Australian romance readers’ survey released; erotica and rural romance decline in popularity

The Australian Romance Readers Association (ARRA) has released the results of its annual readers’ survey, based on 275 respondents.

This year’s survey saw a drop in the popularity of erotica (down from 51.9% to 46.6%) and rural romance (down from 53.7% to 43.6%). Chick lit moved into respondents’ top five most popular romance subgenres, up from 32.9% in 2015 to 47.7% this year, while contemporary romance remains the most popular subgenre, followed by historical romance, paranormal romance and romantic suspense.

Among the notable changes this year was a trend toward younger respondents, with an increase in respondents aged under 35 years (25.8%, up from 19.8% in 2015) and a decrease in those aged 36-45 (23.2%, down from 30.4%); and a drop in the overall number of romance books read.

Ebooks continue to be the most frequently purchased book format, selected by 62.3% of respondents, while new books are overwhelmingly discovered through social media (70%), almost double the second most common source (author websites, 38.1%).

The full survey results can be viewed here.

Category: Local news