Romance Literature Statistics: Overview

Explore the results of Romance Writers of America's market research study on romance reader demographics and the romance fiction industry. These statistics offer insights to help you share in this billion-dollar-a-year industry.

Popularity of Romance Fiction

(source: Business of Consumer Book Publishing 2009)

Romance fiction generated $1.37 billion in sales in 2008.
7,311 new romance titles were released in 2008.
In 2008, romance was the top performing category on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists.
Romance fiction sales are estimated at $1.36 billion for 2009.
74.8 million people read at least one romance novel in 2008. (source: RWA Reader Survey)

Market Share of Romance Fiction

(source: Business of Consumer Book Publishing 2009)

Romance fiction was the largest share of the consumer market in 2008 at 13.5 percent.

Romance Market Share Compared to Other Genres

(source: Simba Information estimates)

Romance fiction: $1.37 billion in estimated revenue for 2008
Religion/inspirational: $800 million
Mystery: $668 million
Science fiction/fantasy: $551 million
Classic literary fiction: $446 million

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