Publishing Romance Fiction in the Philippines

This Element is the one of the first extended studies of romance fiction outside the Anglo-American marketplace.

Jodi McAlister (Author), Claire Parnell (Author), Andrea Anne Trinidad (Author)

9781009096430, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 June 2023

75 pages
17.8 x 12.7 x 0.5 cm, 0.104 kg

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.

Introduction
1. The Filipino Romance Publishing Industry
2. Filipino Romance Texts: From Tagalog Pocketbooks to #RomanceClass
3. Collectivity and Care: The Case of #RomanceClass Sociality
Conclusion: Decentralising Romance Fiction.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB]