We work with Alex Newton of K-lytics to bring you a high-level look at publishing trends based on what’s currently being read and sold at Amazon. These trends relate strictly to the Kindle ebook market, where Newton has been tracking sales rank data since 2014.
Over the last few months, Newton has been examining romance tropes for which Amazon does not provide dedicated book categories (although they may show up as themes on Amazon search). These include tropes such as enemies to lovers, small-town romance, opposites attract, and … “fake-marriage age-gap wolf shifter romance.” He’s up to 1,200 such niche areas, but not all are commercially significant. Billionaire romance (covered last year) is a significant one, as is mafia romance. And now Newton has delved deeply into second-chance romance, which has seen dramatically increased interest over the last four years. Newton says, “The good news for writers is that the trope is very versatile: You can incorporate it in virtually any romance submarket you are familiar with.”
First, a definition: In a second-chance romance, characters who have had a past romantic (or other) relationship are given a second chance to rekindle (or develop) their romance, often overcoming past conflicts, misunderstandings, or obstacles. Second chances, of course, can occur beyond romance, and there’s considerable overlap between books about a second chance at love and a second chance at life. The latter tends to fall into the realm of women’s fiction and encompasses many types of story lines.
Key elements of a second-chance romance:
- A past relationship or encounter is often the source of the conflict and tension or opportunity in the story.
- There’s a reason the past relationship ended—a misunderstanding, betrayal, or external circumstance that the characters must overcome.
- Both characters have changed since their past relationship and have theoretically learned from their mistakes to make it work a second time around.
- Conflict and tension arise from the characters’ old behavior patterns, external factors, or personal struggles.
- The characters reminisce about their past relationship and how it was before things went wrong, which creates an emotional connection.
- The characters overcome the obstacles and rekindle the romance.
For those looking to succeed in the Amazon market for these books:
- About half of the top-selling 500 titles for this trope show a man on the cover; the next most popular cover image is a couple or group.
- In about 40 percent of cases, second chance is in the title or subtitle of the book.
- While second chance can be found in virtually all romance categories, some of the most common are contemporary romance, romantic comedy, holiday romance, and sports romance (e.g., your old high school sweetheart was a football player or became one).
- All of the top 20 bestsellers identified by Newton as being a second-chance romance were enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. Of all second-chance romance, 64 percent were in Kindle Unlimited. So the market is geared toward KU readers.
- Current top-performing Kindle authors in this category include S.L. Scott, Shain Rose, Weston Parker, and Corinne Michaels. Top traditional publishers include Montlake (an Amazon Publishing imprint), Bookouture, and Harlequin.
- Popular elements of second-chance romance: small town and rural settings, high school or college sweethearts, single parents, holidays, and sweet romance.
To learn more, buy the K-lytics full report on second-chance romance.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
