Romantic Times

{{Short description|American genre magazine}} {{for|the Lewis album|Romantic Times (album)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox magazine | logo = | logo_size = | image_file =  | image_size =  | image_alt = | image_caption = | editor = | editor_title = | previous_editor = | staff_writer = | photographer = | category = Romance, literary criticism | frequency = | circulation = | publisher = | founder = Kathryn Falk | founded = | firstdate = {{Start date|1981}} | finaldate = 2018 | company = | country = United States | based = Brooklyn, New York | language = English | website = {{URL|rtbookreviews.com}} | issn = 1557-3397 | oclc = }} thumb|right | alt=Bertrice Small at the 2008 Romantic Times Booklovers Convention, Pittsburgh PA, USA. | Bertrice Small at the 2008 Romantic Times Booklover's Convention, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania '''''Romantic Times''''' was an American genre magazine specializing in romance novels. It was founded as a newsletter in 1981 by Kathryn Falk.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walters |first1=Ray |title=PAPERBACK TALK |work=New York Times |date=May 3, 1981 |page=BR12}}</ref> The initial publication took nine months to create and was distributed to 3,000 subscribers.<ref>{{cite news|date=1981-09-23 |title='Romantic Times' a Dream Come True |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19810923&id=1wAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Cc4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1327,731318 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712192448/http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19810923&id=1wAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Cc4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1327,731318 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |work=The Palm Beach Post |page=B6 |access-date=2012-03-11}}</ref> In 2004, the magazine reportedly had 150,000 subscribers, and had built a reputation as "Romance's premiere genre magazine".<ref name=gelder>{{cite book|last=Gelder|first=Ken|title=Popular fiction: the logics and practices of a literary field|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VHERzW1-LMC&pg=PA86|access-date=11 March 2012|year=2004|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9780415356466|page=86}}</ref>

From 1982 to 2018, the magazine organized the Romantic Times Booklover's Convention.<ref name=gelder/> Several thousand people attended the annual gathering, which featured author signings, a costume ball, and a male beauty pageant.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=December 7, 1998|title=Crazy And In Charge |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989798-3,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307093745/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989798-3,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 7, 2008|author=Alan Farnham|magazine=Time|access-date=March 11, 2012}}</ref>

In May 2018, Kathryn Falk and co-owner and husband Kenneth Rubin announced the closure of the magazine.<ref name='ending'>{{cite news|date=June 3, 2018|title=Romantic Times Closes |url=https://locusmag.com/2018/06/romantic-times-closes/|work=locusmag.com|access-date=2019-03-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=May 16, 2018|title="This is the last RT" – Kathryn Falk Announces End of Romantic Times|url=https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2018/05/last-rt-kathryn-falk-announces-end-romantic-times/|work=smartbitchestrashybooks.com|access-date=March 17, 2019}}</ref>

The last RT Booklover's Convention was the one held May 15–20, 2018 in Reno, Nevada.<ref name='ending'/> Falk stated, "After 38 years, I am retiring and ending my participation in publishing..."<ref name='ending'/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:1981 establishments in the United States Category:2018 disestablishments in New York (state) Category:Book review magazines Category:Defunct literary magazines published in the United States Category:Magazines established in 1981 Category:Magazines disestablished in 2018 Category:Defunct magazines published in New York City Category:Romantic fiction