My Neighbor is a Billionaire, or "Are there really as many billionaires out there as popular romance would suggest?"
Just a quick post to fact check the proliferation of billionaires in romance. If you've been anywhere near a bookstore, Amazon, or other book or ebook retailer in the last ten years, you'll have noticed that the heroes in books, and the titles of Harlequin romances, are trending towards the ten figure income.
To which I say: whut.
Yes, yes, I am oh so eloquent.
According to Forbes, there are 1,426 billionaires in the world in 2013. According to the World Population Clock , there are 7.18 billion people in the world and counting.
What does that mean? Well, that means you have a 1 in 5,000,000 chance of running into a billionaire, let alone running into one, striking up a conversation, falling for his sparkling green eyes and dimpled smile, and having him sweep you off your feet. That's also not even taking into account that a fair number of those billionaires are either married, older than the average romance novel hero, and/or not possessing of the aforementioned sparkling green eyes and dimpled smile.
Sorry for being the bearer of bad news, but Forbes also tells us that there are only 29 billionaires in the world under the age of 40. To be honest, my middle school science class was larger than that.
It's at this point that I confess that I have a soft spot for those Harlequin romances. I cut my romance-reading teeth on them back in high school, after all. =) I'm not knocking them, and I actually enjoy them quite a bit still. I understand the value of a good ol' fashioned fairy tale-like romance just as much as the next romance novel reader.
HOWEVER.
What this post is really getting at is a sort of wishlist plea for more real guys in those romance novels. The trend towards everyone's-a-billionaire is getting out of hand, and we need more real guys who aren't bazillionaires with their own private jets and islands. More guys who are small business owners, veterinarians, chefs, paralegals, teachers, nannies, and computer programmers. Let's even throw in an electrician and a nurse or two.
I'm not saying that Romancelandia has to be filled with stories where every hero out there has to be a plumber, but hey...wouldn't it be cool if more of them were?
Lost in Romancelandia,
NJ
To which I say: whut.
Yes, yes, I am oh so eloquent.
According to Forbes, there are 1,426 billionaires in the world in 2013. According to the World Population Clock , there are 7.18 billion people in the world and counting.
What does that mean? Well, that means you have a 1 in 5,000,000 chance of running into a billionaire, let alone running into one, striking up a conversation, falling for his sparkling green eyes and dimpled smile, and having him sweep you off your feet. That's also not even taking into account that a fair number of those billionaires are either married, older than the average romance novel hero, and/or not possessing of the aforementioned sparkling green eyes and dimpled smile.
Sorry for being the bearer of bad news, but Forbes also tells us that there are only 29 billionaires in the world under the age of 40. To be honest, my middle school science class was larger than that.
It's at this point that I confess that I have a soft spot for those Harlequin romances. I cut my romance-reading teeth on them back in high school, after all. =) I'm not knocking them, and I actually enjoy them quite a bit still. I understand the value of a good ol' fashioned fairy tale-like romance just as much as the next romance novel reader.
HOWEVER.
What this post is really getting at is a sort of wishlist plea for more real guys in those romance novels. The trend towards everyone's-a-billionaire is getting out of hand, and we need more real guys who aren't bazillionaires with their own private jets and islands. More guys who are small business owners, veterinarians, chefs, paralegals, teachers, nannies, and computer programmers. Let's even throw in an electrician and a nurse or two.
I'm not saying that Romancelandia has to be filled with stories where every hero out there has to be a plumber, but hey...wouldn't it be cool if more of them were?
Lost in Romancelandia,
NJ
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Karen
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Oct 16, 2013 03:24PM
Which begs the answer for my questions because I came across one of those billionaire books the other day and it was entitled 'In Bed With The Wrong Billionaire' and my first thought was if you were luck enough to find yourself suddenly in bed with a billionaire, how could it possibly be the wrong one? Is there another one waiting outside the door?
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oh my god,, the wrong billionaire how are there not tears of laughter all over that book.
By the way, I think when I started to read Harlequin romance in my teens, which is like in the mid/end 1990s, the titles were used to be Millionaires. I guess they get richer now *lol*
My status update on Facebook the other week was
"I wish there were more romance books about billionaires...wait."
"If the shoe fits, wear it. Regardless of the price tag but sometimes it's nice to change up the hero and make him normal, and sexy, and swoony and yeah. That.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one getting more than a little sick of this billionaire trend.
MLE wrote: "I'm glad to see I'm not the only one getting more than a little sick of this billionaire trend."Definitely not. :)
Jo wrote: "oh my god,, the wrong billionaire how are there not tears of laughter all over that book."I think there probably were I know I left a few.
MLE wrote: "I'm glad to see I'm not the only one getting more than a little sick of this billionaire trend."Billionaires and anytime I see something that says "for fans of Fifty Shades of Grey..." I either run screaming from the room, laugh so hard I need a bathroom or scream depends on how many times I've seen the line that day.
So Ummmmm 
if there are billionaires all over the place any of You got a spare couple of million to help a friend out so I can stay home and read all the time..
Seriously, I remember when the big fish was a millionaire. Since when did that become plebeian...?!?? :)
Nico wrote: "Seriously, I remember when the big fish was a millionaire. Since when did that become plebeian...?!?? :)"Well you know it's that cost of living thing, what can we say apparently the millionaire is the new middle class in the literary world.
The book I just finished reading last night (Imperfect)is a great example of what I enjoy in a book. The MCs were regular Joes with flaws. Kim Fielding is another author I've recently discovered that seems to have less-than-perfect characters in her books.
I pretty much ignore anything with the word billionaire in the title.
I hate how it's put in the title, as if it's this guy's only important trait :/
Karen wrote: "MLE wrote: "I'm glad to see I'm not the only one getting more than a little sick of this billionaire trend."Billionaires and anytime I see something that says "for fans of Fifty Shades of Grey....."
Did the billionaire explosion happen b/c of FSoG? Around that time, right? Gawd, that book... *shakes head*
Vivian wrote: "I pretty much ignore anything with the word billionaire in the title."I love Harlequins as much as the next reader of particularly cheesy romance, but I draw the line somewhere. Playboys or princes I can handle...straight out billionaires left and right (like that's their only positive feature, as K.A. said) just get a "no thank you." :)
Fun fact! I just did a search of books on Harlequin's website, and there are 300 billionaires who have found their HEAs in HQN's pages. And those are just the books available right now!
Correction - that's just in one of their imprints. Total number of billionaires on Harlequin's website is (drumroll) 775! o_O
God, don't you just hate it when there are so many stunningly handsome billionaires in the world? Just today I had to wait for another elevator because the first one was chock full of billionaires. What's also interesting about this phenomenon is that even though these guys are billionaires, none of them actually seem to work very hard. I'm pretty sure you don't get to be a billionaire by sitting around and being handsome and mysterious all day.
Lisa, precisely! They always have enough time for their new beloved, etc.
Lisa wrote: "God, don't you just hate it when there are so many stunningly handsome billionaires in the world? Just today I had to wait for another elevator because the first one was chock full of billionaires...."Wouldn't work interfere with setting up the sex dungeon, and brooding?
Every time I go to ARe, there is at least one billionaire on the front page: Bred By the Billionaire, The Billionaire's Naughty Virgin, Billionaires in Spaaace, etc.
Nico wrote: "Correction - that's just in one of their imprints. Total number of billionaires on Harlequin's website is (drumroll) 775! o_O"Hey I believe you have accounted for around half the billionaires in the world if memory serves correctly.
MostlyDelores wrote: "Every time I go to ARe, there is at least one billionaire on the front page: Bred By the Billionaire, The Billionaire's Naughty Virgin, Billionaires in Spaaace, etc."Chock Full O'Billionaires?
Lisa wrote: "God, don't you just hate it when there are so many stunningly handsome billionaires in the world? Just today I had to wait for another elevator because the first one was chock full of billionaires...."Hey I only have one thing to say to this 'Fabio' stands around looks pretty and is incredibly rich, of course then there's the stuff you don't see he's like some kind of financial investment genius and I can almost take him seriously as long as he doesn't talk, that voice sends me into fits of giggles.
It's like all these Dukes that swarm the pages of historical romance. Earls and Marquises are no longer good enough, and mere Lords, well that's barely one step up from shagging the footman. Any self-respecting heroine has to set her sights on a chap only one step down from the King. It makes me chuckle. I'm like "we just don't have that many Dukes in Britain!" And the ones we do have didn't often marry governesses.
Becky wrote: "It's like all these Dukes that swarm the pages of historical romance. Earls and Marquises are no longer good enough, and mere Lords, well that's barely one step up from shagging the footman. Any se..."They don't? *takes out bucket list and scratches off marry a duke*
Becky wrote: "It's like all these Dukes that swarm the pages of historical romance. Earls and Marquises are no longer good enough, and mere Lords, well that's barely one step up from shagging the footman. Any se..."I would marry the duke and still shag the footmen. Does that make me a bad person?
Lisa wrote: "Becky wrote: "It's like all these Dukes that swarm the pages of historical romance. Earls and Marquises are no longer good enough, and mere Lords, well that's barely one step up from shagging the f..."Sounds like a solid plan to me.
Lisa wrote: "I would marry the duke and still shag the footmen. Does that make me a bad person? "Now, is this Duke (or footman) also a billionaire?
MostlyDelores wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I would marry the duke and still shag the footmen. Does that make me a bad person? "Now, is this Duke (or footman) also a billionaire?"
The footman is probably a billionaire in disguise. Also, there is a secret baby. And an identical twin brother. And a missing will. And... *runs out of breath*
MLE wrote: "An evil twin?"The
Nico wrote: "MLE wrote: "An evil twin?"The best only kind! :D"
That's what I thought.
Things there are more of in Romance than the current population of the Earth can sustain - billionaires, dukes, exclusive sex clubs, and Middle Eastern countries (where all the sheikhs rule.)If one could actually step into Romance land there would be three exclusive sex clubs on every street, which would be full of billionaire dukes. And the Middle East would be made up of hundreds of countries each one about the size of a pocket handkerchief.
Vivian wrote: "I pretty much ignore anything with the word billionaire in the title."Ditto, me too! I know it is fiction, but I want to indulge in romance that flourishes without financial fluff. I enjoy the focus on characters and situations, not an exclusive life style.
Edina wrote: "Becky wrote: "Things there are more of in Romance than the current population of the Earth can sustain - billionaires, dukes, exclusive sex clubs, and Middle Eastern countries (where all the sheikh..."And then I cannot relate (or believe it possible) and search for another story....
Edina wrote: "And they'll all be young, single, gorgeous SEX GODS. "Well that goes without saying. :D
