At Texas Monthly, Mimi Swartz profiles Vivian Stephens, a former editor of romance novels at Dell, a division of Doubleday, who was instrumental in founding the Romance Writers of America before she was pushed out. “Stephens was one of the first to recognize that American women had moved beyond bodice rippers and were ready for something new,” Swartz writes. “In retrospect, the Koppel interview captures Stephens’s personality in microcosm, revealing how she rose through the ranks of romance publishing. She was fearless in the face of challenges—whether it was ridicule or racism—qualities that would serve her well in the world of white male publishing. Others might have been defeated by rejection; Stephens was both accustomed to it and undaunted by it.”
Romance Pioneer Vivian Stephens Gets Her Due
