Romance is All Around You

Bodice ripping lovers, rejoice. With the creation of the Kindle, the Nook, and the iPad, you can now read your romance novels in public without being judged. And that seems to be exactly what romance fans are doing these days.

The sales of romance novels have sky-rocketed since the creation of the Kindle, and romance e-books have actually surpassed the sale of paperbacks. According to The Daily Mail, this is due to the fact that hunky characters on the cover of these novels can no longer embarrass those reading them in public. Many romance e-books are also available for around $1, so it makes for a cheap, easy and saucy read.

Romance e-books are the fastest growing market in the e-reading world, and major retailers like Barnes & Noble have begun marketing them heavily. In an interview with The New York Times, chief executive William Lynch stated that romance readers are buying the most books out of any genre. "This is a new business for us… Romance buyers are buying, on average, three books a month. That buyer is really, really valuable," he said.

Three books a month per adds up to 36 books per year for the average buyer. According to The Washington Post, 1 in 4 Americans reads no books per year, and the average American reads between 4 and 7 books per year. That means that the average romance reader is reading more than quadruple the amount of books as the average American.

While the plight of reading in America is suffering, the romance genre is thriving. As of November 20, 2011, the number 3, 4, and 5 free Kindle books were romance novels, only surpassed by cookbooks and a jigsaw puzzle book. Best sellers like James Patterson and Suzanne Collins held the top 10 for paid Kindle books, but the Nora Robert's romance Unfinished Business came in at a close number 12.

So what does the sale of e-books say about e-readers as a culture? That they are all porn hungry fiends, spinsters without a man, or just hopeless romantics? I don't think so. If romance readers, spinsters or students alike, are reading more because of the Kindle, it is an improvement for society. Anyone reading more is always a positive, especially when the average American reads about 4 books per year and watches 151 hours of TV per month. 

So, bodice rippers, rip away. Get hot and bothered on your commutes reading your romance novels. Read about those close beating hearts and wet thighs and all the other juicy stuff that comes with your e-books. No one can judge you now.