Future Romance Publishing Trends We’re Watching

Romance readers are no longer asking only, “Is it good?” They are asking whether it is grumpy/sunshine good, third-act-break-up good, five-chilli good, no-spice-but-still-kicking-my-feet good. That shift sits at the heart of future romance publishing trends: readers want the emotional experience signposted before they commit, but they still want a story with enough spark to surprise them.

The genre is not becoming less romantic. It is becoming more precise. For publishers, authors and anyone with a TBR pile held together by optimism, this means the next big love story may not be the one that tries to please everybody. It may be the one that knows exactly who will text their mate, “You need to read this immediately.”