Romance Novels Thriving In Tough Economic Times
Roger nearly lost last night, but he pulled through because I egged him on and coached him through the TV till I turned hoarse ("Play his backhand! His forehand is killing you!"). Tonight, I'll be doing the same for Rafa against Lleyton (but let it stand that I really like the latter's chutzpah). But before that, I saw this interesting article: Romance Novels Thriving In Tough Economic Times. An excerpt:
With an out-of-work husband and two children to support, Christine Mead needs a cheap – and uplifting – break from life.
So lately she's been escaping into sweet and heartening stories of love and passion, where heroines overcome insurmountable obstacles to find their happiness.
"I am left with a satisfied feeling at the end of a good book, a feeling of hope that all can, and will, be OK," said Mead, who lives in the small town of Festus, Missouri, and suffers from fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.
Mead, 41, rarely goes anywhere because of the price of gas, and the family has been relying on a food pantry. Romance novels, she said, are "a distraction from not knowing what's going to happen next."
Love may not conquer all in real life, but its power in relatively inexpensive books is quite a comfort in this economy. Publishers are seeing strong sales in the romance genre as other categories decline and consumers cut back on spending.
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., a global giant in women's fiction, reported fourth-quarter earnings up 32 percent over the same period a year earlier, with US retail sales up 9 percent in 2008.
For the week of May 10, romance book sales overall were up nearly 2.4 percent compared with the same week last year, according to Nielsen BookScan, which covers 75 percent of retail sales. Travel book sales were down 16 percent, detective/mystery and self-help were each down 17 percent and adult fiction overall, of which romance is a subgenre, was up 1 percent.
Katherine Petersen, 43, of Menlo Park, California, said she feels more energized to resume her job search after she finishes a good romance. Petersen is blind and has been looking for work for about a year.
Before, reading was a hobby. Now, it's her saving grace. She said it's something she can do in braille or by listening without the company of others and without spending a lot of money.
"When I'm reading, I'm thinking about something else," said Petersen, whose background is in public relations. "I'm certainly not worrying about that job letter I just sent out or who I have to call or how I am going to pay the electric bill. It's kind of a freedom from that."
But escapism is only part of the attraction, said best-selling author Janet Evanovich, who started out writing romance and then morphed into mystery. She likes romance because the characters are quirky, vibrant women who take charge, are tenacious and are able to overcome crises in their lives – characters women can identify with.
The books are a feel-good read, Enderlin said. The endings may be predictable, but there's solace in knowing that things are going to turn out like they should.
For Diane Pershing, president of Romance Writers of America, the recession-proof romance is a no-brainer. Romance novels offer "rich, complex stories about good people overcoming obstacles to achieve intimacy and an eventual joining of their lives," she said.
"Along the way, they have great sex," she said. "What's not to like?"
With an out-of-work husband and two children to support, Christine Mead needs a cheap – and uplifting – break from life.
So lately she's been escaping into sweet and heartening stories of love and passion, where heroines overcome insurmountable obstacles to find their happiness.
"I am left with a satisfied feeling at the end of a good book, a feeling of hope that all can, and will, be OK," said Mead, who lives in the small town of Festus, Missouri, and suffers from fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.
Mead, 41, rarely goes anywhere because of the price of gas, and the family has been relying on a food pantry. Romance novels, she said, are "a distraction from not knowing what's going to happen next."
Love may not conquer all in real life, but its power in relatively inexpensive books is quite a comfort in this economy. Publishers are seeing strong sales in the romance genre as other categories decline and consumers cut back on spending.
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., a global giant in women's fiction, reported fourth-quarter earnings up 32 percent over the same period a year earlier, with US retail sales up 9 percent in 2008.
For the week of May 10, romance book sales overall were up nearly 2.4 percent compared with the same week last year, according to Nielsen BookScan, which covers 75 percent of retail sales. Travel book sales were down 16 percent, detective/mystery and self-help were each down 17 percent and adult fiction overall, of which romance is a subgenre, was up 1 percent.
Katherine Petersen, 43, of Menlo Park, California, said she feels more energized to resume her job search after she finishes a good romance. Petersen is blind and has been looking for work for about a year.
Before, reading was a hobby. Now, it's her saving grace. She said it's something she can do in braille or by listening without the company of others and without spending a lot of money.
"When I'm reading, I'm thinking about something else," said Petersen, whose background is in public relations. "I'm certainly not worrying about that job letter I just sent out or who I have to call or how I am going to pay the electric bill. It's kind of a freedom from that."
But escapism is only part of the attraction, said best-selling author Janet Evanovich, who started out writing romance and then morphed into mystery. She likes romance because the characters are quirky, vibrant women who take charge, are tenacious and are able to overcome crises in their lives – characters women can identify with.
The books are a feel-good read, Enderlin said. The endings may be predictable, but there's solace in knowing that things are going to turn out like they should.
For Diane Pershing, president of Romance Writers of America, the recession-proof romance is a no-brainer. Romance novels offer "rich, complex stories about good people overcoming obstacles to achieve intimacy and an eventual joining of their lives," she said.
"Along the way, they have great sex," she said. "What's not to like?"
posted by pgenrestories at 7:47 PM
2 Comments:
It's a good economic decision then to become a novelist. I just wish the same is here in the Philippines.
I mean, it's the same. Sorry, sleepy already :)
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