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1970: The Men Who Churn Out Romantic Novels | 24 Hours | BBC Archive
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April 14, 2026
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April 14, 2026
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11:00Now Playing"Hazel, Vera, Lorna, Edna and Freda Fenton - and many others - all exist in the hairy frame of Donald Rowland."
Bernard Falk meets two "broiler-house" authors; writers who churn out large numbers of books for use in public libraries. Donald Rowland, a Suffolk author of nearly 200 books - written under more than 30 pseudonyms - has made a living out of his romantic fiction. Donald churns out more novels than anybody else in the county. He specialises in old-fashioned romance, his heroes and heroines are morally beyond reproach, there is no sex in his novels. The reason for his prolific output is simple - Donald is paid just fifty pounds per book. Does he have any aspiration to write something a little more substantial, a truly great novel?
Geoffrey Barrett from Norfolk did set out to write a great novel, but has been drawn towards more popular fare, like Westerns and Thrillers. He can't produce work at quite the same lightning pace as Donald Roland, so for now he balances writing novels with being a bin-man. He has written 70 books, and - like all broiler-house authors - will never become rich through his writing. Are broiler-house writers being exploited?
Successful publisher Alan Boon doesn't think so, and believes that the £50-a-book fee reflects economic reality for those authors who will never graduate to paperback: "If you can't play for Manchester United you may have to play in the Fourth Division."
Clip taken from 24 Hours, originally broadcast on BBC One, 19 March 1970.
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