- vor 4 Wochen
Von romantischen Liebesgeschichten bis zu harten Sex-Stories.
Der Boom der New-Adult-Literatur sorgt für steigende Umsätze in der sonst kriselnden Buchbranche.
Die Unterhaltungsliteratur legte in den vergangenen drei Jahren um 15 Prozent zu.
Vor allem junge Frauen lesen diese Geschichten über Selbstfindung, das erste Ausziehen, den ersten Job, die erste Liebe – und das erste Mal Sex.
Das Feuilleton bezeichnet sie als "Softpornos in Pastell", die Leserinnen fühlen sich dagegen zum ersten Mal ernst genommen.
Besonders erfolgreich ist spicy Literatur, wie Dark Romance.
Hier geht es oft um explizite Sexszenen und dunkle Fantasien, wie vergewaltigungsähnliche Szenen und Stalking.
Kritiker bemängeln die Frauenfeindlichkeit und den fehlenden Jugendschutz.
Während sich Erotikfilme an das erwachsene Publikum richten, stehen "spicy" New-Adult-Bücher in einigen Buchhandlungen in der Nähe der Kinderabteilung – teilweise mit harmlosen Covern und Titeln wie Icebreaker.
Schon zwölfjährige Mädchen posten online ihre Reaktionen, während sich ahnungslose Eltern darüber freuen, dass ihre Kinder lesen.
Die ttt-Reportage zeigt, wie junge Frauen den Buchmarkt verändern und eine literarische Parallelwelt zum Pornokonsum entstanden ist. (23.03.2026)
Der Boom der New-Adult-Literatur sorgt für steigende Umsätze in der sonst kriselnden Buchbranche.
Die Unterhaltungsliteratur legte in den vergangenen drei Jahren um 15 Prozent zu.
Vor allem junge Frauen lesen diese Geschichten über Selbstfindung, das erste Ausziehen, den ersten Job, die erste Liebe – und das erste Mal Sex.
Das Feuilleton bezeichnet sie als "Softpornos in Pastell", die Leserinnen fühlen sich dagegen zum ersten Mal ernst genommen.
Besonders erfolgreich ist spicy Literatur, wie Dark Romance.
Hier geht es oft um explizite Sexszenen und dunkle Fantasien, wie vergewaltigungsähnliche Szenen und Stalking.
Kritiker bemängeln die Frauenfeindlichkeit und den fehlenden Jugendschutz.
Während sich Erotikfilme an das erwachsene Publikum richten, stehen "spicy" New-Adult-Bücher in einigen Buchhandlungen in der Nähe der Kinderabteilung – teilweise mit harmlosen Covern und Titeln wie Icebreaker.
Schon zwölfjährige Mädchen posten online ihre Reaktionen, während sich ahnungslose Eltern darüber freuen, dass ihre Kinder lesen.
Die ttt-Reportage zeigt, wie junge Frauen den Buchmarkt verändern und eine literarische Parallelwelt zum Pornokonsum entstanden ist. (23.03.2026)
Kategorie
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LernenTranskript
00:00I simply like this tension, even if it's somehow forbidden.
00:04Especially when it happens slowly and you can literally feel Chris.
00:07For example, if the protagonists are forced to spend a night together in a bed or a hotel room.
00:14Spicy scenes, and we all love that in certain genres.
00:21Romantic love stories and brutal sex stories are currently captivating an entire generation of young female readers.
00:27A new hype and a huge business.
00:33This is definitely a very large market with a lot of potential.
00:37Suddenly there are millions of purchases for this type of literature.
00:42And now there's a new beginning, now something new is happening.
00:46Books about growing up with so-called spice, i.e., sex.
00:51Mostly labeled as Romance, Fantasy or Romantasy.
00:55It has such a cute pink cover, but that's simply the image of women it conveys.
01:01Submitting to such acts of subjugation to any musclemen.
01:08Acclaimed authors like DC Odessa write such pornographic fantasies.
01:13Dark Romance is popular, but it is also read by very young girls.
01:19I don't pay any attention to who reads it.
01:22And my sole aim is to ensure they are fully informed from beginning to end.
01:40Sixteen-year-old Tessa and seventeen-year-old Rosalie share the same hobby.
01:45Read and look for new books.
01:48They almost always find what they're looking for in the New Adult section.
01:57Have you read it?
01:58Yes, the book was so good. I recommended it to Sophia.
02:04And here I saw a review that said it was just extremely boring.
02:09But I did read the first part, yes.
02:11What is the first part like?
02:16This is supposed to be a really lovely autumn novel.
02:20Like many their age, the two prefer to read romance novels.
02:30That is definitely the main reason, the love story.
02:33In books, it's always very nice when romantic moments and things like that come up.
02:38It's very pleasant to see it that way.
02:40And so, I have no idea, because otherwise you don't really hear much about love stories outside of the media.
02:48So, movies and series, sure, but otherwise only books.
02:52These are people who are roughly our age, or maybe a little older.
02:56They had roughly the same experiences as us.
03:00And it's easy to really put yourself in their shoes.
03:02It's also primarily about these decisions that we will probably have to make soon.
03:08Where should I study? What should I study? What do I even want to achieve in my life? And things like that.
03:14And those are all topics that are covered there.
03:21Since her first day at Dunbridge Academy, Scarlett Poppy has worked tirelessly towards her goal of being top of her class.
03:28She has no other choice. After all, she depends on her scholarship.
03:33Because under no circumstances does she want to return to her old life.
03:36Her stepfather's toxic house and her former school, where she was bullied and ostracized.
03:43Scarlett Arndt, an arrogant pretty boy like George Langham, would never understand that.
03:49Unfortunately, George is also the only one who makes her heart beat faster at the most inappropriate moments.
03:57And so, and it's less like that, I would say, or at least in the books I read, that it
04:03I would say it's such a stereotypical female role.
04:07But it's really more about this self-emancipation as well.
04:11So it's not like these rescue stories are where the man just comes along and suddenly...
04:18All problems are gone, or something like that.
04:20Rather, it's often simply about the fact that the two of them make a good team and can achieve more together.
04:29even when they could easily manage on their own.
04:35Josy Wismar is one of the well-known German authors of romance novels, which are mainly bought by young girls and women.
04:45She can expect hundreds of fans at her book signings, like this one in a Braunschweig bookstore.
04:51Josy Wismar has been a Spiegel bestseller author since 2024.
04:58Still so real. I mean, it's not the first time I've sat here signing books.
05:02But it never really becomes tangible that you're sitting here and getting to sign all these books.
05:08And since my name is on everything – I wrote it and everyone wants to read it. It's simple, so...
05:13I am simply grateful.
05:18The traditional literary critics have no time for New-A-Dart literature.
05:23Number 1. Intellectual wasteland.
05:27Brain plague in book form.
05:33And yet, authors like Josy Wismar still win book prizes.
05:40All of us who said that this literature is just shelf-filling trash.
05:45So, there used to be books for young people, and then at some point came what was always referred to as women's literature.
05:51But usually, there are 30 unhappily married people there who are reorganizing their lives.
05:55Now I see myself as a student who somehow has to get to know life and is desperate because there's just nothing to do.
06:00knows what one is actually doing.
06:01That's not necessarily where I see myself.
06:03And that's precisely what New-A-Dart books can do, writing about exactly this reality of life.
06:08And if the cultural pages then want to question literature, that's fine.
06:11Jane Austen was treated as literature even in earlier times.
06:14Today it's among the classics.
06:18This literary phenomenon has now also become a subject of scientific inquiry.
06:23Professor Christine Lötscher researches and teaches at the University of Zurich on New-A-Dart books.
06:30You can make fun of it, but it's not simply a reproduction of the sentimental romance novel of the 20th century.
06:38but the present is already being negotiated there.
06:41It is also very often about work, specifically the precarious employment situation of young people in a constantly changing market.
06:49changed.
06:50So there are really a lot of questions that are not at all conservative and reactionary, as is often the case with New York.
06:58-A-Dart is accused of
07:00but it's really about how to have a good life in a very insecure, late-capitalist society.
07:09The issues being discussed are those of one's own generation.
07:13The writers are often barely older than the readers.
07:16Love stories told on an equal footing have become a huge market.
07:21I primarily just think it's cool to be taken seriously.
07:24It's just that they don't laugh at it anymore because they know what we're capable of, so to speak.
07:29They then show us the necessary respect and want to get involved because they know what it can do and what it's capable of.
07:35It makes it easy.
07:35And then there are very long-established publishers who don't otherwise pride themselves on publishing only high-quality, sophisticated literature,
07:43Then suddenly they somehow found an imprint and say, now we're also doing New Adult, you can really see that.
07:48gladly.
07:49Publishers such as Ulstein, Pieper, Karlsen or Rowold are operating under different names for the new generation of female readers.
07:57and become Forever, Everlove, Cove or Kiss.
08:02The largest imprint, Lux, is based in Cologne and belongs to the publishing house Bastei-Lübbe.
08:07These books for young female readers now account for almost 30 percent of total sales there.
08:14New Adult wasn't even a topic at first.
08:17The rule was that if a book has a protagonist who is younger than 25, you don't need it at all.
08:21Do not investigate further.
08:22There are no readers for that; nobody would stock that in a bookstore.
08:26And that was really the case, that was what applied.
08:29The assumption was that these young women, people of that age, just go out and party.
08:36And then something happened called self-publishing.
08:39And it was the case that female authors said, "I loved writing this,"
08:43I would have loved to read it myself, so I'm just going to publish it and see what happens.
08:49And suddenly there were millions of purchases of this type of literature.
08:53And that's how the New Adult genre actually made its way into publishing houses via self-publishing.
08:59Because, of course, they saw, oh wow, there is a readership for this, we have to cater to them.
09:07Successfully.
09:08While the book market is otherwise in crisis, popular literature is booming.
09:14Rising sales thanks to New Adult, 15 percent more in the last three years.
09:19Gen Z is reading again and sharing their enthusiasm online.
09:25Through this networking of social media and the communities that form, and also many friendships,
09:31This hobby offers a completely different opportunity to develop and grow.
09:36And you are no longer alone, you have an exchange.
09:39Wow, she's even collecting all the books she already owns, again!
09:44because it is now available in a beautiful collector's edition.
09:46That's someone who's like me.
09:48I'll get in touch.
09:49So I think this way of networking with each other and talking about these books,
09:54That kind of broke the deadlock.
09:57Is this book just as awesome as Forst?
09:59Here, book shopping is the order of the day, but only one book.
10:00Haunting and Alive was too much for me.
10:09Of all places, TikTok is becoming a platform for literature.
10:16I read book XY because of you.
10:19Or started reading. That's the best part.
10:21Exactly, that's the nicest compliment.
10:23Maggie and Nathalie are Booktalkers.
10:26Very successful on TikTok.
10:27They are often as famous as the authors themselves.
10:30They read and review books, and hundreds of thousands follow their recommendations.
10:35This makes them attractive partners for publishers.
10:39Just chat with the people you're chatting with in the comments.
10:43But then let's talk about personal matters. It's a completely different level.
10:45That's pretty cool.
10:46And above all, reading is such a great hobby.
10:47We can talk about anything.
10:49Stories and all these different amazing worlds that you somehow immerse yourself in.
10:53And that's such a nice thing to have in common.
10:55You always learn something new to talk about.
10:59And also exchange theories.
11:01I think we're a pretty cute bunch, somehow.
11:04And you can really see that at events like these.
11:20Meanwhile, even classical literary critics want to have their say.
11:27Firstly, it was a great experience when I started at BookTok, this incredible love that you encounter.
11:33This was truly appreciated; I had the impression that someone from the world of classical literary criticism was actually taking her books seriously.
11:43Or who actually reads and engages with it first.
11:46Or they judge it according to what the books aspire to be.
11:49Without applying any absurd criteria that this literature does not even intend to fulfill.
11:53My face will tell you how I feel about these BookTok books.
12:04But then I also noticed when I didn't like books, and I noticed a reaction.
12:10Then it was like, "It's none of your business," "You don't understand," and so on.
12:15Which is kind of okay, I might not really understand, but I still have my opinion on it.
12:23There's a lot of discussion. Including about so-called "spies," meaning sex.
12:28Because it's a common element in many novels: the first time, the first great love, the first heartbreak.
12:35All of this can also be found in Dark Romance, the dark genre of New Adult literature.
12:41There, romantic tenderness turns into extreme sexual fantasies and acts of violence.
12:46The boundaries between the two directions are fluid.
12:51Even on YouPorn, the dialogues are more lovingly crafted and realistic than here.
12:56It's all about sex, exclusively violent sex.
12:58Well, and the combination of that, just the way this book looks, so candy-like and targeted at the right audience,
13:04Perhaps intended for 15-year-old girls, I find it simply horrific and dangerous.
13:08That's simply the image of women that's conveyed there, where they're just, well, they're just little mice.
13:14as I would say,
13:15Ice princesses in a seemingly romantic setting, but in such excesses of submission,
13:22submit to some muscle men and before these, in my opinion, actual rapes actually occur,
13:30There's also this question beforehand, "Do you agree now?", the classic "Say Yes" question, and then...
13:36Then the door and tour are open.
13:40The dark romance genre is all about precisely these kinds of fantasies.
13:44The Hamburg-based Carlsen publishing house invites readers to the city's wealthiest district with its Cove imprint.
13:50Here on the Sülberg in Blankenese, the final preparations are underway for the premiere of a new dark romance title.
14:00We've come up with a few bodysuits because they're always so happy when they get something extra.
14:05about the book.
14:06And that's why we've prepared some stickers and character cards, as they're called.
14:10where the characters from the book are depicted.
14:13That looks great. I'm really happy.
14:17Hammer.
14:17Really beautiful.
14:19Instead of a traditional reading, Cove has planned a whole evening of programming.
14:24All in keeping with the Dark Elegance theme.
14:27Entry only for those 18 and older.
14:33Today we are celebrating the publication of one of our books, Ida Dade's book, Royal Clare Club.
14:40And we are here today with 80 people who will welcome us.
14:45Guests, bloggers, and the author herself.
14:49The story also takes place in a so-called high-society setting, focusing on the wealthy people in the area.
14:57And we want to bring a little bit of all that in here.
15:08A final rehearsal with the author Aila Dade.
15:12From up here she will later greet the evening's guests.
15:16The X-Boys are there too.
15:18Cast models portraying the characters from her book.
15:30It's about reach, and it's about using such an event to signal, so to speak,
15:36what this book means to us and how much we believe in it.
15:39And of course, such an event is also broadcast via social media.
15:45Specifically, through the cameras of the female bookstore owners.
15:48You are allowed to film content in advance.
15:50That suits everyone.
15:52To the Bookstore women and the publisher.
15:55Many people came to Aila Dade's reading.
15:58We're still allowed to film the greetings and posing.
16:00Later, when the reading starts, the publisher and the fans want to be among themselves in Hamburg-Blankenese.
16:07Dark romance is not only popular, but also controversial.
16:11The stories thrive on toxic relationships and very explicit sex scenes.
16:17That's quite good.
16:24"You want this, baby," he whispers.
16:28You want me, and if I felt that wasn't the case, I would leave you lying here.
16:34His eyes contain nothing but greed, raging desire, and endless darkness.
16:40He gently places a hand around my neck and slowly squeezes.
16:44Very, very slowly, as my breath fades away.
16:48If you don't want me to cut your clothes open, you'll take them off now.
16:54I can hear the sucking and slurping sounds when he fucks me with his gun.
16:59And shame fills me in response.
17:04This content is for adults.
17:06In many bookstores, however, they are located right next to the children's and young adult literature.
17:11I think that in dark romance it is definitely important to show clearly and explicitly,
17:17to make both the age recommendation and the content relatively transparent,
17:23so that customers know what they are buying, what they are getting into.
17:29Or especially in the younger age group, so that perhaps the parents will also take notice,
17:34What do children read, what do teenagers read?
17:37Many publishers now have stickers on the covers that explicitly state "18+".
17:43But this is definitely not an obligation, but simply a recommendation.
17:52Unlike films, books don't have age ratings.
17:56Stickers with age recommendations may deter parents, but is that enough?
18:01Are minors asked for their age at the checkout?
18:04Rosalie and Tessa try it out, even though they don't read dark romance themselves.
18:13And they are not surprised when they go home with dark romance literature.
18:19How is that?
18:36What remains are so-called trigger warnings in the books, which are intended to protect readers from the content.
18:51Yes, okay, here's a warning.
18:54Consensual non-consensual sex, child abuse, recalls,
18:59sexual practices involving fear, sexual practices involving knives, knife play
19:04sexual practices involving firearms, gunplay; sexual practices involving masks, maskplay
19:10Sexually explicit conversations and scenes, stalking, unwanted cannibalism.
19:15And the telephone numbers for pastoral care.
19:18Yes.
19:20Many books have also been released as audiobooks, including the warnings.
19:25Some seem like a deliberate invitation.
19:29This audiobook also covers certain kinks, such as weapons play, somnophilia, bondage, and humiliation.
19:37This item has already been removed from the product range several times due to the warning.
19:44Warning.
19:45Every sentence in this book could fuck with your brain.
19:49And a few definitely will.
19:54Be warned.
19:56There are parts in there that are really not suitable for younger people.
20:17Imagine you are a young girl and you are confronted with this content.
20:22This is presented as normal.
20:23The way explicit content is presented is considered normal.
20:28The way men talk to women, how they treat them, everything is portrayed as normal there.
20:33As an adult, I can separate the two.
20:35As a young, inexperienced girl, I usually can't do that.
20:39At this age, when I consume this stuff, I don't even know who I am or who I'm attracted to.
20:44What am I into, what do I actually want?
20:47Consensus, why is this important?
20:50Nobody asks that in the book either.
20:52I know that all pornographic content of the worst kind is accessible to everyone.
21:01And I also know that the vast majority of parents cannot control their children.
21:06That's impossible.
21:07Therefore, I have absolutely no problem with it, because I simply know what they consume.
21:13And I don't believe my books are the problem.
21:20J.S. Wanda is one of the most successful German dark romance authors.
21:25She has been writing dark love stories for eleven years.
21:32Here, this is my personal library.
21:37Unfortunately, not completely.
21:39I have written approximately 40 books.
21:42I always say that because I stopped counting.
21:46J.S. Wanda publishes all her books herself.
21:49She is particularly known for her Very Bad Kings series, which for many New Adult readers is the entry point into the genre.
21:56It's dark romance.
21:59Some of us have extremely dark character traits that are allowed to develop, but which are simply there at the beginning.
22:07And which creates a kind of feeling of hatred, which binds one to the text.
22:14And you know, the promise is always, in the end you will love him.
22:18And of course, another very big topic is the constant promise of a kind of spice, of erotic scenes.
22:28And that's the factor, the focus.
22:32That's different from other genres, which often tend to tell a certain story.
22:39And here, the character, or the two characters, or in the case of the Kings, the six characters, are totally at the center.
22:47And we'll build a story around that.
22:49And I think that's really cool to read for emotions, because you feel a lot and can really get involved.
23:00can.
23:01J.S. Wanda publishes not only her own books, but also those of other female authors.
23:06This self-published work, free from any content-related objections or corrections,
23:11which traditional publishers may have with extreme pornographic content.
23:21I can also write scenes where, five years ago, the publishers—I don't know what they would have done—would have
23:30I had a contract there.
23:32They would definitely have crossed out some of what I was able to write there in that freedom.
23:39And because of that, yes, I naturally have maximum creativity and don't have to adhere to any guidelines.
23:45which I still do, of course, with editors, beta readers, and so on.
23:50But I don't pay any attention at all to who participates or who reads it.
23:55And of course, it's also true that a beta reader actually slipped into my group once,
24:00because I don't check that at all.
24:01I think she was 13 then.
24:03And that's already the case there, okay, damn, I wasn't aware of that.
24:08Yes, you only really get a sense of it at the trade fair.
24:23I think if I had read this when I was 15, I would have understood it a little better.
24:27Yes, I think it's a good thing if, as I said, it says "only for ages 18 and up" or something like that.
24:32I don't think that would be suitable for my little sister yet.
24:34You really need to know what reality is like.
24:37This Spice does things differently, in a special way.
24:42These are the kinds of topics nobody talks about.
24:43It's not discussed anywhere, it's just written in the books.
24:47And I think that catches a lot of people, too.
24:49And I always find it really funny when you hear and see reports like that,
24:52where people say, uh, Dark Romances is all totally bad.
24:55No, maybe not at all.
24:57I actually think it's absolutely fantastic.
24:59So, what this erotic scene is like for men, basically,
25:03It's just tailored to men.
25:04And that's absolutely incomparable.
25:07And just because it's now essentially a dark novel, in book form, and written by women,
25:11It's just ridiculed and dragged through the mud.
25:14And I think that's just not legitimate at all.
25:21Hundreds are waiting at the Frankfurt Book Fair for dark romance author D.C. Odessa.
25:26who appears together with her lords.
25:29Like J.S. Wander, the German studies and history scholar recognized the need for spicy stories from a female perspective.
25:38and markets it successfully.
25:41Dark romance is booming.
25:43Revenue growth of 200 percent in the last year alone.
25:47Also thanks to fantasies of power and oppression.
25:50Many say that they were fascinated by Dark Romance and therefore started to reflect on themselves.
26:00I recently had a conversation with a student studying religious studies,
26:05And she said that for her, the fascinating thing about Dark Romance was actually the ambivalence.
26:10The fact that you never really know, is it okay to read this?
26:14Or is that completely wrong?
26:16What does that do to me?
26:18And the dark romance readers say, yes, the cool thing is that it's not about self-improvement,
26:25but that you simply don't care about any of it anymore, you don't care about the job, only this guy, who is actually completely
26:31besides,
26:32People are obsessed with it, and it's feminist literature, which also focuses on female pleasure.
26:39to ask.
26:40The book market has responded to the need for erotic material for female readers,
26:45But this also created a new gray area in which children and very young girls were not protected from books full of sexual excesses.
26:52be protected.
26:54Because the genre is accessible to everyone and will continue to grow, as it inspires a new generation.
27:01for their own reality, their fantasies. And this is the good news for readers.
27:10First and foremost, the most important thing is that we all love books. And that's the point that completely unites us.
27:15Of course, there's so much more to it, but we love reading, we love buying books and book shopping, no question.
27:21And it's simply wonderful what truly deep friendships can come out of it and develop.
27:33This is actually a really good development, because it shows that we can truly do without this gatekeeping,
27:40Something that has long been said about publishers is that they need to move away from that a bit.
27:44So, not really saying, "I want you to read this, here's the book,"
27:48Instead, we should ask, "What would you like to read?" We'll make sure we find the right books for you.
27:54And if we look at it this way, where do we want to be with the book market in 10 or 20 years?
27:58This is absolutely crucial, because it's the only way we can keep people interested in the books.
28:02and also get younger people reading again.
28:20And some will get stuck there or spend their whole lives reading dragon novels.
28:25Why not? Others will quit.
28:27But I am 100% certain, without being a futurist,
28:32that once you have experienced the idea of a book as something positive and have managed to get started,
28:38That's how literature, and literary history, has always worked.
28:40You go one step further, then another step further.
28:43Literature is development.
29:10load as surveillance –
29:10Wiruntu that not everything will get better,
29:11We are always when we rective такая,centberτη,
29:17first healer, and we also have
29:17I've already heard that the charity will be...
29:18gamma and we want
29:20Subtitling by ZDF for funk, 2017
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