When I set out to write romance novels, I had a clear vision of my heroine, Keeli. In fact, I dreamt her, complete with her name, and woke up desperate to get my vision on paper. Wyatt, not so much. It took dozens of tries to find a name to fit him, and he was born, complete with the other Beguiling Bachelors, as a rich, entitled, and successful man, only because I thought pure escape would be a joy to write. And because billionaires, princes, dukes, and heroes with wealth trend well.
Yep. since Cinderella, a well-written romance with a rich hero and a happy ending was destined to succeed. Pure escape. As if a great romance wasn’t enough to entertain, the trends indicated the glitz and glamour of living the high-life needed to be there too.
Turns out readers knew what they wanted. Billionaire books are trending this year – on fire in fact – and royal romance is definitely making a comeback, too. Seems readers want that layered escape, luxury, and romance all wrapped up in a nice neat novel.
Looking to lose yourself reading or writing your own “Crazy Rich Asians” success? Here are five pointers to get you started on the hottest trends in successful billionaire romances.
Decision One: Cupcake Sweet or Jalapeno Hot?
1/ You must decide between a sweet billionaire hero or a hot one. Sure there can be overlaps, but how lusty will you go?
As with any romance novel, you must decide your comfort level with heat – the euphemistic word for sex in the romance writing world. Authors must communicate their selection right up front, with cover art, blurb, and marketing. Romance readers hate an unpleasant surprise. .Readers tend to group themselves around five heat levels. No one wants erotica when they thought they were buying Christian inspirational fiction—and vice versa. Knowing what you’re writing, or reading matters. Decide your steam level upfront.
All About Romance offers the following as a general guide:
- Kisses: Kisses only. There may be moderate sexual tension, but the author will not use any specific terms.
- Subtle: No explicit sensuality. General terms are used to describe sex and the emphasis will be more on the emotions of the characters rather than any physical sensation.
- Warm: Moderately explicit sensuality. Authors describe sex using euphemisms.
- Hot: Very explicit sensuality. Authors describe sex in graphic terms.
- Burning: Extremely explicit sensuality. Books in this category are generally considered erotica and will feature the graphic depiction of sex as a main focus of the book. These sexual acts may include those outside the sexual mainstream.
Obviously, these still leave room for interpretation, but I find them a good place to start. For the record, cupcakes are popular right now, or on fire and I mean a conflagration of hot and spicy.
Second, Show Me The Money
2/ This is billionaire romance, so you better show me the money.’ Fans choose stories with wealthy heroes for the fantasy as well as the romance, maybe more. And just as shape-shifters have to shift, billionaires have to spend. Lavishly. Trends include giving them bespoke suits, million-dollar homes, private jets, and the ability to bypass the lines at a sold-out event. Write about tuxedoed galas with the women dripping in diamonds and designer dresses, exotic locations, and expensive whims fulfilled without a second thought.
Don’t worry about what you don’t know firsthand. Most of your readers aren’t billionaires either.
As Jewel Allen said in her blog post “How to write a clean billionaire romance”
“Get over your money hang-ups. If you’ve ever wanted to spend money you don’t have, write in this genre. You can own luxury cars, go on fantasy dates, and buy expensive dresses…without whipping out your credit card. Readers want to escape. Give them what they want, and they will love you. I think that’s one of the draws to the megahit movie Crazy Rich Asians. A helicopter trip to a tropical river? Check. Fireworks at your engagement party? Check. Lavish wedding with water flowing into the aisles? Check. Shopping spree for wedding guests? Check.”
From Louise Bay’s Dexter buying a Hermes scarf in Mr. Knightsbridge to Beguiling Bachelor Randall buying Sloane respectability in Beholden, authors must create opportunities to sweep their heroine, and reader, off her feet. Details of high-end brands, expensive restaurants, and hard-to-obtain tickets attract romance readers to the billionaire genre.
Read the society pages where you have them, glance through Town and Country Magazine and People, watch old episodes of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Scour the real estate sections of national papers for descriptions of multi-million dollar properties for sale or reviews of exciting restaurants you will never frequent on an author’s salary.
Trend Three: The Sky’s the Limit
3/ Get imaginative. The sky is the limit here, as is the budget. Enough with the shopping sprees a la Pretty Woman. It’s passe. Ditto the day spent soaring in a glider. No one will ever do it as well as it was done in the original Thomas Crown Affair movie. Think outside the box. Consider private islands, art auctions, museums, settings ripe with possibilities. Consider the classic tale of the poor servant and the rich man ala Wuthering Heights. Sabrina, the story of the chauffeur’s daughter in love with the billionaire’s son, worked so well that they remade the film. It worked with Bogart, of course, and again with Harrison Ford. Rock stars, composers, sports figures and Silicon Valley tech giants offer a new generation of billionaires who offer less stodgy characters than in the past with a new wealth of meet-cutes and storylines.
Remember that old money differs from new money and you will have to treat them differently in your stories. One is usually flashier than the other, and less constrained by tradition. Is your hero a philanthropist? Giving back is a great way to soften a character that might otherwise appear too selfish.
Trend Four: Don’t Forget the Butler
4/ Consider the role of staff and their viewpoint. If you surround your billionaire with butlers, maids, and assistants, you give yourself numerous opportunities to increase the depth of your character. A butler or valet knows all your hero’s nuances. The nanny that raised your heroine knows her every secret. Imagine Downton Abbey without the servants. The story would have been thin indeed. Use staff to add complexity to your characters. There are used successfully in Regency romances, where M.C. Beaton wrote a witty and charming 6-book series, A House for the Season, each about a different hero or heroine renting the same house for the London season. The common thread: the address and the staff, who narrate the novels. Staff narration is not used often, but it’s an idea that works.
For Extra Credit, Trend Five: Add a Touch of Suspense
5/ Mix tropes. Start with a billionaire, but add a second-chance love or an element of suspense. Layering tropes enriches the story. In Besotted, my Beguiling Bachelor has waited twenty years to pursue his lady love. Why? What dark mystery holds him back? Add plot twists that encourage our billionaire to spend money and keep us turning pages. Consider the extremely dark and extremely popular, three-novel Indebted Series by Pepper Winters, where the wealth of one family allows them to skirt the law and enslave our heroine. Or Marriage of Inconvenience, part of Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series, where she injects humor and suspense when a wealthy heiress weds her security detail.
What drives your romance decision? Suspense, a military hero, dark, steamy sex? Share your favorite billionaire romance in the comments below.
Want more information about romance trends? Check out “6 Current Trends Romance Authors Should Know”