'The twenty-first century has been decidedly unkind to most sectors of the book publishing industry, yet romantic fiction is somehow more popular and profitable than ever before. What could account for this critically marginalised category’s consummate commercial success in the digital era? This paper makes the argument that contrary to the stereotype of romantic fiction as conventional and change resistant, contemporary romance publishers have proven themselves to be consistently forward thinking and progressive, utilising industry innovations in content, technology, branding and business practice to cement their genre’s status as an exemplary model for twenty-first century book publishing.' (Publication abstract)