Romance Book Genres

Romance novels consistently rank among the most popular genres, boasting a vast and devoted readership. At the PenCraft Book Awards, we’ve had the privilege of recognizing some incredibly talented romance authors. During the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were fortunate to receive a submission from Tricia O’Malley, a true force in the romance genre. Her book, One Way Ticket, immediately stood out, and it quickly became clear we had a major winner on our hands.

O’Malley’s novel earned PenCraft’s 2021 Best Book of the Year Award and has captivated readers worldwide, boasting over 4,338 reviews on Amazon. Remarkably, O'Malley has achieved extraordinary success without the support of major publishers, with all her books enjoying exceptional sales. A prolific author with over 25 bestselling novels to her name, she has not only won a PenCraft Best Book of the Year Award but has also secured spots on the NY Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists.

Another one of the standout winners in the romance genre was Jen Lyon, a previously unknown author whose novel The Senator's Wife claimed the 2023 award for Best Fictional Book of the Year. The novel is part of Lyon’s captivating "The Senator's Wife Series," which has garnered widespread acclaim. The debut book in the series received over 2,733 Amazon book reviews, while each subsequent installment has also been met with enthusiasm, consistently earning over 2,200 Amazon reviews.

These two romance authors maintained full control of their publishing journey, surpassing many well-known romance writers backed by the major Big Five publishers.

We are honored to receive books from such talented authors, and these two exemplify how independent publishing can achieve remarkable success in the literary world.

• Model: Seasonal & The Annual PenCraft Book Awards
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