Mina V. Esguerra on Building a Community of Filipino Romance Writers

Love is a universal theme. It has transcended time, as well as cultural and individual experiences. It’s no wonder that books about love continue to captivate audiences worldwide, from classic literature to contemporary titles currently taking over #BookTok and various bestseller lists. Romance novels remain in demand within the publishing industry and statistics have shown that it's the highest-earning fiction genre today.
If there’s one person who knows a lot about love stories, it’s Mina V. Esguerra. An editor, publisher, and author known to have penned English-language romances set in the Philippines, Mina’s contemporary romance novellas have won the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards, and have been featured on NPR, Buzzfeed, and the Seattle Review of Books to name a few.
When asked how she got into writing, Mina told us how it started with a long-running romance story that she wrote on about thirty notebooks, which were passed around among her friends in high school! However, she stopped writing romances by the time she finished college, reasoning how “every path there didn't really include romance genre writing as a craft to hone and study.”
Her passion for the craft reignited a few years later when she decided that she wanted to publish a book before she turned thirty. Her first book was entitled, “My Imaginary Ex” and was published by Summit Books in 2009.
“I don't think I've always thought of this as something I wanted to do or could have as a career, but I've always been writing for fun.” She said.

The rest, as they say, is history, and Mina went on to write several more romances including the Chic Manila and the Six 32 Central series, publishing around 30 novels, novellas, and short stories as of writing. When asked about her favorite work in her collection, Mina shared, “My answer changes every time I'm asked! Right now it's a book called ‘Better at Weddings Than You,’ which is about wedding planners who have to work together to save a troubled wedding. I got to write about Filipinos dating while thirty-something, the wedding industry, a woman who is at the peak of her career, and a man sincerely respecting her for it.”

An Advocate For Filipino Romance Books And Authors
More than a talented writer, Mina is a huge advocate of romance stories, specifically those written by Filipino authors. She delivers lectures regularly about writing and publishing, guiding creative communities towards making the romance genre more inclusive. On top of this, she also works as an editor and is the current editor-at-large for New Adult at Vibal Publishing and the co-founding editor of Komiket’s romance imprint, Blush Books.
Her passion for the craft has even led her to found one of the biggest writing communities in the country called, RomanceClass, which champions Filipino authors who write romance novels in English; guides them through the drafting process, provides editorial feedback, and helps them get published!
“It started with a romance-writing class I delivered in 2013. It was free, online, and a hundred people joined!” Mina told The Beat Asia. “It wasn't a community just yet until over a dozen authors finished a manuscript during the class and then went ahead with self-publishing the books on Amazon. Then we realized that hey, we helped put these books out into the world. We should be there and support all of these books! And that's how we've kept it going — for 100+ books by now!”
As of date, RomanceClass has helped over a hundred authors write and publish their romance novels, which are now read in over fifty-two countries worldwide. Mina is also a media adaptation agent, working with LA-based Bold MP to develop romance media by Filipino creatives for an international audience, and has had speaking engagements at several publishing and book fairs across the globe including Frankfurt Book Fair, Manila International Book Fair, and the Korea Publishers Society: Asian Publishers Fellowship Program.
As per the name, Mina provides classes for Filipino romance writers, giving them tips and insights on how to start and finish their first book. During the class, she provides editorial insights, a story structure they can use, and a schedule. Once they finish a manuscript, they have the option to reach out to the RomanceClass community to find beta readers, editors, artists, and printers, as well as receive self-publishing advice.

You can attend one of their classes in person or learn at your own pace through the textbook Mina authored which will help you start and finish your own contemporary romance novella. They also post videos of their previous classes on their YouTube and Twitch channels.
“We now have partnerships with Philippine publishers, so if authors want to see larger print distribution, that's a possibility,” Mina added. “We also have a manager in LA representing our film rights to the world so if authors want a chance at having their work adapted to screen, that's a possibility.”
It’s no secret that even in the local publishing scene, Filipino romances still take up a large number of sales. If the country’s leading book retailer, National Book Store’s monthly bestsellers list has anything to say, it’s that many readers in the country enjoy reading love stories time and time again. It’s also reflected in other forms of media, like in film where the mainstream movies in the Philippines are mostly of the romance genre, starring pairs of actors called “loveteams,” which are beloved by a passionate fan base. Just take the highest-grossing film to date: a romantic drama called, “Hello, Love, Again,” starring Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards. The sequel film grossed over P1.4 billion at the global box office as of December 2024, making it the first-ever Filipino film to cross the billion-peso mark. Additionally, it also broke into the US Top 10 box office rankings.
When asked about her opinion on why Filipinos love love stories, Mina answered, “We don't just love it as individual readers or media consumers, Pinoys love being in communities centered on romance too. It's kilig (feeling of excitement due to love) and connection, and I think the excitement of witnessing someone's adventure and dreams. I hope it's coming from a place of knowing we deserve love and respect and good things happening to us — and being validated when a romance story says: 'Yes, this person who is like you got their happily ever after.'"
She also emphasized the need for Filipino authors in the genre to be recognized as they “bring a fresh perspective to even the most common and popular romance tropes.” She also added that authors shine the brightest when they’re allowed to be themselves.
Having been publishing since 2009, Mina has witnessed the genre evolve through the years. She told The Beat Asia how she hopes publishing would be more inclusive and have a more permanent place for non-Western authors, which still proves to be an issue in the publishing sphere.
“I feel I've been extremely fortunate to have been writing and publishing romance with Filipino characters right at a time when the international romance community was ready and willing to diversify their reading," she said.
“Filipino-authored books were read and recommended by authors I admire such as Alyssa Cole, Courtney Milan, KJ Charles, and Rebekah Weatherspoon, and so many doors opened for so many Filipino romance authors. And then almost abruptly the ‘trend’ shifted away from that — to something less diverse, more Western-coded. It’s rinse and repeat. This is the constant struggle of someone choosing my career: being invisible to the industry because we're not 'Western;' being namedropped once a year when they want to prove they're inclusive. If we have to adapt, it's about learning how to reach the real audience for our books and catering to them, when we find them.”
It's true that Mina is taking steps to make that dream a reality as she assists and guides the future generation of Filipino romance writers through the community she has built — all the while still growing her catalog of novels. The author told us that she’s currently writing the second book in her Café Titas series, which she hopes to release this year.
For aspiring authors, Mina encourages you to join her RomanceClass-es and start your story today. She has one advice to give if you want to pursue being a writer: “It's okay to start with a simple story! The first thing you have to do is learn to finish, and choosing to tell a simple story teaches you that so well.”
Are you ready to pen the greatest love story ever written? Here’s where you can catch Mina at some of her RomanceClass and book events in the next few months:
- Blush Books Event: Fully Booked BGC (Feb. 22)
- The Philippine Book Festival 2025: SM Megamall, Megatrade Hall (Mar. 13 to 16)
- Dumaguete Literary Festival (April, more details to be announced)
You can learn more about RomanceClass Books and their latest releases by checking out their website or following them on Facebook, X (Formerly Twitter), and Instagram. You can also follow Mina online for updates on her upcoming books, classes, and appearances.
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