[4][5] A 2009 article in the gay newspaper The Liberty Press stated that the genre was emerging: ""slash' fiction has been around for decades.
"[6] Also in 2009, the first mainstream review of a novel marketed as "an M/M Romance" appeared, announcing that "male/male romantic historical fiction is the newest publishing trend.
"[10] Library Journal also noted that yaoi graphic narratives, popular with Japanese women since the 1980s, were an influence on the M/M genre.
[12][13] Authors writing M/M Romance fiction in the early aught years include Victor J. Banis, Alex Beecroft, Rob Byrnes, Johnny Diaz, Erastes, and Marshall Thornton.
Later authors writing in this genre include Andre Aciman, Becky Albertalli, Jay Bell, Brad Boney, Jane Jensen, Rhys Ford, Andrew Sean Greer, Ginn Hale, Alexis Hall, Shaun David Hutchinson, T. J. Klune, Bill Konigsberg, Casey McQuiston, C. S. Pacat, Roan Parrish, Neil S. Plakcy, Rainbow Rowell, Paul Rudnick, and Adam Silvera.
[1] The issue of whether women should write books featuring gay men has been a frequent topic of popular and scholarly discussion.
"[22] Authors in this genre include Sarah Aldridge, Georgia Beers, Andrea Bramhall, Jae, Karin Kallmaker, Lori L. Lake, Beth Bernobich, Radclyffe, and Merry Shannon.