With Valentine’s Day almost upon us, the PRH Insights team delved into the Romance genre to get a glimpse of its average reader. Let’s take a closer look at the makeup of the Romance audience, from demographics to purchasing habits!
Romance book buyers are a diverse, creative, and caring group. They seek out content that engages and heightens their emotions, and they are plugged into TV and media, as well as all the major social media platforms—particularly ones that are visual and promote community and sharing (such as Pinterest and Instagram).
These buyers look for their next reads from bestseller lists, excerpts, and special offers—and they also value good recommendations from trusted sources like their friends and family, librarians, booksellers, and digital reviews. Typically, Romance readers see reading as a social activity: They tend to discuss books they’re reading with others, engage with authors online, rate and review books themselves, and post on social media about books.
Authors, sign in to the Author Portal for a more in-depth analysis of the Romance audience, including demographics, purchasing habits, and what they look for in their book picks!
Our Consumer Insights team keeps a close eye on trends in all book genres so we can continue to get your books into the hands of readers—some who are new to these genres and some who are seasoned veterans. We look forward to bringing more of these reader insights to you in the months to come!
April Flores is Director, Consumer Insights at Penguin Random House.