How to Write a Bestselling Fantasy Romance Novel

So, you're a big fantasy novel fan, and you want to write your own.

You want to finally make your own living from something that brings you joy and passion.

Start with your fantasy world:

You can call it pretty much whatever you want, as long as it doesn't sound like anything that could possibly exist in the real world.

The magic of this story world should be all but lost to the people within it. It's mostly fallen into legend and or myth, and people who still believe it ever existed are considered eccentric - until they're proved right.

Make sure your book includes an illustrated map, complete with a legend, and markers for all the locations. Otherwise, your readers will NOT be able to keep track of all the different names of places you will have to invent.

Especially of course, if you follow the grand tradition of context dumping in the first few chapters, which is usually explained through your protagonist.

Which brings us to the next step:

Your main character must be female. She must be human, or part human, or be completely in the dark of whatever supernatural history she descends from. This will set up your readers to experience the awe and wonder when the leading lady discovers the deeper magical side of her world for herself.

Her name should hint at the fact that she does not fit in with the world she thinks she knows. She's better than the people in her immediate circle - whether she's aware of this or not is up to you, but either way, it's annoying; but she's pretty, and she's skilled in some type of way that benefits her family and community, so we let it slide.

She's also unnervingly young. Like, barely legal in Canada or the UK, and usually not old enough to drink in the US. But she's the age of consent, and that's old enough for readers, who are normally the same age and whose frontal lobes haven't finished forming yet.

This allows for her to make egregious mistakes, while still being pretty and precocious enough to get away with them.

It also makes it more likely that the readers will ignore the sizeable age gap between her and her eventual ride-or-die love interest.

Next:

The first major turning point in your novel needs to be some sort of tragic event, in which your leading lady is introduced to one of her potential love interests for the first time. Maybe he saves her, and has to take her to the hidden magical world. Maybe this is her ride-or-die, or maybe he's the foil that makes it a challenge in choosing her ride-or-die.

And no, if he's the foil, don't make him her childhood best friend. That's too teen fantasy. This is grown up fantasy. The foil needs to be a first adult relationship that turns toxic, so your leading lady can later see that her true love is indeed her true love.

If this unbelievably hot vampire/sorcerer/High Fae/fallen angel man does not really get along with our leading lady immediately, then this is probably her 'fated mate'. Readers LOVE the enemies to lovers trope, you may thank Ms. Austen for that one.

Feel free to skip out the fated mate concept - It's weird. You might know that they're meant for each other, your readers might know it, but it's creepy and possessive when this much older (yet young looking) and more powerful man knows it, and keeps it to himself until the end of the book. Let their relationship flow organically. Let him yearn without omniscient knowledge that she 'belongs to him'.

Side tip:

The best romantic fantasy books build up to the spice. Don't shove it down their throats. If it is a deep, long, burning passion that results in the kind of sex that would render most people unable to walk, then let it simmer. It will be worth the wait.

Note:

This magical hot man is usually in some position of authority, usually in a military/nobility/royalty situation. He usually has an equally hot group of friends, but of course none are as hot as he is. If any of his existing magical female friends are his level of hot, then they're probably gay.

Moving on to step 4:

There's a moment of lots of description when your leading lady arrives at the main 'home base'. Now this is pure creative license. If you want to copy the magical school/academy formula, make sure it is at least a college or military academy. It has to be post secondary. Everyone is an adult here, don't forget.

Otherwise, this is a castle of some sort. It could be owned by the love interest, or he could be its heir apparent. He could also be the captain of a guard for this place. However way you choose to spin this, this place must be grand.

Your leading lady will be immediately brought to a lavish bedroom that is conveniently available for her. Imagine your ideal level of opulence in your dream bedroom, complete with an equally lavish bathroom. The first thing she will do is have a dream bath, and then sleep in the comfiest bed you can imagine.

And she'll be completely miserable about it. She hates being a fish out of water, and she's unable to appreciate the lap of luxury she's been pulled into.

Step 5:

The magical world, regardless of whether you've established it in an educational setting or not, is either on the brink of a war, or they are at war, how long can be determined by you.

Your leading lady, despite being seriously out of her depth, feels an innate desire to help however she can. So she agrees to train for combat, as well as research for some type of relic tied to the magical history.

Her training is overseen by either the love interest, which fuels their sexual tension, or his best friend, who gives context to a tragic past, which makes the leading lady more sympathetic towards him.

Step 6:

There needs to be some sort of side quest that the leading lady goes on. If you want to fuel more tension between her and her love interest, have her go without being allowed to go.

She will get into serious danger, preferably by the hands of some type of monster. She might even get hurt, and her love interest has to rescue her. Once the leading lady is determined to be alright, or will at least recover, love interest will pick a fight about her recklessness. Leading lady will assume he's just being a prick, but he's truly distressed at her being in danger, and doesn't know how to express his emotions (his tragic backstory can involve a toxic father figure).

BUT, pertaining to the side quest, the leading lady will either find some clue for that all important relic, or for something pertaining to her past - there is now more incentive to research/train.

Step 7:

As your leading lady grows more prolific in her training, she begins gaining respect of her new peers. Some interludes with her new friends, allude to the larger world, which can be explained and explored in later books. Fantasy romance readers love a franchise.

Your main character also learns more about her love interest's background. She also sees the way he treats his friends, and other peers, and begins to notice that he is, in fact, not so terrible a person as she originally thought.

Step 8:

One of your side character eventually returns from their own side quest - they come back with crucial information about your big bad guy, usually that he/she is going to make a move on the central relic.

Also:

This side character was a mutual friend of your leading lady and her love interest by this point. Key word WAS: because he's going to die from his injuries. This is crucial, because it's going to be what forces them to get along in order to face off against the bad guy together.

Step 9:

Despite careful planning, the big bad guy is already there when the leading lady and her team (including her love interest). The villain usually has some kind of connection to the love interest - maybe the toxic father previously mentioned. You can thank Mr. Lucas for that one.

He also knows something about the leading lady's past that she doesn't. Whether he lays it all out here or he just drops breadcrumbs to follow into the next book is up to you.

There's a heated duel between the love interest and the villain - and the villain gets the upper hand. In fact, he's about to kill your hot magical man when your leading lady catches him off guard with some underlying power she didn't know she had.

Now you have two main choices here:

Option 1: Leading lady kills the villain, and in future books the new villain is out for vengeance as well as for their side of the war.

Option 2: The villain is able to escape, but leaves with a new vendetta against your leading lady.

Either way, the good guys get the relic. It's a victory for the heroes...at least for now.

Now wrap it up:

The leading lady and her love interest at least reach their common ground. If you want them to get together in the first book, now's the time for the spiciest spice you can conjure. Be as kinky as you like, there's some real freaks in the fantasy romance crowd.

Or, if you really want to stretch out the slow burn and save it for the next book, make sure tension between them at this point could be cut with a knife.

Plot-wise, the leading lady now has a million questions about her past. She knows she won't find them if she goes home - even if there was a home to go to. This is home now, and she's determined to fight for it.

End of book 1.

Now make sure to call it something like A Palace of Roots and Destiny, and there needs to be at least two sequels.

Your book's initial cover should be your leading lady's silhouette in the most elaborate outfit you describe in the book. Even better if she's holding her weapon/tool of choice. Her outfit will become more ornate throughout the series.

Congratulations! You've just completed all the necessary steps to creating a bestselling fantasy romance book that every millennial and gen Z woman will love.