Susan Wiggs: I'm not sure readers can be divided in that way. The ones I tend to hear from seldom mention the level of explicitness in my books. They're more likely to be drawn to a book (or to avoid a book) based on other factors, such as the setting, situation or central conflict.
Kat Martin: I think true romance readers enjoy both very sexy and not so sexy books, depending on the story. If the romance is strong enough, it will carry the reader along without the sex. But sex in a book can be like frosting on the cake, a little something special to make it even better.
Brenda Joyce: I get letters from readers on both sides. On the one hand, they complain my novels don't need graphic love scenes - which is the only way I know how to write them. They'll say it cheapens my work. Other fans will beg for more. I can only guess that more fans prefer them than not.
Sharon Robinson: I think that romance books offer our readers options. Generally, you can tell by the text on the cover just how graphic the sex is going to be. The consistency is that sex scenes in general are described within the context of true love. I've been told that the more graphic scenes in Still the Storm have stimulated discussions between lovers. I've also been asked to put more love scenes in my next book. Even my mother didn't complain about the fact that there was one graphic sex scene in my book. Instead, she told me that she really liked the story and the characters. So given my mother's endorsement I feel like I struck the right balance.
Lauren Bach: I think they prefer both, plus a nice selection of everything in between. It's not a one-or-two-size-fits-all readership. The romance audience is vast, with varied tastes and preferences. Some readers like erotic, some don't. Many like both. The common ground is quality. It has to be a compelling story first. If a story is erotic, but poorly written, the reader won't enjoy it simply because it has graphic passages. Likewise, don't think "sweet" stories are bland. Sweet can rip your heart out through your eye sockets.
I tend to write erotic/graphic romance, but I'd hate to be pigeonholed as a reader, or writer, because of that.
Nora Roberts: I think there are readers for every time of romance, just as there are readers for any type of fiction. And those readers also have different moods. Sometimes they might want something subtle, others more graphic. One of the beauties of the genre, is it offers books to suit all the moods.
Elizabeth Thornton: Both, and everything in between. But most of all readers want a cracking good story with emotional depth, and characters that linger in one's mind long after the book is finished.
Amanda Scott: The plain fact is that there are as many different tastes as there are readers. I long ago gave up trying to please them all. I write what I enjoy reading, and I trust and hope that others will enjoy it, too. For one thing, I don't think any writer can trust everything any given reader tells her. I've met approximately two who have said bluntly that they love "hot sex" in the books they read. The norm (and I do book signings frequently at venues where I meet 100-500 readers a day) is for readers to tell me they "skip those parts." Whether they actually do, only they know, of course. Lots of women do seem to be buying sexy books. A writer should be true to herself, and one who thinks readers prefer hot sex and tries to write it without enjoying it is going to write lousy sex.
Madeline Hunter: The market is making it pretty clear that readers prefer sensual romances with love scenes where the bedroom door does not close. There is a difference, however, between a sensual romance and an erotic one. If you read some of each, the difference is evident, I think.
Betina Krahn: I don't think there is a single "ideal reader" for the entire market. And readers seem to want different things at different times. I do think that as the bulk of our core readership ages, it's more the emotion and the adventure of relationship than the eroticism that keep them coming back to our stories.
Sherri Browning: There are all sorts of readers with all sorts of preferences. The wonderful thing about the romance market today is that there is something to suit everyone.
Donna Kauffman: I think there are distinct camps for both types of romances. I'm not sure how much overlap there is, but I think there is enough to make both types of stories successful in the marketplace. Since my books tend to fall in the former rather than the latter, I can only speak for my own readers - but by and large...the hotter the better! Again, the caveat there, I think, is to again emphasize that the most successful "hot" stories are the ones that invest more in those kinds of scenes than to strictly catalogue what the collective body parts are doing to each other. As the saying goes, the mind is the most sensitive erogenous zone we have. I think that holds true for seducing my characters and my readers.
Jacquie D'Alessandro: I think it completely depends on the reader, and there is plenty of room on the shelves for both sorts of books. And while I'm certain there are readers who only like one type of story, I think many enjoy reading both. I know I do. Romance readers tend to be voracious readers and often read across the board - historical, time-travel, contemporary, category - they read it all. A well-written story that engages the reader is what's important - not the amount of sex.
Shana Abe: I think that no two readers are alike, and it's impossible to predict what the majority of them will prefer. All I can do is write the book that *I* prefer. I've had letters from readers begging me to go more graphic in the love scenes, and others crying I went too far.
Glenna McReynolds: I think most readers LOVE those complex love scenes, where they're in on the whole thing. Tastes will vary, of course, but there are romances for everyone. Readers are very savvy about buying the type of romance they love to read.
Sue-Ellen Welfonder: This can't really be answered because reading tastes go all across the board. My books are definitely of the steamier variety because that is what I personally enjoy. I love dark and sexy Alpha heroes. Sensual and erotic, but not so graphic it gets clinical. A laundry list of body parts does nothing for me. But there are plenty of readers who enjoy that. As there are readers who love the sweeter books such the traditional Regency romance. I think most romance novels today fall somewhere in the middle. Main thing, there is enough out there to please everyone and that's a good thing, wouldn't you say?
