Paranormal Romance Novels and Their Roots

The popularity of paranormal romance novels is undeniable. These books are in demand like nothing else and seem to be a pop culture phenomenon. Publishers everywhere are scrambling to find the next Twilight— from large publishing groups to every small company like Sand Dollar Press, publishing houses are searching for the next big paranormal hit. While it does sound like the new hip trend in young adult fiction novels, is this really a “new” genre?

While paranormal romance books do seem new and cutting-edge, an especially hip choice among YA fiction, they’re actually just derivatives of romance novels, which date back over a thousand years, when the first novels were written. While fiction has evolved tremendously since then, this “new” subgenre genre of paranormal romance novels contain many of the same elements. Actually, one of the biggest differences is in the readers—in present day, readers come from myriad lifestyles and demographics, whereas in the early days, only the rich and elite who could afford the luxury of schooling were able to learn how to read.

One of the first romance novels was written in the year 1007 by Murasaki Shikibu, a Japanese noble woman. The English translation of this book was nearly 1000 pages. Yet romance novels didn’t gain tremendous popularity until the 1700s, when author Samuel Richardson’s body of work, totaling close to 500, became popular.

While Richardson’s novels weren’t exactly paranormal romance books, they contained the same elements we consider crucial to this ever popular genre of young adult fiction novels. Successful romance stories usually center around two people who may or may not like each other in the beginning, or may be unable to consummate their love due to extenuating circumstances such as religion or family—i.e. Romeo and Juliet. The plot will build to a climax and will usually end in with the two main characters falling hopelessly in love, despite whatever obstacles stand in the way of their happiness. Whether the book is set in a historical time period, the wild west or a paranormal world, those elements always work best and are the building blocks of the genre.

As readers of all ages race to buy the latest young adult fiction books centered around paranormal entities, supernatural settings and the like, publishing houses like Sand Dollar Press will continue to help the genre continue to evolve. We predict that in a few years, there will be even more subgenres that organically arise from the time tested formula of the romance novel.