Uncovering The Reasons Behind The Astonishing Rise In LGBTQ+ Romance Literature
What’s behind the astonishing rise in LGBTQ+ romance literature?
A major transformation is underway in Romancelandia.
Once upon a time, romance novels from major U.S. publishers featured only heterosexual couples. Today, the five biggest publishers regularly release same-sex love stories.
From May 2022 to May 2023, sales of LGBTQ+ romance grew by 40%, with the next biggest jump in this period occurring for general adult fiction, which grew just 17%.
The data from 2023 extends a boom that began in 2016: In the five years from May 2016 to May 2021, sales of LGBTQ+ romance grew by a jaw-dropping 740%.
It’s tempting to see this trend as a sign of the times.
After all, same-sex couples now populate TV shows, commercials and even Hallmark Christmas movies.
Surely it was only natural for books su...