ABSTRACT
Given the wide and diverse appeal of contemporary romances represented by both the proliferation of series and the success of single titles, it is obvious that the publishing of romances is big business in America. One way to place this business in an historical context is to examine the success of one writer-Laura Jean Libbey-100 years ago. As a writer identified with a type of romance proclaimed "a Laura Jean Libbey" by Bookman in 1910 ("Chronicle," 1910), Libbey demonstrates how one writer used the trends in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century publishing to promote her particular brand of romance, a brand she reproduced in over 80 novels for multiple publishers and in multiple reprintings.
