Publishing Romance Fiction in the Philippines (Elements in Publishing and Book Culture)

The romance publishing landscape in the Philippines is vast and complex, characterised by entangled industrial players, diverse kinds of texts, and siloed audiences. This Element maps the large, multilayered, and highly productive sector of the Filipino publishing industry. It explores the distinct genre histories of romance fiction in this territory and the social, political and technological contexts that have shaped its development. It also examines the close connections between romance publishing and other media sectors alongside unique reception practices. It takes as a central case study the Filipino romance self-publishing collective #RomanceClass, analysing how they navigate this complex local landscape as well as the broader international marketplace. The majority of scholarship on romance fiction exclusively focuses on the Anglo-American industry. By focusing here on the Philippines, the authors hope to disrupt this phenomenon, and to contribute to a more decentred, rhizomatic approach to understanding this genre world. Cover Title page Copyright page Publishing Romance Fiction in the Philippines Contents Introduction Researching Romance Fiction The Social, Economic, and Political Context of Filipino Romance Publishing and Reading The Genre World of Filipino Romance Methods About This Element 1 The Filipino Romance Publishing Industry 1.1 Traditional Romance Publishers: From Tagalog Pocketbooks to English-Language Chick Lit 1.2 Platformed Publishing in the Philippines 1.3 Romance Fiction in the Filipino Adaptation Industry 1.4 #RomanceClass: A Self-Published Romance Community 1.5 Conclusion 2 Filipino Romance Texts: From Tagalog Pocketbooks to #RomanceClass 2.1 Tagalog Pocketbook Romance: Language, Audience, and Textual Conventions 2.1.1 Convention 1: Rich and Cosmopolitan Hero 2.1.2 Convention 2: Fierce Heroines 2.1.3 Convention 3: ‘Love’ Scenes, Not ‘Sex’ Scenes 2.2 The Alternative Conventions of #RomanceClass Texts 2.2.1 Alternative 1: Reshaping Female and Queer Characters 2.2.2 Alternative 2: Decentring Manila 2.2.3 Alternative 3: Sex and Heat Levels 2.3 Romance Market versus Romance Community 3 Collectivity and Care: The Case of #RomanceClass Sociality 3.1 Context and Origins 3.2 The Community 3.3 Collectivity and Care Case Study 1: Anthologies 3.4 Collectivity and Care Case Study 2: Cover Shoots Conclusion: Decentralising Romance Fiction Complicating the Monolith References