Oh, I know. But it seems so unfair when respect isn’t given to an uber-successful business woman. (You know, and her authors. *g*)

I happen to reading a Spice ARC right now, and I’m enjoying it a lot. But it’s very much chick lit with hot sex, in my opinion. It reminds me a lot of the Cheek books I’ve read, actually. And since it appears that it’s going to be about these women finding themselves rather than finding their Princes Charming and living HEA, I definitely wouldn’t call it an erotic romance. I’d call it erotica, so yeah, fuggedabout the pioneering. (Although it’s too soon to really tell as to the ending.) The book jacket of the other one gives me the impression that it will be slightly more traditional with the HEA, but I don’t know. But overall I don’t think HEA is the focus of the those imprints/lines, so yeah. Apples and oranges maybe.

And the Spice guidelines say: Not a big traditional romance with lots of sex

That’s too bad. I like those. :rofl:

Of course they also say: We want novels that will take the genre above and beyond today’s stereotypical erotica stories.

Huh.

Yes, these are big romance houses delving into what had always been a niche market, which is noteworthy in itself. But as you say, other houses already did that with erotic romance, so fuggedabout the pioneering thang. And if these AREN’T romances, what are we talking about again??? :shrug:

Which, of course, sucks. But I’d be stunned if it had gone the other way.

But EC has pushed a publishing revolution, and mainstreaming of stories, attitudes, authors and, let’s hope, the money, can’t help but be a good thing.