Fantasy might be full of dragons, quests, and enchanted kingdoms, but the hottest thing in publishing right now is something far more specific. Romantasy has exploded into a global phenomenon, reshaping bestseller lists, driving profits, and turning unknown authors into household names. If you have been following this trend and wondering whether it is worth paying attention to, the numbers alone might surprise you.

This week, Ginger breaks down why this fusion of magic and romance has taken over the market and why readers cannot seem to get enough of it. He takes us through who is driving the demand, which tropes dominate the genre, how social media has supercharged its rise, and the strategic choices that help authors stand out in an increasingly crowded space. From worldbuilding and character chemistry to marketing, pricing, and platform building, this article explores the opportunities and challenges romantasy offers so you can decide whether writing it is the right move for you.

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I asked my wife what her ultimate fantasy was the other day. She told me: “12 hours of uninterrupted sleep.” That wasn’t the answer I’d been looking for.

I’d expected it to involve dragons, or swords, or towering castles overlooking misty mountains. When I asked her about fantasy, I expected fantasy. 

Because if you’ve been paying attention to publishing trends over the past few years, you’ve probably noticed that fantasy has started dominating bestseller lists, breaking sales records, and creating unprecedented levels of reader engagement.

Although it’s not just fantasy. This isn’t J. R. R. Tolkien stuff. These aren’t the Dragonlance books I devoured as a teenager. The specific genre (or subgenre?) is romantasy, a fusion of romance and fantasy. 

And it’s not just a passing trend! Romantasy has become a cultural phenomenon that’s reshaping the entire publishing landscape. For us self-published authors, often wondering where we might find our place in the landscape of modern literature, understanding romantasy’s explosive growth isn’t optional any longer. It’s become essential market intelligence.

So strap on your swordbelt and grab your shield. We’re about to break down why romantasy has become such a huge deal recently, and what you can do to leverage that.

What is Romantasy?

The first thing we need to do is understand what romantasy is and isn’t.

According to Google, romantasy is a subgenre in which romantic relationships are the central plot in a fantasy setting. I dig this, because my whole schtick as a romance author is focusing on the romantic relationship in an action/adventure setting. It’s a genre that makes sense.

That’s not to say that to write romantasy all you have to write is a romance novel first—with the “meet cute” and the initial breakup, second act breakup, and then the mandatory HEA (Happily Ever After)—and just set it in a fantasy environment. 

You need the dragons and magic and whatever else you’d like to add from that genre (I’m all about dwarves and taverns) but you also need to have an epic tale to tell, which involves overthrowing a tyrant, defeating a wizard, or slaying a dragon. It has to play second fiddle to the romance part, but it still has to be there.

You also have to classify it correctly. A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), which is pretty much the romantasy book at the moment, is categorized as Epic Fantasy, Romantasy, and Romantic Fantasy on Amazon. It’s a genre so big that Amazon even made a category for it. 

Now let’s look at the impact that category has had. 

The Numbers Don’t Lie

In 2024, romantasy books achieved $610 million in sales, up from $454 million in 2023—a stunning 34% increase in a single year. To put this in perspective, science fiction and fantasy book sales increased by 41.3% between 2023 and 2024, with romantasy playing a significant role in this surge.

Five of the top-10 best-selling titles of 2024 were written by the category’s two most prominent authors, Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros. In 2024 alone, one out of every four bestsellers on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List were romantasy. These aren’t niche titles appealing to a small audience, they’re mainstream blockbusters outselling most other fiction categories.

The genre has become so influential that it’s single-handedly propping up the broader book market. The category is juicing the statistics on overall book sales, which are in decline, and has contributed to a boom in romance-focused bookstores in the United States. Romance-focused bookstore owners moved to spaces “10 times the size” after only a year in operation due to demand.

The Publishers Betting Big on Fantasy Romance

If you’re anything like me, you’re celebrating the decline of traditional publishing. For generations, tradpub were the gatekeepers to the industry, and now self-publishing has become large enough to compete with them, you’re seeing how little value traditional publishing provided to authors.

One thing they remain valuable for, however, is seeing which direction the industry is moving in. They’re all about their bottom line, and their strategy reflects that.

We should take note how major publishing houses have recognized what’s happening and adjusted accordingly. At the end of its fiscal year in February 2024, Sarah J. Maas’ publisher, Bloomsbury, announced a record 30% revenue jump and a record-high 57% increase in profits from the year prior, with the CEO crediting the rise of interest in fantasy—particularly romantasy—and calling Maas “a publishing phenomenon”.

Sales of Sarah J. Maas’ books increased 161% during Bloomsbury’s 2023-2024 fiscal year, demonstrating just how dramatically this genre can move the needle for publishers willing to invest in it. Publishers are now treating romantasy titles as lead releases, aggressively bidding on new projects and marketing them with the kind of budget usually reserved for literary fiction or thriller blockbusters.

That means if you’re interested in writing romantasy, there’s never been a better time to get started.

The BookTok Effect

That being said, the rise of romantasy didn’t occur in a vacuum. Social media has utterly transformed the way books are discovered and consumed, and understanding romantasy’s success also requires understanding a social media trend known as BookTok. This book-loving community on TikTok has become perhaps the most powerful force in modern publishing.

According to social listening tool Infegy, there were 691,000 online mentions of the word “romantasy” in 2024 alone. The #ACOTAR hashtag boasts over 8.5 billion views on TikTok, with users creating everything from podcasts breaking down complex plot points to fitness challenges to tattoos to immersive in-person events inspired by the series. Romance sales grew by 52% in 2023, possibly driven by this increasingly popular subgenre.

The democratizing power of BookTok cannot be overstated. Many romantasy authors won their original followings as self-published audiobooks, e-books, or print-on-demand titles, only later making deals with traditional publishers. Social media has created unprecedented opportunities for indie authors who don’t just want to write romantasy, but can also tap into these communities effectively.

If you want to find a larger audience by writing romantasy, just be prepared to engage on social media to build that audience. Tradpub taught us “if you write it, they will come,” but in reality, creating social media content to promote your books has become almost as important as writing the books themselves.

The Demographic Driving Demand

So, you get it. Romantasy is the hottest trend in publishing right now. It’s being driven largely by social media. But who’s actually buying these books? 

Back when self publishing first launched, traditional publishers warned that it would be the end of the publishing industry. In fact, it was the opposite. Gen Z actually reads more romance than any other generation or genre, followed very closely by fantasy and sci-fi. The main readership range has expanded from women ages 35-54 in 2013 to 18-54 today, representing a massive broadening of the market. People are reading more than ever! (and most of it isn’t romantasy.)

These readers aren’t casual consumers. The demographic that powered Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games franchises to success—YA fans—grew up and decided they wanted protagonists in their 20s and some “spice” in their fantasy stories. They’ve been incubated in fanfiction communities for nearly two decades, developing sophisticated tastes for specific tropes and relationship dynamics.

Victoria Gerken, the publisher of Podium Entertainment, believes the genre has been so successful because it “provides entertainment for its audience that’s not available in any other format“. It’s escapism that allows women whose daily lives have little magic in them to imagine themselves as bold and powerful, starring in an exciting adventure and having great sex.

It’s important to understand this, because if you can understand your audience, you can figure out what to write for them.

The Blockbuster Authors Setting the Standard

While you should never copy other authors, it’s absolutely fair to take inspiration from them. To that end, let’s try to understand what makes romantasy work by examining the genre’s biggest success stories.

Rebecca Yarros burst onto the scene with her Empyrean series. The series has sold 12 million copies in less than two years, marking it as one of the fastest-selling fantasy series of the 21st Century. The third title, Onyx Storm, broke sales records, selling more than 2.7 million copies in its first week and ranking as the fastest-selling adult fiction title in 20 years.

Onyx Storm had a first printing of two million copies for its $32.99 deluxe edition, and the book sold nearly 1.1 million copies in its first week. These are numbers that rival the biggest releases in publishing history. Iron Flame sold over 100,000 copies on its first day and was the most pre-ordered book since Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Sarah J. Maas remains the undisputed queen of romantasy. As of 2024, she has sold more than 75 million copies of her books worldwide, with her work translated into 40 languages. Her A Court of Thorns and Roses series has sold over 13 million copies, and the series went viral on TikTok in 2020, propelling already impressive sales into another stratosphere entirely.

Maas has three bestselling series—Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City—that are a driving force behind the meteoric rise of romantasy as a whole. Her success has been so significant that she’s credited with helping create the modern romantasy genre as we know it.

Both of these authors teach us that romantasy thrives on specific tropes that readers actively seek out. Understanding these isn’t just helpful, it’s essential if you want to write in this genre.

• Enemies to Lovers is perhaps the most dominant trope in romantasy. The Enemies-to-Lovers trope is one of the best-selling tropes in romance, but even more so in romantasy, creating a stronger foundation for tension, stakes, and a compelling arc. Characters start on opposite sides, often due to war, politics, or magical rivalry, and the journey from hatred to love creates maximum tension. Examples include Lou and Reid in Serpent & Dove and Poppy and Casteel in From Blood and Ash.
• Fated Mates adds a supernatural element to romance. The Fated Mates trope involves circumstances beyond the characters’ control that have determined they are destined to fall in love with each other, usually from birth, with the appeal being the comforting notion that there is someone out there for each of us. Feyre and Rhysand in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series are a notable example. The trope creates instant stakes as characters must navigate a magical bond they often don’t want or understand.
• Chosen One with Morally Grey Protector pairs a hero destined for greatness with a broody protector bearing a tortured past. The protector’s duty to guard the Chosen One comes with deep emotional conflict and hidden feelings, with the contrast between the Chosen One’s light and the protector’s shadow making for compelling, slow-burn romance. Examples include Feyre and Rhysand in ACOTAR, and Bryce and Hunt in Crescent City.
• Forbidden Love amplifies drama through external obstacles. Whether it’s romance between a mortal and fae, lovers from rival kingdoms, or class divides, forbidden love adds urgency and conflict. The stakes are higher when the relationship itself could cause wars, break ancient laws, or destroy kingdoms.
• Forced Proximity creates unintentional intimacy. Nothing fuels romantasy tension like two characters trapped in close quarters—whether it’s one bed, one horse, or a life-or-death quest—with the unintentional intimacy of shared space breeding moments of vulnerability. Bonus points if one character gets injured and the other must tend to their wounds.
• Touch Her and Die delivers instant devotion. The “Who did this to you?” moment, where one character sees their love interest hurt and immediately loses their mind, delivers instant vulnerability, undeniable devotion, and raw intensity. It’s the moment where feelings can no longer be denied. This one is MASSIVE and in my own chosen genre of MC romance, the trope of a dangerously protective hero is similarly essential.
• Secret Royalty or Hidden Power focuses on characters who believe themselves ordinary but discover royal bloodlines or magical abilities. This trope adds tension as characters must balance newfound responsibilities with their romantic desires. I wrote an entire article about how powerful this trope is in female-focused fiction. 

What Makes Romantasy Different from Fantasy Romance

Earlier, I warned that romantasy required more than just writing a romance novel first and giving it a fantasy setting. That’s called Fantasy Romance, a genre which has existed for decades, comprising paranormal romance or romantic fantasy novels in which magic exists but remains secondary to the romance story.

Romantasy still leads with romance, but the romance part can’t exist without the fantasy setting. They’re intertwined. In romantasy, you can’t remove either element without destroying the whole thing. The fantasy worldbuilding drives plot and conflict, while the romance provides emotional stakes and character development. Neither is a subplot. Both are essential, main-plot elements.

The genre also differs in explicit content. While not universal, many romantasy novels include explicit sex scenes (what readers call “spice.”) This distinguishes it from YA fantasy romance or traditional fantasy that might include romantic subplots but keeps intimacy off-page.

If you want to write romantasy, it’s important to be respectful of these reader expectations. Just like no reader is going to pick up one of my MC romance novels expecting a “clean romance,” few romantasy authors are going to satisfied if they try a new author’s work and don’t find the level of… ahem… heat that they’re used to. 

Tips for Self-Published Authors Wanting to Write Romantasy

So, now we’ve recognized the importance of reader expectations, let’s figure out how to deliver them. Here’s my advice: 

1. Study the Bestsellers Obsessively

Don’t just read Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, dissect them. What tropes do they combine? How do they balance worldbuilding with romance development? What pacing choices do they make? Understanding why these books work helps you craft something competitive. Which books of theirs did you enjoy? (That’s an important one.)

Read widely in the genre beyond the mega-bestsellers. Examine Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash, Scarlett St. Clair’s Hades x Persephone retellings, and Carissa Broadbent’s Crowns of Nyaxia series. Each offers different approaches to blending romance and fantasy.

2. Prioritize Character Development Over Plot

Romantasy readers come for the characters and stay for the romance. Your plot can be relatively straightforward if your characters are complex, emotionally compelling, and have undeniable chemistry. Readers will forgive worldbuilding gaps before they forgive boring protagonists or unconvincing romance.

Create characters with internal conflicts that mirror external stakes. If your heroine must choose between saving her kingdom and saving her lover, give her deep personal reasons why both choices torture her.

3. Master the Slow Burn

Romantasy excels at building romantic tension over time—often across multiple books. Don’t rush your romance. Let attraction simmer. Create obstacles that keep characters apart while pulling them together. Every interaction should increase tension, whether through meaningful glances, forced proximity, or reluctant admiration. Just look at ACOTR, where we don’t even meet the real romantic protagonist until the second book in the series! 

The payoff when characters finally come together must feel earned. If readers don’t believe these characters would burn the world down for each other, you haven’t built enough tension.

4. Worldbuild with Purpose

Your fantasy world shouldn’t exist just to look cool (though it should look cool). Every worldbuilding element should create opportunities for conflict, romance, or character development.

If your world has fated mate bonds, explore what happens when someone rejects their mate. If magic has costs, make your characters pay those costs at crucial romantic moments. If your society forbids certain relationships, let that prohibition create genuine stakes.

The “suspension of disbelief” is a vital part of enjoying fantasy, but it hinges on you sticking to the few rules you do establish. Just look at how people criticize Marvel movies for details like “why didn’t Dr. Strange use his portals to cut Thanos in half?” and not “OMG there’s a talking racoon!” Logic and realism can get thrown out of the window, but canon consistency is inviolable.    

5. Embrace Tropes But Subvert Expectations

So I’ve been lecturing you about reader expectations and I strongly believe that readers instinctively want familiar tropes. They’re like comfort food. However, one of the ways you can stand out from the crowd and make your books more memorable is by employing these familiar tropes with fresh and unexpected twists. Use tropes as your foundation, but then ask yourself: What would make this different?

Enemies to lovers where the “enemy” part stems from a devastating betrayal one character doesn’t remember? Fated mates where the bond is a curse one character is trying to break? A Chosen One who actively resents her destiny and wants someone to take the prophecy away?

Entire franchises are built on the familiar-with-a-twist. Just think of how the original Alien movie was described as “Jaws in space” or how Under Siege was “Die Hard on a boat.”  Subverting expectations can make an entire genre feel fresh and original again. 

6. Don’t Skimp on the Fantasy Elements

This isn’t contemporary romance with a magical window dressing. Your fantasy worldbuilding needs depth. Readers should feel transported to a fully realized world with its own rules, cultures, magic systems, and histories.

That said, don’t info-dump. Reveal worldbuilding through character interactions, conflicts, and story progression. Let readers discover your world alongside your characters.

7. Write the Spice Level Your Audience Expects

Romantasy ranges from fade-to-black to extremely explicit. Know your target audience and deliver accordingly. If you’re writing for the ACOTAR crowd, they expect on-page intimacy. If you’re aiming for a cleaner romantasy, make that clear in your marketing. 

No reader wants to pick up a book expecting to get hot and bothered and then find things fading to black when the hero and heroine climb into bed together.

But whatever approach you choose, remember the intimacy should serve character and relationship development. Sex scenes aren’t just physical, they should reveal emotional vulnerability, power dynamics, or relationship evolution.

8. Plan Series, Not Standalones

The biggest romantasy successes are series. Readers want to spend extended time with these characters and worlds. Plan for at least three books, ideally more.

Structure your series so each book has a satisfying arc while advancing the larger story. Book one should resolve immediate conflicts while setting up bigger challenges. Never end on a cliffhanger that feels like punishment, give readers emotional payoff while creating anticipation for the next installment.

Make sure your first book is also as polished and perfect as you can make it. This is going to be the first point of contact many new readers have with the world you’ve created, so make sure it’s compelling enough to make them want to stick around.

9. Invest in Professional Cover Design

Readers judge a book by its cover. I’ve even written an entire article on how your book’s cover is the “dress code” for being considered by new readers. Romantasy is no different, and has distinct visual branding. Covers typically feature illustrated characters, dramatic lighting, fantasy elements, and bold typography. Your cover must signal “romantasy” immediately or readers scrolling through Amazon won’t even click.

Don’t cheap out here. A professional cover designed specifically for the romantasy market is essential. Study bestseller covers in your subgenre and match their aesthetic quality.

Unlike a lot of romance books, you can’t get away with bare man-chest on the cover, even if your book is super spicy. It has to look like it belongs right alongside the bestsellers in this genre without relying on massive biceps and a chiseled torso to do the heavy lifting.

10. Build Your Author Platform on BookTok and Bookstagram

This is the tough part, especially for authors who don’t like the “social” part of media. 

Unfortunately, being on social media isn’t optional for romantasy authors. An ALA Study on Gen Z and Millennials emphasized the important role that social media plays in how these generations read and discover books.

Research what other authors do and plan creative that fits within your comfort level. You don’t even need to be on camera if you don’t want to. Start creating content before your book launches. Share your writing journey, discuss favorite tropes, create character aesthetics, post writing updates, and engage with the romantasy community. When your book releases, you’ll already have an audience waiting.

Focus on authentic engagement over viral moments. Respond positively to every comment. Follow other authors and engage with their content. Consistent, genuine engagement builds the long-term readership that sustains careers.

11. Use Trope-Based Marketing

This is a classic of Amazon marketing, but it still works today. Leverage your title, subtitle, and keywords to the max. Romantasy readers search for specific tropes. Your book description, metadata, and marketing materials should clearly signal which tropes you include. “Enemies to lovers with fated mates, forced proximity, and morally grey love interests” tells readers exactly what to expect.

Create graphics listing your tropes. Include them in your Amazon keywords. Make them prominent in your book description. This isn’t reducing your work to a checklist, it’s giving readers the information they need to know if your book is for them.

I scored my first best-seller by nailing keywords and tropes, so I know first-hand how valuable this can be. 

12. Consider Kindle Unlimited

I’ve written countless posts about switching to direct sales, and I know many authors are abandoning Amazon exclusivity in favor of going “wide for the win.” However, many romantasy readers are voracious consumers who read multiple books weekly, so when you start out at least, being part of Kindle Unlimited could work really well for you.

KU provides access to unlimited books for a monthly fee, making it attractive to heavy readers. Many successful indie romantasy authors find KU provides better income than wide distribution because so many of their audiences are already KU subscribers. .

Test both approaches if possible, but know that KU can provide the volume of reads necessary to climb Amazon’s algorithm and gain visibility.

13. Price Competitively

Study pricing in your subgenre. Most romantasy eBooks range from $2.99 to $5.99, with series starters often priced lower to hook readers. If you’re unknown, consider pricing book one at $0.99 or making it free to build audience for the series.

Your goal is building a readership, not maximizing per-book profit. Series readers who love book one will buy the rest regardless of price. Every $0.99 sale helps you climb in the rankings, but every full-priced sale of the second and subsequent books in your series will help you make real money from your writing.

14. Write Fast Without Sacrificing Quality

The romantasy audience consumes books rapidly. Authors who can publish consistently—ideally 2-4 books per year—build momentum. Readers discover book one, immediately buy books two and three, and stay engaged while waiting for book four.

This is a viable technique for making a full-time income from writing, but it’s not for everybody. I’ll admit one of the reasons I stopped relentlessly chasing the next bestseller was because I got burned out writing a new book every three months. 

But if you can write consistently and quickly, you’ll find success quicker than you might have anticipated. However, this doesn’t mean rushing sloppy work to market. It means writing efficiently, maintaining publishing schedules, and treating writing as a regular practice rather than waiting for inspiration.

15. Join the Conversation

Along with social media, this is one of the areas of writing and publishing that makes some people nervous. However, it’s essential if you want to be successful. 

Engage with the romantasy community as a reader and fan, not just as an author selling books. Participate in discussions about favorite books and tropes. Share your genuine reading experiences. Support other authors. Be a presence on Facebook, Discord, or Reddit and really get to know the community of readers you’re writing to serve. 

This community rewards authenticity and punishes obvious self-promotion. Be a genuine member of the community who happens to also write books, not a marketer pretending to care about romantasy.

The Challenges to Consider

One thing I’ve always warned authors about is chasing trends. Yes, it’s smart to find what books are selling best and tap into that market, but you shouldn’t try to write books unless you’re also into that genre yourself. You won’t just burn out, you’ll also write bad books. So don’t consider jumping into the romantasy market unless this is a genre you truly want to build worlds within.

And while romantasy undoubtedly offers tremendous opportunity, it’s also not without challenges. The market is increasingly crowded as authors recognize the genre’s profitability. Standing out requires exceptional execution, smart marketing, and often significant investment in covers, editing, and promotion.

The genre’s success has also raised reader expectations. Your worldbuilding, character development, and romance execution must compete with traditionally published authors backed by major houses. Readers won’t forgive amateur work just because you’re indie.

Not to mention, romantasy’s explicit content and often dark themes mean you’ll face criticism from some of the more conservative people in your life. I’ve had former employers express concern when they learned I wrote spicy MC romance novels, and romantasy has an even more contentious reputation. 

It’s 2025. Books are being banned, reviews can be harsh, and not everyone appreciates the genre. However, my advice? 

F**k ‘em. Write what you want. Develop thick skin and focus on your target audience. If romantasy is right for you, you’ll have to live the courage of your characters and bring them to life no matter what other people say.

The Long-Term Opportunity

Some see romantasy having “the potential to be Hollywood’s next Marvel,” with the “level of fandom not unlike what you see with Taylor Swift or Lord of the Rings“. Multiple romantasy series have been optioned for television adaptation, potentially creating even more mainstream awareness and demand.

The genre isn’t showing signs of slowing. While specific trends within romantasy may shift—vampire romance may fade while dragon romance surges—the fundamental appeal of blending fantasy escapism with emotionally satisfying romance appears durable.

For self-published authors willing to study the genre, execute at a high level, and engage authentically with the community, romantasy represents perhaps the best opportunity in current fiction publishing. The audience is massive, engaged, and actively seeking new authors. The path from unknown to bestseller, while never easy, is more accessible in romantasy than almost any other genre.

The readers are waiting. The market is proven. The opportunity is real. If you’re an author who is truly passionate about writing romantasy, now is the time to write the book thousands of readers are dying to read.

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