These Hunks Are Vying for a Chance to Be the Next Romance Novel Cover Model

Romantic Times Book Lovers' Convention attendees were swooning in Vegas.

ByABC News
April 28, 2016, 2:24 PM

— -- Inside an auditorium in Las Vegas, the crowds went wild as a man named Jesse, a pharmacist by day, came out on stage and strutted his stuff, bare-chested, while wearing a gladiator costume, complete with a cape and a sword. Another shirtless man walked out on stage and got up on the judge’s table to whoops and cheers.

This wasn’t Chippendales. This was the “Make Me Swoon! Cover Model Competition” at the Romantic Times Book Lovers’ Convention.

The attendees are there to meet their favorite authors, while the men on stage -- all amateurs -- are showing off their chiseled physiques in hopes of landing a gig as a romance novel cover model, a profession made famous by Fabio back in the ‘90s.

“I had this hair long before anybody even knew who Fabio was,” said CJ Hollenbach, one of the models.

Hollenbach said other models have hooked up with fans.

“Don't ask me for names,” he said. “Yes, there's attractive men, there are attractive women. You put some alcohol in the equation, boy meets girl. It's the start of a romance novel right there.”

Watch the full story on "Nightline" at 12:35 a.m. ET

Handsome male models roamed the convention in costume, bringing to life their cover character and impressing adoring women. One fan approached a model dressed as a cowboy and said he smelled nice. “Sometimes I just say what’s on my mind honey,” she said.

Lounging poolside and taking a break from the action, cover model Scott Nova divulged what it takes to bring his characters to life.

“A lot of it is in your eyes and facial expressions,” he said. “It’s called character modeling and that’s what I like to think of myself as because I like to get into the character. ... This one is a love garage and so I got a tire and a wrench.”

Dedication to his craft pays off. Nova has over 200 covers to his name and said he can earn up to $1,000 for each one, so it’s easy to see why there have been an influx of guys coming into the business in the last two years.

Women account for 84 percent of romance novel readers, according to Romance Writers of America, so authors like Beth Williamson know what women want in a cover model and she said it really makes a difference who she has on a cover.

“I look for the character,” Williamson said.

In the end, Jesse’s attempt to dance his way to victory fell short. The crowd erupts for the final time when Kip Glass, a former kindergarten teacher from San Francisco, is announced the winner and awarded his chance to be a romance novel cover model.