Boys Love (a.k.a. BL) is a romance sub-genre common on various writing platforms like Tapas.io. It has been around for as long as I’ve been writing web fiction. Probably longer. It was popular as Japanese manga in the earlier years. In recent years it’s a novel category at various traditional publishing sites. Its variations are Shounen Ai, Yaoi, and Danmei.
Although still a developing novel category on mainstream publisher catalog systems. Thankfully, there are places like Tapas and Webtoons that are gathering a strong catalog of stories in the genre.
So, what is BL, and why do I write primarily in this sub-genre?
Boys Love (BL)is gay fiction, but targeted to the female reader. It’s gay fiction for women to savor and feel fulfilled. Mostly popular in Asian stories. On Webnovel.com and other similar Qidian story-sharing services, they classify it as a Female Lead type. For people not familiar with the gender split catalog systems. Female Lead = Female Reader. Of course, the male version is Male Lead = Male Reader. It’s a His and Hers sort of thing.
I write about a man loving another man because I enjoy the unfolding of two people going against all odds to be together. BL is strongly driven by character design more than traditional romances. For me, there are a lot more challenges that the couple has to overcome and grow through. Many stories capture these coupling experiences beautifully. As an author, I write BL because it’s also my selfish desires that I can only manifest in fiction.
As beautiful as BL stories can be, it’s also a genre that’s severely challenged in any story-sharing and book publisher catalog system.
The BL genre is female only.
This sub-genre is classified as a niche, female-lead option at places like Webnovel. If you set it as a male-lead option at those types of sites, you may face 1-star review bombs by manly readers.
What is a 1-star bomb? It’s a form of cancel culture where readers protest on a book by rating it down with 1-star reviews and unsavory comments. This will reduce the book’s chances for a high ranking and attracting new readers.
There are a few male Webnovel readers who have vocally expressed their opinion about BL stories being classified in male reader genres. Being, “don’t put that beep there.”
Yes, it’s gay fiction. So, there’s a lot of anti-gay sentiments to deal with.
BL stories have cliché expectations.
BL Readers will expect cliché plot structures like the weak guy getting on with the good-looking all-rounder, childhood crush becoming wifey, and so forth. The happier the ending the better. There better be a smutty, full-frontal nude scene at the end as a reader reward.
Don’t mix it in with other story types. Like a fantasy story having a gay protagonist.
Why? There’s nothing wrong with this story-wise. However, it makes the story difficult to categorize on places like Webnovel.com.
BL Readers will be expecting lovers growing and coming together as the primary focus. So, if BL isn’t a focus, it can confuse the expectations. This fact I learned when I was publishing my story Zaldizko. A typical fantasy with a gay protagonist. The romance was a secondary element. So, its premise was giving mixed messages and the audience was varied.
The more specific your audience target the better chances it can reach readers. It’s easier to market.
Focus on character design.
Like traditional romances, the characters drive the storyline. The character developments need to be clear and purposed.
Ignore the haters.
There’s always going to be the one homophobic person who will be vocal with their detest for this kind of fiction. If the story being published is honest and not going against any content laws and human rights then keep at it.
Don’t bow to the haters.
Know where to publish.
Like all romance genre types, BL can also provide hardcore sex fantasies that can leave some readers feeling squeamish or needing a cold shower afterward. If you’re writing on a hardcore fantasy type of story, make sure you publish it at the right place to avoid any unsavory reactions from readers.
Some sites are more accepting of BL than others. I, personally, found that Tapas, Wattpad, Webtoons, and TapRead are more welcoming of the genre. Wattpad allows the raunchier types than the others since it has active content moderation that is slightly more liberal. TapRead allows for chapter NSFW filters to be applied. However, all sites have their content expectations and conditions. Like all other story types, BL needs to adhere to content rules where it's being published.
To sum up, BL is a sub-romance genre target to female readers. It’s heavily character-driven that can demonstrate a beautiful love between two men.
It’s a story type that I love to write in and won’t stop. I believe everyone deserves to be loved and fiction is a way to show that no matter what your orientation, there is the hope of love being fulfilled.
Keep writing and good luck.
