Paranormal saturation?

I've been cruising several blogs lately, notably Karen's. The comments and blog posts have hinted at reader saturation for paranormals--the vamps, witches, warlocks and were-everything. I've been writing since 2003, a babe in the woods compared to others who've been around much longer. Paranormal was the hottest-selling genre when I started. For all I know, it could still be the best-selling genre of all. Without actual numbers, there's no way of knowing.

I write mostly contemporaries and futuristics. My contemporary stories have sold better than my futuristics ones, but I don't intend to stop writing futuristics. I love world-building. It's like a blank canvas and I have the freedom to create whatever I want. It's exciting. I tried my hand at a paranormal for EC once, which was turned down, by the way. Reading it now, I'm thankful it was rejected. It wasn't good at all.

It's not a stretch to say that the paranormal market has exploded. The big publishing houses in New York have their own paranormal line, as well as the ebook publishers. Is the market saturated? Maybe. Maybe not. But paranormals will always have a place in the market. Any book that's well-written and well-edited will be successful. A plot line with original twists and turns and engaging characters will resonate with readers. I know of several very successful authors who write great paranormals. They're very good at what they do and their NY contracts prove it.

Like everything else, I believe that romance books/genres are not immune to cycles. What's hot today might not be so hot in a couple of years. What's important is that authors continue to create well-written, emotionally-gripping, imagination-stirring romance stories that readers love. Whether it's erotic romance, romantic suspense, time travel, futuristic, paranormal or just plain contemporary, readers will love a good book. Romance is an industry that continues to evolves. We just have to adapt to change. And change is always good.