LOVE IN THE TIME OF SELF-PUBLISHING

An intriguing study of how the staggering success of romance e-books has turned the publishing industry on its head.

The traditional publishing industry has had a tough decade, caught between shrinking markets and technological change. However, as journalism professor Larson notes, there is one part of the publishing business that has adapted and prospered. The romantic fiction sector, often disliked by stodgy traditionalists, has ridden the wave of the e-book revolution, grasping the opportunities presented by self-publishing and self-promotion through social media. It is a classic case of industry disruption, with the legacy companies stuck in a pattern of repeating what worked in the past while dynamic new players leapfrogged over them by creating new market structures. Romance writers’ median income, according to Larson, has increased by 73%, while that of other authors has dropped by 40%. A crucial part of the situation is the development of a vast network of authors, e-distributors, grassroots organizations and groups, micro-publishers, and rabid fans, known by participants as Romancelandia, a group largely comprised of women. To understand the huge size and complexity of it, Larson conducted countless interviews, visited events across the country, and even designed a survey. She believes that the success of the network is due to the cooperative nature of women and because everyone involved loves what they are doing. However, as the author also points out, there have been problems integrating people from marginalized groups, especially LGBTQ+ people and people of color, into the culture of Romancelandia—although there are recent signs of positive change. The Romancelandia project is still a work in progress, but, writes Larson, “I see the ingredients of an optimistic ending. We may not see a happily ever after…but my money’s on a ‘happily for now.’”

An important story of how new trails can be blazed with persistence and imagination.