She's emancipated, independent and career driven, yet the modern woman still wants to snuggle up with a romance novel, just as her mother and grandmother did before her. And publishers are more than happy to oblige.
Romantic fiction giant Harlequin Enterprises, parent company to imprints such as Mills & Boon and Silhouette, sold 131 million books in 2005, prompting British publisher Headline to launch its own romance imprint.
Little Black Dress targets 'a new generation of romance readers' with short contemporary stories in a paperback format that are 'perfect for the handbag or the bath'.
Toronto-based Harlequin, which acquired British publisher Mills & Boon in 1971, is doing big business: more than 115 titles a month, published in 24 languages and 95 international markets; more than 1,300 authors in its stable; 5.22 billion books shipped since its inception in 1949.
Harlequin's imprints range from the traditional, such as medical and tender romance, to intrigue, sensual ('hot, sizzling romance') and desire ('daring and provocative'). In 2000, it moved into the online market (its eHarlequin.com site offering online book serials) and is now starting to supply books to mobile phones.
There are others in the field, including boundary-pushing publishers such as Black Lace, which bills its explicit stories as 'erotic fiction written for women by women'.
