Here's Jo, pondering lost civilizations.
(Assisted by a wizardly CBK.)
Actually, I’m thinking about medieval romance. Once upon a time, it thrived. Just possibly, it ruled the historical romance genre. Back then, historicals maybe ruled the entire genre, so….
So what happened? I don’t know. I’m truly asking for input here.
Regardless of what readers sometimes think, there are no great conspiracies in publishing. The editors don’t get together in a smoky Manhattan bar and decide to kill the gothic, or the traditional regency, or the Civil War romance, or the medieval. I assume the readers don’t gather secretly, either, with the same aim. What happens is that readers stop buying the books.
Yes, we can blame publishing decisions such as editorial requirements, covers and titles. Happy with title, but hate the cover! 
Contrast with.
Is the second one too subtle, not romantic enough? Or do you prefer it?
But readers often flock to buy books that are bizarrely written, with lurid covers, and gross titles.
So what happened to the medieval romance? Why did it stop hitting the spot for most romance readers?
I can point to three factors that might have had an effect simply on the basis of readers having finite money with which to buy books and finite time in which to read. (Both these commodities have probably decreased, in fact. Books have become more expensive, especially with there being more hardcover and trade paperback books in romance. And people have a lot more options for their leisure time.)
Anyway, here are the three factors.
1. The rise in popularity of the regency historical. Truly, it wasn’t really there 20 years ago.
2. The creation of the single title contemporary romance. Again, it wasn’t really there. Most contemporary romance was the short “category” novels from Harlequin and Silhouette.
3. The recent rise of paranormal romance, which may have a similar energy because they mostly feature the dark warrior hero, even if he’s a werewolf or a vampire.
Am I correct that these things explain why so few medievals are purchased by readers today? What have I missed?
Or, has something happened in reader psychology that turns them off medieval settings? I hear quite a lot of readers say that they don’t want to read about a time that was “grim”, “dirty”, “harsh for women” etc. We can debate whether those descriptions are true, but did readers not think that way in the past, or did they not care?
Is it the Monty Python effect? Did Monty Python and the Holy Grail ruin our image of the middle ages forever?
Share your thoughts.
Do you have any medieval romances on your keeper shelves, and if so, which are they?
Who are/were your favorite authors?
What is your favorite century for medieval romance?
Jo :)