Romance Novel subgenres: How to pick yours

In the vast universe of romance novels, exist a multitude of different categories and subgenres for authors to choose from and, unless you are starting with a specific idea of what you want to write, it can be easy to get lost in the forest of options. This post will break all of the romance subgenres down for you, and hopefully allow you to find your niche as a writer.

Romance novel categories

Romance novels can be broken down into four main categories:

• Age Group
• Stand-alone or series
• Heat Level
• Genre

Each author will have to select one genre from each category for their novel.

Romance Novel Age Groups

There are three main audience age groups for romance novels. These are Young Adult (or YA), New Adult and Adult.

Young Adult is meant for readers between the ages of 12-17, and deals with topics affecting young teenagers.

New Adult is a newer genre that encompasses the age group of 18-25 and involves college aged adults that are still finding their footing into adulthood.

The final type, Adult, is the most common and well known,  and is aimed at a more mature audience.

There is still quite a bit of crossover between New Adult and Adult romance, as the former is still evolving.

Stand-Alone Novel or Series?

Stand-alone romance novels tend to be on the longer side, with the entirety of the plot contained within one book.

One the other end is the Serial Romance, with the main plotline spanning several novels. These will often have cliffhanger endings to entice the reader to continue reading, or will branch out into a new “adventure” in the case of fantasy or suspense subgenres.

There exists a third type, the stand-alone series, where each book has its own protagonists and storyline, independent from the others, but the stories exist within a shared world, often intertwining with each other.

Romance Heat Level

Though the central plot of a romance novel is the love story between two (or more) people, this does not always equate to sexual content. Romance novels may be as chaste as a couple holding hands, up to highly explicit, kinky sex, and everything in-between. Some subgenres, like YA, automatically lend themselves to a lower heat level. Even if sex is mentioned, it is not described, and authors will often a implement a “fade to black” technique. On the other end of the spectrum, Erotic Romance is highly explicit, with full descriptions of the act being the norm.

Even within the same subgenre though, this may vary. For example, in Historical Romances, most Regency stories tend toward the chaste side, while Scottish Highlander books are explicit.

A common way stories are labelled depending on their Heal Level is “Clean” or “Steamy”.

Romance Genres

The main romance genres are: Historical, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Suspense, Religious and Erotic Romance.

Historical Romance

Historical Romance is the broadest genre, with the largest number of books produced annually. According to Romance Writers of America, historical romance includes any story taking place prior to 1950, and stories can be set in any era and any country.

It is worth mentioning the Regency romance, set in the early 1800s is the most is the largest by far subcategory of this genre, with some authors considering it its own genre entirely.

Paranormal Romance

Witches, vampires and werewolves, oh my! These are only some of the otherworldly beings that might be included in a Paranormal Romance. Others are ghosts, fairies, shapeshifters, angels… The story might take place on earth, or it may be in an entirely difference universe. There is no limit to the setting and types of characters that can be included.

Science Fiction

Though Science Fiction Romance novels are less common, they can explore many difference avenues. These stories have futuristic settings, either on earth or in space, and can be set in many different time periods (such as steampunk).

A well-developed subgenre of science fiction is time travel romance. These stories straddle the boundary between sci-fi and historical romance, with each individual author deciding which side they want to fall on. An example is the novel Outlander by Diana Gabaldon that falls more on the side of romance, with the science fiction/time travel being a catalyst for the story, but otherwise largely irrelevant (though this changes in later novels).

Contemporary Romance

Contemporary Romance includes stories set in the modern era. They deal with contemporary issues and are the most realistic of all the subgenres. Aside from historical romance, contemporary romance is the largest genre within romance.

Romantic Suspense

Novels within the Romantic Suspense genre blend romance with a sense of intrigue and danger. This might involve illegal acts, like drugs, murder, kidnapping or heists and can be told either from the side of the lawful or unlawful characters. Superhero, detective and organized crime romances all fall under this umbrella as well.

Religious Romance

These are chaste romances, with strong Christian influence and values in the theme of the story. They do not usually include gratuitous violence or swearing and, aside from the central romance might focus on the central characters’ relationship with God and faith.

Erotic Romance

While Erotic Romance is not just sex, it is featured heavily within novels of this type. The relationship between the two characters develops through their sexual relationship which plays an integral part in the plot of the story. This does not mean that characters and plot lines are underdeveloped, but sex does have a prominent role in the progression of the relationship

So now it is your turn. Go through the four categories mentioned above and try to figure out where your novel fits. Share it with us in the comments down below!