Heaven J. Strategy

For Your Urban Fiction Pen Name: Dark Romance/Urban Romance

Dark romance continues to dominate the fiction self-publishing landscape, with reader demand showing no signs of slowing down in 2025. 5 Best Book Genres to Dominate Self-Publishing in 2025 (+ Why They Sell Fast) – hmdpublishing This is perfect for you because:

• What it is: Urban settings + intense emotional/physical relationships + morally complex characters

• Why it's hot: "Combined with the growth in other more intense fiction subjects like horror and dystopian," she says, "a new trend has emerged that's marked by darker escapist themes. These subject-matter areas provide an outlet for readers to safely explore negative emotions such as sadness, anger, ..." Fiction in Focus: Publishing Trends of 2024 and What Lies Ahead in 2025 — Wicked Ink Publishing

• Examples: Think mafia romance in the hood, gang leader love stories, street king meets his match, enemies-to-lovers with real danger

• Why you should pivot: Your existing urban fiction books can easily be repositioned with darker, more intense romantic elements

Reighan Storm Money Strategy

The brutal truth: Dark Romance is CRUSHING clean romance in sales right now.

🔥 DARK ROMANCE (High School Bully/Enemies-to-Lovers)

• Romance has sold 51 million units in print in the US market in 12 months 10 Self-publishing Trends in 2025 You Can't Miss - MIBLART, with dark romance being a major driver

• Dark romance books featuring strong female protagonists, antiheroes, and complex psychological narratives are highly popular in 2024 The Most Popular Book Genres on Amazon Revealed

• The dark romance genre of BookTok has taken young people by storm Genre Trends in Publishing for 2025 | She Writes

• High school bully romance is a massive subgenre with dedicated readers - just look at the popularity of authors like Penelope Douglas and Rina Kent who dominate this space

💕 CLEAN/WHOLESOME ROMANCE

• Still sells, but significantly smaller market

• Less BookTok buzz and viral potential

• Lower price points typically

• More competition from traditional publishers

The Money Answer: Go DARK for pen name #2

Why this works better than keeping it clean:

1. Audience overlap: Your "mostly white readers" pen name can handle darker themes - they're actually craving it

2. BookTok algorithm: Dark romance gets more engagement and shares

3. Price premium: Dark romance sells for $3.99-$5.99 vs $2.99 for clean

4. Series potential: Bully romance readers binge entire series

Suggested pivot: Keep the enemies-to-lovers foundation but add:

• Psychological tension

• Morally gray heroes

• High school/college setting with real stakes

• "He's mean to everyone but obsessed with her" trope

This isn't about writing graphic content - it's about emotional intensity and complex characters that current readers are devouring.

🔥 HIGH-SELLING DARK PSYCHOLOGICAL ROMANCE TROPES (No Erotica/Paranormal):

1. Obsessive Protection

• He's dangerously obsessed with keeping her safe (from a distance)

• Stalker vibes but he's actually protecting her from real threats

• Think "I've been watching you to keep you alive" reveal

• Example: He's been the anonymous person warning her about dangerous situations

2. Academic/Workplace Power Dynamics

• Professor/student (college age), Boss/intern, Tutor/student

• Psychological games and intellectual sparring

• Forbidden but not because of paranormal reasons

• Example: Brilliant but cold professor who breaks all his rules for one student

3. Revenge Romance

• He planned to destroy her family/life but falls for her instead

• She discovers his plan and now they're both trapped

• Psychological chess match with real consequences

• Example: He infiltrated her social circle to ruin her father, but...

4. Forced Proximity with Dark Past

• Trapped together (safe house, witness protection, family arrangement)

• One has a dangerous/criminal past the other discovers

• Psychological tension as secrets unravel

• Example: She's in witness protection, he's her assigned protector with his own dark history

5. Psychological Mind Games

• Cat and mouse mental warfare that turns into attraction

• He challenges everything she believes about herself

• Manipulation that becomes mutual fascination

• Example: He can read people like books, but she's the first person who puzzles him

6. Secret Identity/Double Life

• He's living a lie for legitimate reasons (undercover, protection)

• She starts uncovering the truth piece by piece

• Psychological thriller elements with romance

• Example: The quiet bookstore owner is actually...

These all work because they create psychological intensity and emotional stakes without requiring explicit content or paranormal elements. The "dark" comes from the psychological complexity, not the bedroom scenes!