What qualifies as erotic romance?

Several graphic sex scenes would almost certainly qualify it as erotic romance. But 'just plain romance' often has quite a lot of sex too.

The definition I've heard agents/publishers use is that it is the sex that drives the plot forward. If you take away the sex, there is no story.

On the flip side, I also think a lot of people will argue that if the story is sex-heavy (not porn, nor erotica), then it's also erotic romance.

I write both types of "erotic romance" and no one has contested my classifying it as such.

*nods*@Dee and Vein... Erotic romance is a romance, where the sexual relationship is a driving force of the plot. As a romance, the core of its plot must be the romance itself.. erotic romance adds an erotic overtone to that romance. It's subtle in its difference from romances with alot of sex in them and worlds apart from erotica. Does that make sense?

Well, to be honest I think an erotc romance is a romance with erotic sex scenes. It is a romance, and it is also erotica. But the genre in general is coy about being seen as a sub-genre of erotica as well as a sub-genre of romance.

veinglory said:

Well, to be honest I think an erotc romance is a romance with erotic sex scenes. It is a romance, and it is also erotica. But the genre in general is coy about being seen as a sub-genre of erotica as well as a sub-genre of romance.

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I can see that, but I would guess one major reason why I wouldn't consider it erotica (or even a sub-genre) is because of the HEA/HFN requirement. Romance would demand it while erotica does not.

Let's call it a cousin to erotica.

Erotica doesn't exclude HEA. So having it doesn't stop a story from being erotica and more than having explicit sex stops it from being romance.

I think the line blurs between the two enough that its a confusing line. If the plot is the romance itself (regardless of the abundance or lack of sex scenes) and it has a HEA/HFN, then its a romance. If the sex scenes are used as plot devices to move the romance forward and not just there to entertain or a natural result of the romance, then I would say it's likely an erotic romance. If its romantic, but absent of a HEA/HFN and the romance is not the main point of the plot, but the plot is driven still by the sexual relationships, then I'd say its likely an erotica.

You can have hot sex scenes in a romance, and not be classified as an erotic romance.

An erotica can be very romantic, but not meet the classification of romance and be neither an erotic romance or a romance.

Etc... its sometimes hard to tell. It also varies between publishers. I'd have publishers call some of my erotica, erotic romances. I didn't fight them, since they were publishing me. *lol* But I still think it was erotica, with heavy romantic tones to them. I don't know.... I'm rambling, but my point was what I started this post with... the line is blurry! *lol*

I agree with everyone else, it is probably erotic romance. Every publisher is different. But if the scenes are explicit (I rarely see euphamisms used in erotica or erotic romance) and are needed for the story, it is likely erotic.

If you can take out the scenes or fade to black and it doesn't hurt the story, then no, I would say it is regular romance.

As for the HEA/HFN, if it is any type of romance, erotic or not, it will have one of these endings. Only straight erotica with no romance can have a different ending. So a HEA/HFN ending does not mean it isn't erotic romance.