Reports say romance is the hottest e-book market (but the big news is that some people are surprised)

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According to this article in the New York Times...
If the e-reader is the digital equivalent of the brown-paper wrapper, the romance reader is a little like the Asian carp: insatiable and unstoppable. Together, it turns out, they are a perfect couple. Romance is now the fastest-growing segment of the e-reading market, ahead of general fiction, mystery and science fiction, according to data from Bowker, a research organization for the publishing industry.
And this article in World News Media Headlines corroborates with data from Bowker...
Romance is currently the fastest growing segment in the market of e-reading, ahead of other categories such as mystery, general fiction, and science fiction. ...All Romance, an online retailer of e-books, reported that sales have increased twofold, with the raciest books being the most sought after.
Interesting.

Comments

Colleen Thompson said…
Interestingly, I'm hearing that "sweet" (code for no graphic sex scenes) contemporary romance is in very high demand. Lots of times, the e-trends in romance forecast the market direction, but there are still plenty of readers who love the heat.
1:29 PM
Kathryn Peterson said…
I'm not surprised by this at all. As Mark says, the best thing about an ereader is that you don't have to hide what you're reading. Some people are embarrassed to be reading what they see as "trashy" romance novels, and for them, reading on an ereader is like the ultimate false book cover. Easy enough to read and then click over to something more um, scholarly. Personally, I never cared--let people see what I'm reading and if they judge me, so be it, but I know some people who do get embarrassed. And don't get me started on my conservative Christian friends who used to hide their Harlequin Presents within their Max Lucado. (Insert laughing emoticon here)
3:40 PM
Kathryn Peterson said…
Oh, and speaking of heat--my pick for the best sex scenes ever: (1)the scene between Cecilia and Robbie in Atonement and (2) any sex scene involving Lisbeth Salander from Stieg Larsson's trilogy.
3:45 PM
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