data that disputes these claims.
So, what does the data show? That women and men from all walks of life, from the poverty stricken to the wealthy, from the uneducated to the over educated, from single people and those involved in fulfilling, long term relationships, from the unemployed to those who are top grade professionals, read romances.
Romance novels are also looked upon with a degree of derision. Many say, and I will admit that in some cases there is a degree of true in this, that these types of books simply follow a formula. That if you've read one, you've read them all. But that can be said for many mainstream, New York Times bestsellers as well. There are mainstream authors that I refuse to read anymore, because the plot is exactly the same in each and every one of their novels.
But for those who like to read a good romance for whatever the reason, the good news is that there is an endless stream of them available. And there is something to fulfill every taste. Romantic suspense, romantic comedy, western romances and so on. The sub-genres of the romance category are many and varied.
So, do you like to read romances?
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