African-American

African-American romances tend to focus exclusively on relationships between African-American or black heroes and heroines, and are commonly set in urban areas. The stories are often written by black authors, though Julie Garwood did write a historical focusing on African-American characters settling in the West in the post-Civil War era.

African-American romances are also sometimes referred to as Multi-Cultural romance, though the latter also includes all non-white groups. Interracial Romance is also sometimes included in this group, though the term technically refers to romances between a hero and heroine of different ethnic background.

Publishers

Some mainstream publishers have established a line for African-American romances, and other publishers are devoted to African-American publications.

• Genesis Press claims to be the largest privately-owned African-American book publisher
• Harlequin has the Kimani line with several imprints:
  • Kimani Romance - Category Romance
  • Arabesque - Contemporary Romance
  • Sepia - Mainstream Fiction
  • Kimani TRU - Young Adult
  • New Spirit - Inspirational Fiction

• Parker Publishing, LLC was established to target the ever-expansive market of books by and about African-Americans.

Authors

Top authors in this genre include Sandra Kitt, Brenda Jackson and Kayla Perrin

• McKeever, Gracie C.
• Peterson, Dusk
• Gwyneth Bolton
• Wayne Jordan

External Links

Articles

• African-American Romance Novels Turn Up the Heat
• Culture and Ethnicity: The African-American Romance Novel
• Isn't It Romantic by Paula Woods
• It's All About Love by Gwendolyn E. Osborne

Websites

• Blogging in Black - blog of authors Cherlyn Michaels, Gwyneth Bolton, Lena Matthews, Lynn Emery, Monica Jackson, Seressia Glass, Shelia Goss, Sylvia Hubbard, Wayne Jordan, Wendy Coakley-Thompson as well as readers, reviewers and industry professionals.
• Romance In Color - a review site with a focus on the African-America romance