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Are Romance And Erotica The Same Genre? | Stripping Back The Common Misconception

I've been reading romance novels since I was thirteen years old and started writing them shortly thereafter.


Most people knew I was reading romance novels and striving to write one of my own. And while some supported these endeavors, there were those who poked fun at me for it.


I will NEVER forget the time during the silence of the mandatory reading hour at my high school that a classmate decided to blurt out, "Mr. H... Avril's reading porn again."


On poor Mr. H's first day at our school.


Here's the thing: I was selective about the books I was bringing into school. If either party were too scantily clad on the cover, it would stay home.


Granted, you couldn't always judge the spice of a romance novel by its cover art. I was still limited to my mother's wallet at the time, so she had a little say in what I was reading in terms of presumed heat, which was fair (ie, as long as it's not erotica, whatever you want to grab from the secondhand bookstore is fair game); the first romance novel I read was chosen in part because its cover art was tame, consisting of a cute pair of stilettos and little else, but long story short, that was how I learned BDSM is a thing—though I wouldn't realize that was what I'd read for another few years.


Romance novels, at least in my experience, were kind of looked down upon. Not considered "real" literature or as valuable as other genres despite being the top seller on the market. And some of that related to the common assumption that they were sexcapades on the page. Book porn. Because why else would a girl pick up a book with a barechested Viking on its cover if not for the want of smut?


This sentiment seems to have revved up in recent years thanks to BookTok. As far as my algorithm is concerned, the spicier the book, the more people talk about it. And because of that, there has been a surge of spicy books making waves, which may make non-romance readers assume that's all there is to romance novels.


I am not here to throw shade at the "cliterature" book club. I'm a card-carrying member, too (though perhaps a lower membership tier). However, not every romance novel is a sexy romp. You'll find just as many sweet romances that limit the depiction of physical intimacy, only alluding to it if it at all happens. Some writers, myself included, do include the spicy entanglements but don't go into as much detail as others might.


So why the confusion? Are romance and erotica the same? What are the differences? Is there any crossover?


Let's get into it.


What Are Romance And Erotica?

As genres, romance and erotica share some similarities, but they're not interchangeable.


Romance focuses on the development of a romantic relationship between characters, going from a meet-cute and first sparks to happily ever after or at least happily for now ending. The central couple (or group in a polyamorous romance) navigates conflict alongside their new romantic feelings, which often involves overcoming an obstacle keeping them apart. And sometimes, they may have sex.


While a sex scene in a romance novel might be there to add a little flavor, sex scenes in erotica are the main dish. Simply put, it's a matter of sentiments vs sensuality. Erotic novels tend to have a plotline there to set up the who's who and add a little tension and intrigue, but the focus is on physical intimacy rather than emotional. And sometimes, the characters may develop romantic feelings for each other.


The inclusion of a sex scene—or multiple—at any heat does not automatically make a romance novel erotic, nor does the inclusion of a romantic relationship make an erotic novel a romance.


Why The Confusion?

I'm far from the first blogger with a post covering the distinctions between romance and erotica as genres. It's a continuing conversation that's seen more traction in recent years.


But why does this misunderstanding persist?


Romance as a genre has long carried a reputation for being guilty pleasure reads (and writes, TBH). Lowbrow smut we're supposed to read in secret because it's "dirty" even if it were a "clean" romance without any steamy scenes to be had. It's not "real" reading and "cheap" and "fast" writing anyone can scribble down and publish.


This isn't helped when so many romance covers feature the protagonists caught in an embrace, ranging from an almost-kiss to being tangled in bedsheets and nearing climax. Even if there's only one or two sex scenes in the entire story, the image of a half-naked man is eye-catching, and an eye-catching cover gets readers' attention. After all, what sticks in your mind more clearly? A pair of gloves and a masquerade mask or Fabio's flowing locks and oiled-up abs?

Sex sells, as they say.


Now we could also have the conversation about romance being a predominantly female-led genre both in terms of writers and readership and therefore dismissed despite being the bestselling genre on the market, and how societal norms expect us womenfolk to be chaste creatures who shouldn't explore our own sexuality (unless our husband says otherwise), but that is a topic with far too many aspects to cover concisely here.


This marketing strategy caused romance to be mistaken for erotica, which sullied romance's reputation. It was part of the cultural zeitgeist that either wasn't talked about or made fun of by those who didn't get it.


Erotica, however, wasn't as mainstream until more recently. I don't recall too many erotic books being exceedingly popular prior to Fifty Shades of Grey—though that could just be because of my age and not being exposed to it before then—and only seeing a boom more recently, starting around the pandemic through BookTok and similar platforms.


These communities have inspired a wave of acceptance toward romance and erotica, creating a space for readers to share their favorite books and talk openly about spicy things that we've previously been admonished for. And that's wonderful.


However, it does impact marketing.


Erotica and romance get intertwined in conversations. Social media, no matter which corner you find yourself in, thrives on sensationalism. Spicy books tend to go viral more often than sweet ones. Some influencers use chili peppers as a metric for measuring the "spice" of a romance novel to rank the sexytimes of a book. This can be helpful for readers seeking out steamy reads (or wishing to avoid them), but it doesn't always indicate how much they liked the book as a whole.


Let's be clear: there is nothing at all wrong with basing your book selections solely on how many sex scenes there are or how good they are. However, romance novels are about the growth of characters as individuals and together as a couple, so focusing reviews only on how hot their physical chemistry can lead to a romance being mistaken for erotica.


Some newly emerging subgenres like Romantasy also straddle the line, focusing on a central romantic storyline within other popular genres like fantasy. Romantasy, IMO, seems to hype up the sexual content more than other genre hybrids.


I've also encountered a handful of sex scenes in newer releases felt shoehorned in, in order to jump on the social media trends; this may have been the author's decision or their publisher may have encouraged it, and it's not necessarily something to condemn but instead simply observe because they just didn't feel like they fit naturally within the rest of the story.


So even though BookTok is an incredible space for connecting with fellow readers and finding your next new favorite book, and it's able to shine the spotlight on new authors whose work may have otherwise gone unnoticed, it also contributes to the romance vs erotica debate has gotten even more muddled. Trends can blur the lines, even if that's not the intention of the content creators promoting books and sharing their love of reading in either or both genres.




The combination of misunderstanding and mislabeling makes the distinction between romance novels and erotica a perpetually hot topic—pun entirely intended. For so many years, they've been lumped into one genre despite having so many distinctions. The differences between erotica and romance may not be as blatant as those between romance and horror, especially as social media trends influence our cultural understanding, but they're not as interchangeable as one might assume.


Ultimately, both romance and erotica offer valuable insight into human nature and breathe life into literature, offering diverse stories about love, sexuality, relationships, and connection. And while there are areas of overlap, they both do so in their own unique way.




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