You must have noticed a new trend if you love books or are active on TikTok. The #Romantasy!
Romantasy is a relatively new book genre that combines romance and fantasy. The genre is seeing massive success with authors like Sarah J. Maas outselling her publisher Bloomsbury’s blockbuster, the Harry Potter series.
Industry watchers noted that the romantasy genre is popular among young female readers. Plus, #BookTok is also contributing towards the popularity of this genre, as the hashtag is promoting traditionally published writers and self-published indie authors.
On TikTok, Romantasy hashtags have shown up in over 200,000 TikToks and have been collectively viewed 800+ million times.
Gemma Todd, a BookToker who recommends romantasy novels, says:
“I’ve always been a fan of fantasy, but romantasy has become a space for women’s imagination and storytelling to come to the forefront.”
Fantasy romances have the transportive effect that provides much-needed escapism to readers during difficult times. A good romantasy series often has a happy ending. So, reading these books can be comforting because of their reliably happy ending.
Last year, 2023, was a notable year for the romantasy genre with Sarah J. Mass’s books made record sales. According to The New York Times Best Sellers list, Sarah’s third book in the Crescent City series made huge success, not just with sales figures but also by breaking stereotypes.
Rania Husseini, vice-president of print at Indigo, told that the impact of romantasy books on sales is “absolutely a phenomenon.” According to Husseini, 25 per cent of their top 20 fantasy authors fall under the romantasy category.
That growth has been reflected across different romance subgenres. One U.S. report said sales of romance print books increased 52 per cent between May 2022 and May 2023. This is because younger readers are searching for titles through #BookTok as well as romance TV series adaptations.
The future of romantasy books may be determined in the next couple of years. For now, the genre continues to see massive new bestsellers, and many young readers (especially female readers) are crafting their tastes in this category.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.