The
Romance Readers
- Romance readers range in age from
18 to 82.
- The average romance reader is 39
years old.
- 45% of romance readers are college
educated.
- More than 50% of romance readers
work outside the home. Average household income is
$40,000. (Forbes)
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The Romance Industry
- Romance sales in 1992 were approximately
$885 million. (Publishers Weekly)
- In 1994, 73% of all mass market paperback
books were popular fiction. (Publishers Weekly,
4-29-1996)
- Romance novels accounted for 84%
of all mass market fiction titles published in 1994.
- 177 million romance novels were sold
in the U.S. in 1992.
- Publishers Weekly sales figures show
that six of the 18 fiction titles selling 1.5 million
books were romance novels, and another 17 romance
titles sold more than a million copies in 1991.
- Waldenbooks reports that the sale
of hardback romance increased 212% in 1992.
- Book advances range from $500 to
$5,000 for a first book.
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Romance
Book Distribution
- Independent distributors, who stock
books in grocery stores, drug stores, airports, etc.,
account for 56.1% of romance sales.
- Major bookstore chains (i.e., Waldenbooks,
Barnes & Noble) hold 15.7% of the romance market,
followed closely by book wholesalers, such as Ingram,
Baker & Taylor, Bookzine and The BookSource with
13.9%.
- The remaining sales are attributed
to Canada (8.7%), books sold directly from publishers
to independent book stores (4.2%), and "Other,"
including foreign, direct mail, etc. (1.4%). (Publishers
Weekly)
- The Book Industry Group (BISG) 1995
Consumer Research Study on Book Purchasing, an annual
report comparing the latest study of the book-buying
habits of the American public, found that 21% of Americans
buy their books at independent bookstores, 25% get
them at bookstore chains and another 18% get them
through book clubs. Other areas where Americans buy
books include discount stores (8%), warehouse/price
clubs (6%), food/drug stores (4%), mail order (4%),
used bookstores (4%), and other unlisted locations
(10%).
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