Erotic romance novels are stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction.
[1] The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and could not be removed without damaging the storyline.
High volume sales showed New York publishers there was an untapped market for erotic romance and since 2005 they have incorporated new imprints to meet the demand of readers,[2] which demand is difficult to verify as publishers tend to lump erotic romance in with established categories such as historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, and other subgenres.
Erotic romance writers generally have more flexibility in pushing the envelope of erotic romance than authors for traditional print publishers, although this has changed dramatically since 2005 when NY publishers began to explore the subgenre with lines such as Aphrodisa and Avon Red.
With electronic publishing, the writer has even greater leeway in most instances to write on subjects that in the past have been taboo, such as BDSM and gay literature.