twenty second Might 2025
Studying Time: 10 minutes
Romance books have all the time been a well-liked style – however ‘spicy’ books have a brand new and big readership because of a number of high-profile books currently (Sarah J Maas, we’re you). Should you’ve all the time needed to make cash writing books, and you’ve got a artistic creativeness, this might be a good way to make cash. Right here’s your complete information to writing erotica, closed-door romance, and every part in-between!
What’s Romance as a Style?
Romance writing spans a really broad spectrum of varieties of books. There may be one apparent frequent theme: folks fall in love. However apart from that, virtually something goes!
A latest increase in ‘romantasy’ blends romance with fantasy books, and this has launched an entire new era to romance writing (and studying). However there are many differing kinds. You possibly can both self publish or historically publish, relying on how shortly you wish to make cash and the way a lot management you need over the publishing course of.
How Spicy Do I Have to Be?
‘Spicy’ is a time period used for erotic writing that’s graphic and/or express, whereas extra ‘conventional’ romance is commonly known as ‘closed door’. It means you get hints of what occurs, however most is left as much as the reader’s creativeness because it occurs ‘behind closed doorways’. Spicy books are sometimes very express, so it’s essential be comfy with writing R-rated issues!
The excellent news is there are audiences for all ranges of ‘spice’. So, in the event you’re not comfy writing express intercourse scenes, you possibly can nonetheless make cash writing romance books.
How Do I Write a Romance Guide?
Whereas it’s now simpler than ever to publish your writing because of eBooks and platforms like Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books, you continue to have to put within the work if you wish to make constant cash out of your romance writing!
Listed below are just a few vital issues to contemplate.
Learn, Learn, Learn!
To start with, earlier than you even set pen to paper or fingers to typewriter, be sure you know your style. Get your palms on a library card, or signal as much as a free trial of Kindle Limitless, and browse as a lot romance fiction you will get your palms on. That is the perfect masterclass you possibly can take whenever you’re studying write romance novels.
Take note of frequent themes and tropes, what you prefer to learn and what turns you off (pun supposed), and this may provide help to form an thought of what sort of romance author you wish to be. It can additionally present you what’s a bit too generally seen, the unhealthy sorts of tropes you wish to keep away from, and hopefully spark concepts about how one can deal with them in a recent new manner.
You Don’t Want Particular Software program… However It Might Assist
You possibly can write a novel in Google Docs, Phrase, or every other phrase processing software program. Nevertheless, as you construct your romance world and get to know your characters and plot, it may be quite a lot of info to wrangle. That’s why there are some novel-specific software program choices on the market you would possibly prefer to attempt, some are free and primary like yWriter, whereas others are paid however have extra performance, corresponding to Scrivener and Novlr.
You will get 20% off Scrivener in the event you enter MAGPIE at checkout. (This isn’t a sponsored hyperlink or advert).
If you wish to self-publish your books as ebooks, formatting software program might be actually useful. With Home windows, Atticus is probably the most generally used, whereas Vellum is for Macs. They assist flip your manuscript right into a correctly formatted e-book with out hours and hours of exhausting work!
(There has not too long ago been a web-based controversy about Vellum, the place some folks have confused it with Vellum AI. Vellum has been round for over a decade, and is a formatting software program – assume Phrase on steroids – whereas Vellum AI is one thing launched in 2025 and is for laptop builders. They’re two very various things and Vellum is NOT an AI programme).
Romance Guide Size
Romance is often between 50,000 phrases for industrial (‘chick lit’) as much as 80,000 for historic romance. Romantasy books that mix romance and fantasy genres are usually longer, as much as round 100,000 phrases, nevertheless it doesn’t must be that lengthy.
You can even attempt your hand at brief reads. Amazon Kindle determines the size of a learn by the web page numbers – you possibly can’t set this in your add metadata, however usually in the event you stick inside sure web page limits you’ll come up in the precise search filters.
The tough web page rely for brief reads could be:
- quarter-hour – 1 to 11 pages
- half-hour – 12 to 21 pages
- 45 minutes – 22 to 32 pages
- One hour – 33 to 43 pages
- 90 minutes – 44 to 64 pages
- Two hours or extra – 65 to 100 pages
That is e-book pages, relatively than variety of pages in phrase. A e-book web page is round 280 phrases. So, a 30-minute learn at 15 pages lengthy could be round 4,200 phrases. These brief tales do notably nicely when enrolled in Kindle Limitless, which is right for brand spanking new writers to construct their model – the returns are smaller, however extra individuals are prone to learn your e-book.
You Want a Plot
Romance isn’t nearly folks falling in love and doing impolite issues to one another! Readers of romance love the story of why folks fall in love, out of affection, and even after they’re torn between loving two folks. Plot is essential in romance books, however there are some key moments most may have, together with:
- A meet cute of the couple-to-be
- A honeymoon part
- The issue turning level (have they got a partner or accomplice already? Does another person come into their lives? and so forth)
- An argument between the lovers
- Both an ending the place they get again collectively for good (referred to as a contented ever after) or no less than within the short-term (known as ‘blissful for now’)
Take into consideration what it’s that makes folks fall out and in of affection. Spicy books are nice at specializing in the bodily components of relationships, however romance readers are a wise viewers and so they’ll need greater than floor lust to maintain them studying. Understanding who your characters are, what their purpose is and the obstacles they face to get to it, and why they find yourself in love are all vital plot factors it’s essential embrace.
Assume About Your Viewers
It helps to have a transparent viewers in thoughts earlier than you begin writing. This may influence the tone of your writing, how express you’re with intimate scenes, and the kind of plot you’ll write. For instance, some older readers desire basic Mills and Boon ‘light closed door romance’ whereas there’s a rising pattern for ladies of their 20s and 30s to take pleasure in notably ‘spicy’ novels. Having a few ‘ultimate readers’ in thoughts whenever you’re writing will provide help to keep on observe and focus the ‘model’ of your e-book.
Choose Your Protagonist Effectively
Your important character must be somebody who’s a go-getter, even when they’re naturally timid. They should have a motive to vary throughout the e-book – this might be as a result of they’ve moved from a village to a metropolis (or vice versa), have a brand new job, go on vacation or related. A change in circumstance and/or location is often what makes characters search out new issues – and that’s what drives the plot of a romance e-book.
Whereas your character might be anybody, usually your protagonist will likely be feminine, as the vast majority of romance readers are girls. You possibly can have male or non-binary views, however there’s a smaller area of interest for them. Many romance authors love to do ‘twin POV’ or twin viewpoint, which suggests you write one chapter in your protagonist’s voice and one other within the antagonist (or second protagonist) voice and alternate by the e-book to offer completely different views. That is notably helpful for telling the story in a broader manner, relatively than sticking in a single character’s head – however it may be difficult to do, so takes some follow.
Should you resolve on twin POV, be very cautious to not ‘head hop’. That is whenever you change inner ideas from one character to a different in the identical scene. It’s complicated for the reader! So stick to at least one scene, one particular person’s interior ideas – then you possibly can all the time change the character within the subsequent scene.
Discover a Proofreader
Earlier than you publish or ship your e-book to an agent to get printed, it’s essential have another person learn your e-book. There are several types of editors, costing completely different quantities. A developmental editor may be very deep-dive and can work on the construction and story of your romance novel. A duplicate editor or line editor will enhance how your sentences circulation and fact-check issues to be sure you don’t make any evident errors. The most cost effective possibility is a proofreader, who reads the e-book and highlights your spelling and grammar errors.
It would really feel exhausting to pay earlier than you get any revenue out of your e-book, however in the event you’re the one particular person studying it you possibly can simply miss errors since you’ve been staring on the identical pages for weeks! A great proofreader will provide help to carry your e-book as much as commonplace. It’s vital for whether or not you’re self publishing or sending to an agent. There are a lot of companies out there on-line – be part of some writing teams on Fb and ask for private referrals from different writers (don’t simply go together with the primary one who approaches you to promote their companies!).
First, with self publishing, it is very important keep away from spelling and grammatical errors which might delay your readers – and with platforms like Kindle Limitless, you’re paid by the variety of pages which might be learn. So that you need folks to maintain studying!
Secondly, if you wish to be seen by a writer or agent, you want your manuscript to be in the perfect form potential to get their consideration. Errors can cease them studying and reject the e-book, which suggests you’ll have to start out the lengthy question course of yet again.
Do I Want an Agent to Publish My Romance Novel?
Sure or no! There are two causes each solutions are true.
Self publishers don’t want an agent – they will publish no matter they need, at any time when they need. However as we talked about earlier, additionally they must do all of the advertising and marketing and enterprise facet of promoting romance novels, too.
Some conventional publishers, like Mills and Boon (learn extra beneath) will settle for e-book submissions from somebody who doesn’t have an agent. There aren’t many locations that do that, and so they’re very aggressive, however it’s a manner in to the business if you will get it.
Most conventional publishers will solely take submissions from an agent. This implies it’s essential get literary illustration earlier than you possibly can take into consideration publishing. This tends to be extra for industrial girls’s fiction or high-profile genres like romantasy.
The place Can I Publish My Romance Guide?
You possibly can select to self publish your e-book on platforms like Amazon, or historically publish to get your e-book into outlets. There are professionals and cons to each.
Self publishing offers you complete management over what you write, when it’s printed, and also you obtain a better share of sale income. Nevertheless, you additionally have to design your e-book cowl, run your PR, and proceed to market the e-book as soon as it’s printed, all of which might price cash and take quite a lot of time to study and perform. You don’t get an advance cost with self publishing, so that you want some funds to get began.
Conventional publishing is traditionally extra ‘prestigious’, however that issues much less nowadays. Nevertheless, you’ll have an editor and advertising and marketing workforce behind the e-book in the event you handle to promote it to a writer, so that you don’t must do every part as you do with self publishing. Additionally, you will be paid an advance in the event you promote the e-book, however make a smaller share on royalties.
Publishing on Amazon
It is extremely straightforward for anyone to self publish on Amazon and related platforms. That you must have a completed e-book that’s in a e-book format – software program like Vellum may also help you with this, or there are Phrase templates on-line you need to use.
You want just a few issues earlier than you possibly can hit publish:
- A e-book cowl
- A again blurb (the brief description on the again of the e-book to entice readers)
- The manuscript
- An ISBN quantity (two in the event you plan to permit for bodily copies to be bought)
- Social media artwork for promotion
- Brief descriptions for meta information
- An inventory of key phrases that relate to your e-book to assist folks discover it in searches
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is the commonest platform for brand spanking new writers to start out on. There’s a useful tutorial on the web site, and many YouTube movies for extra in-depth classes concerning the nuances of selling your romance e-book.
Publishing Mills and Boon Books
If self publishing sounds too difficult, otherwise you need the status of being a historically printed writer, Mills and Boon are probably the most well-known title in romance. The good information is that you just don’t have to have an agent to undergo them – which may be very uncommon on the earth of conventional publishing!
There are some pointers to observe earlier than you submit. Learn their submission pointers on the web site – and be sure you know which imprint you wish to undergo, too. Completely different imprints are like completely different manufacturers beneath the Mills and Boon umbrella, and so they every have a particular voice, viewers, and varieties of story.
Mills and Boon Fashionable – has a hero keen to take cost, however the heroine has a feisty facet to her. Assume worldwide glitz and glamour for this sequence.
Mills and Boon True Love – this sequence is about relatable girls and deeply fascinating males, with out graphic scenes however intense emotion and rigidity.
Mills and Boon Medical – the clue is within the title right here, with medical settings taking the foreground, and devoted medical professionals with hearts of gold who work collectively.
Mills and Boon Historic – each time interval as much as the Fifties and each degree of spice is accepted, with dynamic characters who’ve relatable conflicts
Harlequin Books
Mills and Boon even have Harlequin books, which is one other kind of novel. They’re extra cross-genre than the above imprints. The Intrigue submission pointers state that books with thriller storylines round 55,000 phrases are welcomed. The Suspense submission pointers state that imprint is for extra advanced, sustained suspense romance tales round 70,000 phrases lengthy.
Getting Began Assets
The web is your pal! There are such a lot of wonderful YouTube channels and podcasts and Substacks, it’s too many to listing, however these ones are nice for newbie writers – some are romance-specific, whereas others provide help to study extra concerning the craft of writing and likewise self-publishing.
YouTube Channels
Podcasts, Web sites, and Newsletters
