How to Start a Romance Novelist Career: Master Plan
Bella Rose Emmorey
book editor, rogue behaviorist, digital marketer, writer, brand builder, plant aunt, and cheese enthusiast.
So you want to know how to start a romance novelist career (read in the voice of "so you want to be a millionaire"—because an income as a romance self-published author is realistic!).
As with any career, there are many steps to getting where you want to be. It’s crazy to me how some people think you can just write a book and publish and boom, that’s it! That’s how I make a career out of it. Is that how someone ends up CFO of a company?
No. They usually have some sort of education (that they overpay for, hullo college debt). Then they get a semi-entry-level job. Then they spend years working up the ladder.
Learning how to start a romance novelist career does involve some stages, work, and time before you have enough books under your belt selling well enough to call it a career.
But is it worth it to you? Is this what you want? If it really is, then take it seriously and pay attention, because I’ve done years of research and analysis to uncover the steps to get there.
*Steps off soapbox*
Alright, let’s teach you how to start a romance novelist career:
Manage Your Romance Novelist Career Expectations
It’s important to accept that this will be a long-term play. Is there a chance you write and publish one romance and it takes off? That’s not unheard of, but it’s not enough of a norm that you should bet on it.
Bet on working hard. Bet on being dedicated. Bet on continuing your education in writing and marketing books. Bet on consistently pursuing a passion of yours, knowing that over time, it can lead to you living a dream.
If in 5 years you were writing books full time with a prolific income, is that good enough for you? It might take that long. It also might not. But if you’re not in this for 5 years, then is it really important enough that this become a career for you?
Some people spend 15 years or longer chasing a career.
I know this is possible because I’ve seen it happen repeatedly. Just hop in a Facebook group like $ 20BooksTo50K$ if you want some motivation (and to study effective publishing methods).
But understand that this is not an overnight thing.
To Pen Name or Not to Pen Name
It’s very hard to change your author name once you start publishing, so think about this ahead of time. Do you want your real name or a pen name?
Many romance authors use a pen name in order to write in different genres, utilizing a pen name for major genre shifts, like from contemporary romance to science fiction thrillers. Others want to hide their true identity because of the content they write about and their desire to keep that separate from their everyday lives.
Some people also like a branded pen name to fit their chosen niche (more on that below). Some men writing romance use a feminine pen name because of the negative reputation male writers have when writing women characters.
It’s really up to you!
Remember to research your pen name and make sure nobody else has it—and this includes domains and social media handles as well, so you can keep everything the same across the internet.
Note (because so many people ask it): yes, you can still market your book if you use a pen name. Not all marketing tactics involve an author's face and you can learn how to start a romance novelist career without anyone ever knowing who you really are, if that’s what you want.
Develop a Sustainable Romance Novel Niche
It’s helpful to niche down when learning how to become a romance author. The reason is twofold: because of readers’ interests and because of retail websites’ (like Amazon) algorithms.
When you publish on Amazon or list your books on platforms like Barnes and Noble, you have to categorize your book and choose keywords. These are what help place your book in the right spaces—where readers are searching.
Amazon specifically takes this into account with your author profile itself. If you write books in a single genre and your books are all categorized correctly with the right keywords, the algorithm starts to also promote you as an author, and not just your books.
This happens in two places: on the sidebar of specific searches and on other author’s profile pages.
If your book catalog is categorized similarly to other authors, it will show you as an author that would have similar books. Remember: Amazon wants to sell books because they make money that way. They know that readers who like a specific category read more of it, so they promote more of the same—especially for romance authors.
This is important! And also why some romance writers will use multiple pen names for different subgenres of romance, like one for historical romance and one for paranormal romance.
So determining your niche is important, but also easier than it sounds.
Your niche is broader than a subgenre and trope for a few reasons. The subgenre itself is just part of the equation.
Here’s what your romance niche includes:
- Category: specificity within a subgenre (second chance at love, military, mafia)
- Settings: historical, fantasy, scifi, contemporary (urban, rural, etc.)
- Spice level: amount of “on-screen” sex and how descriptive it is
- Relationship type: LGBTQ+, polyamory, reverse harem, heterosexual, etc.
This is specific, and for a good reason. Romance readers like what they like.
Now, a lot of this is based on personal preference. What seems to make for the most successful romance novelists is writing what you like. But you can also $ write to market$ .
That’s when you take currently trending niches and write within them to capitalize on the popularity of that niche. You can also do some research and try to write in a newly developing niche, so your book is one that "makes it" and starts the trend.
Sometimes, a specific $ romance trope$ is trending and you’ll want to write within it. Other times, the subgenre and its category will trend.
Platform & Book Strategy: What Type, How Often, Author Systems
It’s a business plan. It is. You don’t always need to get super detailed in your strategy, and some authors are great at writing whatever next book they feel like writing (which typically ends up being in a similar niche).
But others like to have a plan. Write this book, then that one, and in this specific way, in order to grow. $ Publish the romance novel at a specific time$ . Market it on certain avenues (more on that in another section).
Learning how to start a romance novelist career, if you’re serious about it, will benefit from treating it like a business. Businesses know which product they want to launch and on what timeline, with specific goals for each product.
Your books are the product. If we were to look at the book strategy of an author, we’d look at these criteria:
- Number of books: total books in the author’s catalog
- Tie-in to each other: are they related in any way like a series or spinoff, topical or actual cross-over
- Tie-in to the world: do they take place in the same world?
- Publishing schedule: how often do they publish, and when
- Box set? Do they bundle their worlds together (series or standalone packages)
- Visual branding cohesion: do the books have a similar look or titlage that allows readers to recognize them as a part of the whole?
We’ll look at two authors with differing strategies for what this looks like, including their niche, book strategy, and full catalog.
Romance Author 1: Naomi Piper
$ Naomi Piper is an erotica romance author$ with a specific niche that helps her books stand out for those searching.
Naomi’s Book Niche:
- Subgenre: paranormal
- Category: shifter, monster
- Tropes: fated mates, instalove
- Settings: college / new adult aged settings
- Spice level: erotica-level (lots of it)
- Relationship type: LGBTQ+ (sapphic)
Naomi’s Romance Career Strategy:
- Pen Name?: probably
- Number of books: 4 published
- Tie-in to each other: yes, cross references and hints
- Tie-in to the world: yes, same world
- Publishing schedule: batches
- Box set? no
- Visual branding cohesion? no
Naomi’s Romance Novelist Career Business Plan:
Naomi publishes in sprints, releasing her first 4 books within 6 months. She writes erotica, but with well-developed and consensual relationship dynamics between a woman and a monster woman. The common theme found in her novels is a main character discovering that another is a shape shifter or monster or magical being of some sort, and they fall in love during the midst of another plot element. The books are standalones, but set in the same universe, with nods or hints about other books in the set, which she sells together under the single umbrella of the My Monster Girlfriend series.
This is what Naomi’s book catalog looks like on Amazon:
Romance Author 2: Kerk Murray
$ Kerk Murray is a romance author$ writing contemporary "sweet" romance. Let’s take a look at his specific niche along with his romance author career strategy.
Kerk’s Book Niche:
- Subgenre: contemporary
- Category: clean & wholesome
- Tropes: small town, later in life, friends to lovers
- Settings: small coastal town
- Spice level: sweet (no/low spice)
- Relationship type: heterosexual
Kerk’s Romance Career Strategy:
- Pen Name?: No
- Number of books: 1 published, 4 listed
- Tie-in to each other: yes, character cameos
- Tie-in to the world: yes, same world
- Publishing schedule: roughly twice a year
- Box set? yes
- Visual branding cohesion: yes, titles and covers
Kerk’s Romance Novelist Career Business Plan:
Kerk will publish a book consistently in the same branding package to indicate the tie-in between each book in the set. He also has a few central characters we revisit and get to know in each book as constants, and connect each book through the main characters' friendships with one another. Because the book takes place in the same town, readers will continue to explore the town of Hadley Cove through each perspective. There will also be a central theme of rescuing a dog from an animal shelter as a piece that brings a unique take on the small town, later in life, and friends to lovers tropes explored in each book.
Here’s what Kerk’s book catalog looks like on Amazon:
You can see that both Naomi Piper and Kerk Murray have similarities in the way they present their books on Amazon, despite being in completely different subgenres with very different categories and audiences. A difference here is that for Kerk Murray, he has yet to release 3 of the 4 books listed–but they’re listed so readers can look forward to them.
Here are the similarities that help depict their book’s niche and business plan:
- Standalone novels
- Specific niche all the books fall under
- These standalones are grouped together in a set
- The series name is in the book’s title in parenthesis
- A trope or subgenre is featured in the title (for searchability)
These details are more a part of the actual publishing process, but clearly outline that both of these authors have a dedicated plan and structure to the books they wrote and published.
Now it’s your turn!
Create Your Own Romance Novelist Career Business Plan
You can do exactly what I’ve outlined above in order to get a sense of your own plan. In order to learn how to start a romance novelist career, it’s worth getting some practice for what this looks like.
Financial Planning for a Romance Novelist Career
This is a career in which you are the CEO and your business is books. To learn how to start a romance novelist career, you’ll want to start planning for the expenses involved in publishing—especially self-publishing.
Sometimes you can get away with $ publishing for very little money$ , but that’s assuming you’re a highly skilled and experienced writer with digital art chops that can save you money on the book editing and cover creation process.
Here are some expenses it makes sense to consider when becoming a romance writer:
- Book cover
- Book editing
- Formatting (paperbacks, hardcovers)
- Author proofs / copies
- Marketing expenses
Here are additional considerations for the financial side of a romance novelist career:
- How will you track sales?
- How will you track expenses?
- Where will you track marketing spend VS return percentages?
- How will you budget finances to pay for your book production needs?
Responsibly tracking your finances is a huge part of any successful business venture, but especially if you want to learn how to start a romance novelist career. It allows to you see what’s working to sell books and which ads are worth the spend.
You can find your own solution for this, but Google Sheets works really well and you just have to research a few formulas to set it up.
Building Your Book Catalog: Writing Good Books, Consistently
This is plural for a reason. Books. Multiple. An author career doesn’t happen without multiple books, but I’m guessing if you want to make this a career, you already know that.
What also seems odd to specify, but necessary, is that you have to write good books. That means paying attention to the quality of writing, telling a good story, revising your work, and getting it edited.
Publishing multiple books will be pointless if nobody buys another one after being turned away from a poorly written first book.
Writing a quality romance includes:
- Understanding the structure of a romance novel
- Plotting and outlining your novel
- Character development
- Knowing your audience
- Learning and investing in education around the craft of fiction
- Reading the genre to understand its beats and what readers love
- Getting feedback from writing friends or beta readers
- Studying tropes and subgenres to know your options (and how to subvert them for unique takes)
Then there is also the actual writing portion, which includes consistently writing and $ finishing drafts$ so you can publish.
This stage includes:
- Where will you write your books? Which software?
- How will you set goals?
- How will you track the progression of those goals?
- Where will you store your books?
- What will your writing > revising > beta > professional editing process look like?
I personally find it helpful to hit as many of these as you can in a single place. The more organized you are, the easier it is to get through all of these stages.
For me, that’s using NovelPad’s writing software and its various features, which look like this:
Marketing Your Romance Novels & Selling Copies
Obviously, figuring out how to start a romance novelist career isn't meaningful without talking about $ how you’ll sell those books$ . Yes, listing them correctly and working on your business plan helps, but it won’t magically send traffic to your book’s page.
The Amazon algorithm will help some, but you also have to do some heavy lifting.
And of course, getting everything above this step done is your main priority. You can’t market a book that’s still living solely in your head. We’ll keep this brief because I could go on and on about this, and $ have in other posts$ .
There are many different ways you can market a romance novel, and the avenues that’ll work to help you start a romance novelist career will depend on your interests, skill level, and time.
Let’s walk through the various options, knowing that to learn how to start a romance novelist career, you might also have to learn some marketing.
Social Media
Social media is great because your audience is already there. So many people use socials, so if you can position your content in the right place, there’s opportunity for organic sales (organic means you don’t have to spend money to make a sale).
Here are the various platforms, and what content tends to work well on them for romance authors.
Instagram: Reels, stories, and video content are being pushed by Instagram. Make sure to use some hashtags, but remember that your Reel + Caption can make a huge difference. Try to get in on trending reel sounds when you can, but work on discovering your own unique type of video style. Test and see what gets likes, but more importantly, sales.
X / Twitter: Participating in discussion in the writing community is a great way to stand out on Twitter. Chime in on writing hashtag games and interact with other authors—authentically. Remember, authors are readers. Make your book available to buy, but don’t push it. This isn’t the place for spamming your feed with links to your book. Share gifs with snippets from your book to give people a taste of your style.
Facebook: Creating an author page and participating in Facebook groups for romance readers can get you a long way. Many of them have one day a week that’s a free promotional day for you to share about your book. Otherwise, just commenting on posts enough can lead users to be curious, click on your profile, and view your page. If your page is set up correctly, they will quickly see what your book is and if it’s for them or not.
TikTok: If you want a career as a romance novelist and aren’t on TikTok to promote your books, you’re missing out on an entire world of excessive sales. Yes, it takes time and you have to test what style of TikToks work for your subgenres and spice levels, but it’s worth it. Spicey romance is huge on TikTok and you’ll pretty easily find some trends to try.
You can also $ check out this video I did dissecting what works on TikTok$ and how you can create the same effect.
Paid Ads:
You can run ads in a few places, Amazon itself as an option. You can also set them up to run on places like BookBub and even Facebook. If there’s an option to promote on a channel, you can pay to run ads on it.
Just remember that not all platforms are best for book ads. Do some research and determine which platform is best, as well as what a good return on ad spend (ROAS) is. You don’t want to spend more than you bring in, obviously.
Influencer Marketing:
Technically, this is on social media, but it’s separate from your posts. This is when you reach out to certain Instagram (or other social platform) profiles that have a decent following, offering to gift them your book. Some will make a post about the book if they liked it, but expect to pay these people for their work. Many charge a flat fee for a post or reel or story featuring your book to their followers, and this can be huge for your book! Just search for "romance reader" or "romance book club" in the search bars to find these people.
Book Promo Sites:
There are some website you can actually pay to promote your book to their audience–often their email lists. Many have certain criteria your book must meet (like review amounts and rating average) in order to work with them. Make sure to follow their guidelines! You want to build a good relationship with the people who review submissions, so follow the directions.
How to Become a Romance Author: Publishing the Books
This is an incredibly lengthy process with various steps. There are entire courses dedicated to teaching someone how to upload their book to KDP in order to publish. We won’t cover all of these steps here, but highly encourage you to research it yourself.
Because at the end of the day, in order to know how to start a romance novelist career, you will have to decide to publish, and figure out how to do it successfully.
Obviously, you have a couple choices, including traditional or self-publishing. The examples above, Kerk Murray and Naomi Piper, are both self-published. The steps to start a romance novelist career through traditional publishing involve a couple additional steps, including querying your manuscripts and selling your novel to a publishing house.
That said, if you want to maintain your own control and self-publish, these are the skills that will be most valuable to helping you become a successful romance writer:
- Learn how to categorize your novel correctly
- Invest in or create high quality covers that fit your subgenre and categories
- Write quality book blurbs (Amazon descriptions)
- Title your book effectively on KDP
- Market your books!
- Learn how to get ongoing book reviews
Anyone can upload a book on Amazon if they want. These details make all the difference in your book’s visibility when it’s actually live on the site.
If you want to know how to start a romance novelist career, start with the books. There’s a lot in this post and it’s all important, but start with writing a good book and putting together your Book Business Plan!
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