From early pioneers to modern trailblazers, this is a brief history of Black romance novels and how Black women writers carved their space in the industry.
Here’s a transcript for the podcast if you prefer to read:
Modern romance books are part of a billion-dollar mass market industry that can be traced back to romantic fiction of the 18th and 19th centuries. As the genre expanded over time, one thing stayed the same. The books all centered around the lives of White women.
Large publishing houses weren’t interested in stories that centered around Black people’s lives and certainly not our love lives. The idea of us being loved or being in love was not on the agenda. And publishing houses presumed readers wouldn’t be interested in our love lives either. and so they rejected black-centered romance books for decades. But rather than focus on the lack of representation, this video will uplift a selection of black women romance novelists and their books.
I’m Alicia and this is episode 3 of the Published Sistas podcast. Today, I’m sharing a brief history of black women writers in the romance novel industry. I’m also sharing 3 key takeaways for aspiring authors, whether you want to write romance or another genre.
Today I’m focusing on the United States romance industry and I have plans to do deep dives on other countries’ industries coming up so subscribe and stay tuned. In this episode, I wish I had the time to discuss every black woman romance author and book, but instead, I chose a selection—no disrespect to any authors who aren’t mentioned.
This post contains some affiliate links below for your convenience (that means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I’ll earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you a penny more). You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Okay, let’s get to it.
One of the first novels by a Black American woman was by Poet, Abolitionist, and Activist, Frances EW Harper. who wrote Iola Leroy in 1892. While it wasn’t a traditional romance novel, it was set around the civil war time and explores the main character’s struggles as mixed-race woman, both as a slave and as a free person. Even though it wasn’t focused solely on romance, the book portrayed the protagonist love story and so is worthy of mention and acknowledgement.
But from that book not much was happening in terms of black romance novel publishing. So we fast all the way to 1969-1971 when Rubie Saunders wrote four books chronicling the life and loves of Nurse Marilyn Morgan, R.N., these books featured a nurse-doctor romance storyline. During the 50s, 60s and 70s, there was a booming trend of medical romances. but of course, what made Saunder’s books different was that her books featured a black woman as the main character
These were the only four book-length works of fiction Rubie Saunders published. All four were published as part of Signet’s Nurse Romance line. There is very little known about Rubie Saunders. What we do know, though, is that those 4 publications were groundbreaking. We wouldn’t see another black-centred romance novel for at least another 3 years.
All four books were published as part of Signet’s Nurse Romance line. There is very little known about Rubie Saunders. What we do know, though, is that those 4 publications were groundbreaking.
But that;s it for the 60’s.
Enter the 70s
For each of the upcoming time periods, before mentioning the romance books, I’ll first set the context by sharing a few cultural highlights of what was happening mainstream across the black community in the United States.
The Black Arts Movement continued to flourish the movement was spearheaded by the poet Amiri Baraka. Also Nikki Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez to name a few. Who used their work to celebrate Black identity and critique systemic racism and institutional inequalities.
On the music scene, R & B, funk, soul, and disco emerged as dominant cultural forces. Fashion embraced Afrocentric styles, with afros, dashikis, and African-inspired jewelry symbolizing pride in Black heritage.
The 1970s also saw the rise of Blaxploitation films. On television, shows like Good Times and The Jeffersons brought Black families to mainstream TV, offering both comedic and serious explorations of Black life.
In terms of romance novels, in 1974: Ann Allen Shockley published “Loving Her,” featuring a Black lesbian protagonist. The first of its kind and so was a landmark novel.
Now we jump to the 80s into the when we had a definite increase in black romance novels
in terms of the arts and culture, this time saw the rise of hip hop culture, movies like Spike Lee’s Do the right thing in 1989 and mainstream black family shows like the Cosby’s offering a counter-narrative to pervasive stereotypes.
Romance novel-wise, many more black women authors broke ground.
Authors like Elsie Washington (writing as Rosalind Welles) with Entwined Destinies in 1980, presenting Black love stories as valid and marketable and centering Black characters in unapologetically romantic narratives.
In 1982 Lia Sanders (pseudonym for Angela Jackson and Sandra Jackson-Opoku) published The Tender Mending, addressing the need for Black heroines in romance. And in the mid-80s Sandra Kitt’s Adam and Eva became Harlequin’s first romance novel featuring black main characters.
Then in 1989, Terry Mcmillan published Disappearing Acts. The novel delves into the realities of love, class, and ambition, reflecting the economic struggles and shifting gender roles of the 1980s.
Let’s move to the 1990s
Oh, what a great time! I’m probably dating myself.
Setting the scene, on television, shows like Martin, Living Single, In Living Color, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air celebrated Black culture and everyday life, offering humor and relatability. Oprah Winfrey became an international phenomenon.
Films like John Singleton’s Boyz in the Hood and the Hughes brothers’ Menace II Society were popular. We also had romantic comedy hits like Love Jones and The Best Man.
During this decade, finally, we witnessed a significant rise in Black romance:
Author Brenda Jackson wrote contemporary romances like Tonight and Forever, published in 1995. Her work reinforced the concept that yes, a market for our stories exists. A quick backstory on Jackson is that she began reading romance novels as a pastime and although she enjoyed the novels, she was dissatisfied with the lack of cultural and ethnic diversity in the characters. After complaining to her husband that she could do better, he registered her for a romance writers conference and encouraged her to try her hand at writing.
Meanwhile, the overall lack of diversity in the romance novel industry caught the attention of Leticia Peoples an avid romance reader who felt disillusioned by the lusty stories of white characters and the oppression of black ones. Peoples retired from her secure government job, took publishing classes, and used more than $10,000 from her retirement fund to start Odyssey Books, In 1990 nc., a publishing press focused on black romance.
This was followed by Pinnacle Books launching the Arabesque line of Black romances in 1994. This new line of romance novels that featured Black characters written by Black authors.
Major publishers like Pinnacle Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing launched imprints such as Arabesque Books in 1994, dedicated to publishing Black romance novels. Arabesque provided a platform for Black authors and introduced readers to authors like Brenda Jackson and Rochelle Alers, who became staples in the genre.
Beverly Jenkins, known as the “Queen of Black Historical Romance,” was busy writing and publishing in the 1990s. Her debut novel Night Song was published in 1994. It was a game-changer.
Jenkins not only wrote love stories but rooted them in Black history, giving readers a rich tapestry of culture, resilience, and passion. Jenkins has now written over 40 books.
Another prolific and acclaimed writer I’ve already mentioned, Terry McMillan published two romantic comedies Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, both of which were adapted into hit Hollywood movies.
Now let’s talk about Black romance novels of the 2000s to the present
Black romance authors continue to expand the romance novel genre.
Today, in 2025, it’s still a battle. Even with advances in the industry, the lead characters of most romance novels are typically fit into a narrow aesthetic, cultural and ethnic description.
Black authors continue to fight for visibility in the black romance industry but. But thanks to platforms like BookTok and YouTube, and to black writers persevering with publishing houses and taking advantage of self-publishing, we’ve seen a resurgence of black romance books.
Many of the previous authors already mentioned such as Brenda Jackson, Beverly Jenkins, Rochelle Alers, and Terry McMillan continue to write and add to the selection of books. And, of course, there are many other writers who’ve joined in, such as Farrah Rochon, Talia Hibbert, Kennedy Ryan, and Jasmine Guillory and so many more, way more than I could ever name. crafting stories that blend romance with real-life issues.
These authors are showing the world that Black women’s love stories are as diverse and powerful as we are.
As promised, I’m sharing a few key takewaways for aspiring writers
- There is an obvious market and need for your boooks. the fact that the market is still underserved, emphasizes even more that theres a need.
- If you aren’t being invited to the table, build your own table..
- And finally, no one else can write our stories. They won’t and the can’t.
If you’ve been dreaming about writing a romance book, let this be your sign to start. click the first link in the description below this video to join the writing community. “I hope this video inspired you to check out one of the Black romance authors mentioned, of course, I could only mention a limited amount of the talent. If you have a favorite Black woman romance author, please drop her name in the comments.
I challenge you to pick up a book by one of the authors I mentioned today. I curate a massive list of books by black women and you can find many of the authors mentioned today on the list. the link is in the descrpiton below.
Thanks for tuning in to episode 3 of the published sistas podcast.
-Alicia
P.S. Join the community for Black women writing a book.
