#authors follow the money
I happily read dub-con and certain non-con, and yet I hate the dub-con I encounter in professionally published novels because I have no way of knowing if the author is aware & just likes to write dub-con into their books, or if they have no clue what enthusiastic consent (or lack thereof) actually looks like & therefore can’t recognize when they’re writing something that would be tagged for on AO3
Former (and hopefully again to be) professionally published romance author here. Be aware that what follows is my knowledge of the romance genre from having been published and having been an active reader in the genre since the late 70s. (Yes, I started very young reading adult romance books!)
Approximately 90% of professional authors know what enthusiastic consent is but they also know that it isn’t something that easily sells. Dubious consent, “forced seduction”, “dark” romance, etc. are all popular sellers in the romance genre with “consensual non-consent” also being a leader in the BDSM subgenre. Why that is, I have no clue, but that’s the current trend. Enthusiastic consent seems to turn up more in the M/M and F/F genres from what I’ve seen and heard about with a bit of bleed over into the various ménage variations.
Of course, considering how much non-con and dub-con/forced seduction there was in the early best sellers back when romance as a genre truly began it is honestly of no surprise to me that the writing of enthusiastic consent is taking a very long time to catch on.
