Is there even a demand for clean romance? This is a fair question. Because a lot of the books on the market today seem to be filled with sexually explicit content. And it might make you wonder if anybody out there is even interested in a book that has more of a PG vibe.
Well the short answer is, yes! There is a market for clean romance. It’s growing and thriving. And the even better news is that clean romance is getting better and better every year.
No more cheesy, cringey romance. Clean romance has stepped up its game recently.
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What is a clean romance?
Clean romance is essentially a romance book that does not contain any sex scenes, violence, or swearing.
A lot of people bristle at the word ‘clean’ because they think it signals that books with sex scenes are then dirty. But I would argue that clean refers to all types of content, not just sex.
Either way, clean romance does not contain sexually explicit material and it’s a thriving (and growing) corner of the romance genre.
If you want to read more about my thoughts on clean romance, you can click here.
How do you know there is a market for clean romance?
Okay, you caught me, I’m not a marketing expert. I don’t have pie charts and bar graphs to lay in front of you. But what I can give you is my personal experience.
I know there is a market for clean romance because I’m part of that market. I’m one of thousands of women who have made the decision to avoid sexually explicit content in their romance books.
My Instagram account (come follow me here) is growing, with over 10,000 readers who all want non-explicit romance.
Amazon has an entire category of romance titled “Clean & Wholesome” romance. And let me tell you, if Amazon bothered to make a category for it, then there must be a market for it.
Not to mention there are several large publishers who all publish either clean & wholesome romance or Christian fiction. These publishers include Thomas Nelson (who is backed by the Christian publishing division of Harper Collin’s); Bethany Publishing House; Tyndall; Revell and more.
Who are some well known clean romance authors?
I could probably make a list a mile long of clean romance authors, so I’m just going to name a few here.
One of the most well known clean romance authors is probably Courtney Walsh. She started with Christian fiction that was a bit heavier, but transitioned into lighter, sweet & clean romance. My favorite books from her are Can’t Help Falling (a best friend’s older brother romance) and My Phony Valentine (a fake dating, hockey romcom).
Another popular clean romance author is Emma St. Clair. Known for her laugh out loud comedy and swoony romance, her books have become a staple in the clean romance genre. Two of my personal favorites from Emma are Falling for Your Enemy (an enemies to lovers, road trip romance) and Royal Gone Rogue (super sweet, royal romance). At the time of the writing of this article, she’s probably most well known for her hockey romance series, which starts with Just Don’t Fall (a fake dating, brother’s best friend romance).
Melissa Ferguson is another well known clean romance author. She also writes romcoms, hers give kind of an early 2000’s romcom vibe and I am here for it! Her upcoming release, The Perfect Rom-Com, gives Two Weeks Notice vibes set in a bookish world. I just started Meet Me in the Margins from Melissa last night, and I’m already in love!
If you prefer historical romance, I have an entire collection of historical romance that you can browse by clicking here.
Where can I find clean romance books?
Well you can start by clicking around on this blog!
You can shop my collection of some of my favorite clean romances here and then follow me on Instagram for even more recs.
After that, I recommend clicking around in the Clean & Wholesome category on Amazon and checking with your local library! Ask your librarian for books from some of the publishers I mentioned above or ask them to help you find some clean romance.
Does all clean romance have religious undertones?
No!
Not everybody wants to read about religion in their romance and I totally get that. A lot of the clean romance books on the market today do not include faith of any kind.
They’re simply good, clean fun! I don’t always love theology in my books, so I’m usually pretty happy to find a feel-good romance that doesn’t have any spice (aka sex) or swearing.
New clean books on the market every day
There are new clean books on the market almost every day, from both independent publishers and traditional publishers. So be sure to bookmark this blog (and come follow me on Instagram) for more and more book recommendations!
Then get busy reading!
Will you be reading a clean romance – or maybe writing one – now that you know there is a market for it? Let me know in the comments!
