10 interesting facts about novels

1. The first novel, called The story of Genji, was written in 1007 by Japanese noble woman, Murasaki Shikibu.
2. The word “novel” originally derived from the Latin novus, meaning “new.”
3. The first novel sold through a vending machine - at the Paris Metro - was Murder on the Orient Express.
4. The rise of the “novel” as the major alternative to the antiquated “romance” began with the publication of Cervantes Novelas Exemplares (1613).
5. Ernest Vincent Wright’s 1939 novel Gadsby has 50,110 words, none of which contains the letter “e.”
6. Barbara Cartland completed a novel every two weeks, publishing 723 novels.
7. Almost half of all the paperback books printed and distributed for the North American market are romance novels of various types.
8. Romance novels begin with a couple who is not currently in a romantic relationship and present an obstacle that works to keep the couple apart before they finally fall in love.
9. The most common misconception of the romance novel is that the stories are old fashioned and that the female characters are all virgins.
10. Romance novels come in hundreds of different themes, including Christian, vampires, cowboys, historical, contemporary, futuristic, medical, single parents and many more.