True Romantasy

Romance books — and particularly “romantasy” titles, which bring together elements of romance and fantasy — have been rising in popularity since 2021 and currently represent one of the fastest-growing sectors of the publishing industry. U.S. unit sales for romance overall in the first half of 2025 were up 24% compared to the same period in 2024, according to Circana BookScan, and the romantasy subcategory helped drive that success with increases in the triple digits. For context, publishing as a whole saw a decline of 1.6% in unit sales during the period. 

The leading romantasy series routinely rank at the top of the bestseller lists and can generate sales of millions or even 10s of millions of copies. Their popularity is propelled by their active Bookstagram and especially Booktok communities, and they have spurred podcasts, cosplay experiences (such as book balls at luxury hotels or castles), a rise in attendance at in-person book clubs, and long lines at author signings. Most of the series have a mostly female readership that ranges from women aged 50-plus down to teens (although many are widely considered too racy for the latter group).  

The expanding interest in the category has been accompanied by more and more licensed products. Strategies typically focus initially on collectibles, home goods, apparel, book-adjacent merchandise (e.g., bookmarks and shelves), and other closely related categories. These are often produced with smaller, independent partners, such as subscription book-box marketers, licensees that specialize in products tied to literary or fantasy IPs, and, often, independent makers that sell through Etsy. (Several of the leading series are published by smaller indie publishers as well.) 

As of 2025, a handful of romantasy series have gained enough traction to start forging deals with their first mass-market licensees and/or sign licensing agents to help them expand their merchandise to a wider audience. Examples include: 

• A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah Maas, published by Bloomsbury. In a deal announced in June, the author hired IMG Licensing to extend the brand into apparel, beauty, food, alcoholic beverages, home goods, gaming, collectibles, cosplay, experiences, and other categories. Previous initiatives have included an exclusive program at Hot Topic, encompassing more than 80 different products, and licensed apparel from Hot Topic subsidiary Her Universe. 

• Powerless, by Lauren Roberts, published by Simon & Schuster. This property, which is on the less risqué end of the spectrum, is represented for licensing by Moxie & Co. Funko released its first-ever Pop figures based on book-only characters when it added Powerless to its line-up in June; other licensees include Insight Editions for journals. These and other items, including jewelry, candles, pins, and the like, were introduced in Books-a-Million stores, and the property has a presence in other book channels as well, including Barnes & Noble. 

• Empyrean, by Rebecca Yarros, published by Entangled Publishing. Yarros has licensed several purveyors of bookish and fandom merchandise, from Etsy vendors to established specialist manufacturers — almost 200 licensees are listed on her website — including The Bean Workshop Store, Iridescent Fairytale, Meaggie Moos, and Kingdom of Threads, with products ranging from candles and puzzles to apparel and jewelry. In June of this year, Hasbro announced that it was creating a series of board games based on her books, the first being a version of its Priorities game set in the world of the Empyrean universe, specifically focused on the first book in the series, Fourth Wing.

• From Blood and Ash, by Jennifer L. Armentrout, published by Blue Box Press. Much of Amentrout’s merchandise to date has been sold through her physical store, Miss Willa’s Bookshop in Charlestown, West Virginia — an in-world bookshop in the series has the same name — and its associated e-commerce site. Products include signed and special-edition books, apparel, blankets, mugs, character shelfies, replica daggers, subscription and one-off book boxes, totes, stickers, and magnets. This month, in an unusual initiative, Armentrout partnered with Unilever’s Hellmann’s Mayonnaise for a special edition of her newest book, The Primal of Blood and Bone, that is printed with garlic-infused ink inspired by Hellmann’s Garlic-Aoili sauce. The book is positioned as repelling the Craven, the blood-thirsty monsters in the Blood and Ash books. Fans can purchase the edition at Miss Willa’s; those who buy it in the physical store get a free bottle of Hellmann’s Garlic Aoili. The initiative is promoted at HellmannsCravenProof.com, along with three original recipes created by Hellmann’s and inspired by the book.  

Some of the many other romantasy IPs that have spun off specialist merchandise for their avid fans have included Folk of Air and other series by Holly Black, who has released special editions and collectible products with book-box marketers including Illumicrate, Bookish Box, and LitJoy, and recently exceeded her funding goals on Kickstarter for a card game she developed called Enemies & Lovers: The Crown of Elfhame, based her The Cruel Prince series. Similarly, Never After, a series by Emily McIntire, has inspired deals with book boxes and Etsy creators, with seven such partners currently listed on her website along with cards and prints. 

Note that all the licensing programs described here are based solely on the publishing content and are aimed at the series’ large and avid current fan bases. Several of the properties have entertainment productions in the works, however, which will likely strengthen and expand the trend going forward. 

If you’re interested in the intersection of licensing and publishing, check out Karen Raugust’s Licensing Hotline column and other writings in Publishers Weekly. Subscribe to the free PW Children’s Bookshelf newsletter, where the Hotline appears first, or find links to Karen’s PW articles here.