Feel-Good Friday: Sexy is Back Edition

Romance novels are making a big comeback. There is BookTok now, too, that is playing a role in the comeback.

With Valentine’s Day behind us, this story caught my eye. I can’t help but think that the general malaise felt in our country has a part in this. When we feel anxious or depressed, we look for distractions. There are lots of ways to distract yourself and if you are a reader, you pick up a book. Books will transport you to a different time or a different place. The reader can live vicariously for a little while. 

I admit that romance novels are not my genre of literature. I’ve never read one. But lots of women do. They are coming out of the shadows and bookstores devoted solely to romance novels are opening with much success. 

Back in the day, there was shame and guilt put on women who read such novels. They were considered trashy and for low-intelligence readers. Whatever. I think it’s a good sign that the genre is bouncing back in a public way. 

Take the story of 37-year-old Jonlyn Scrogham. She rented a small space in Louisville, Kentucky to open a bookstore devoted to romance novels. She is an avid romance reader but questioned how many others were. Her expectations were low and her annual sales projection was small. Most of all she wondered if people would accept her concept or ignore it as silly.

To her surprise, the bookstore took off. If only 10 to 15 customers are in the shop, it is crowded yet it happens frequently. People are loving the love and the sometimes spicy stories. Sexy is back. 

Her success is especially heartwarming for Scrogham because she pursued her dream bookstore venture out of a personal loss. 

In Louisville, Scrogham said, her tiny shop is sometimes crowded with 10 or 15 enthusiastic romance fans. “We’re really excited about things that bring each other joy – swapping stories, swapping recommendations,” she said.

That’s especially meaningful for Scrogham, who opened her romance bookshop as a way of grieving the sudden, unexpected death of the man she had been dating, a chef and Dungeons & Dragons “super nerd” who had loved books and had urged her to follow her dreams.

“Being surrounded by love stories – it’s kind of an ember of hope, that maybe mine didn’t die with him,” she said. “I find romance in general to be a very hopeful genre, and hope was something I really needed.”

We can all use some hope these days, right? 

Just six years ago, there was only one romance novel bookstore. It is in Los Angeles, named the Ripped Bodice. That is a nod to historical romances of the 80s and 90s that included lots of bodice-ripping. Heh. Now the genre is experiencing a boom. U.S. print book sales have increased 117% over the past three years. More brick-and-mortar stores are planned to open to meet the demand.

Annual print sales have more than doubled in the past three years. Sales went from $18M in 2020 to $36M in 2023. Much of those sales are credited to BookTok, a subcategory of TikTok. 

Scrogham is part of a quiet but rapidly growing trend. At least eight other dedicated romance novel bookstores opened across the US in 2023, in cities from Wichita, Kansas, to Belfast, Maine. At least three more have opened so far in 2024, in Florida and in Utah, with another planned in Portland, Oregon.

“People are driving from states away – people who are seeing us online and want to come,” said Jaclyn Wooten, the founder of Blush Bookstore in Kansas. An employee said that one customer described flying in from Baltimore on a private jet. “All the businesses around us are like, ‘What is going on over there? What are they doing?’”

The article reminded me of why I watch Hallmark movies. There is comfort in the predictable. Like Hallmark movies, there is a central love story and the possibility of happily ever after for the main characters. The levels of inclusion of sex into the stories vary among authors. In Hallmark movies, the love stories are very G-rated. Hand-holding and the occasional kiss is all that is offered.

It’s a distraction. I don’t know about you but in Biden’s America, I can use all the happy distractions I can get. I’m glad Ms. Scrogham is finding happiness in pursuing her dream.