This year's edition of Bookstore Romance Day, its sixth, was held on August 17 and proved to be its biggest yet. "There were more than 550 participating bookstores in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.," Billy Bloebaum, founder of the event, reported. This marks a significant increase from its inaugural event in 2019, which saw just over 150 stores participate.
"Year-over-year growth in terms of number of participating bookstores is usually around 15-20%," Bloebaum noted, adding that the event's reach has also extended beyond traditional brick-and-mortar establishments: "About 10% of this year's participants were online, mobile, pop-up, or other non-traditional models."
There were nine virtual events hosted by the organizers of Bookstore Romance Day over the course of two days, with approximately 1,150 attendees registered in total. The events covered a wide range of romance subgenres, from romantasy to sports romance, and featured an array of 46 authors from across the Big Five publishing houses, independent publishers, and the self-publishing and hybrid publishing worlds, Bloebaum said. All events were recorded, and can be viewed on the Bookstore Romance Day YouTube channel.
Libro.fm, an audiobook distributor partnering with independent bookstores, also participated in the celebration. "Bookstore partners were able to give away free copies of [select] audiobooks in their stores on the 17th," Albee Romero, publicity director at Libro.fm, said. The promotion included such titles as 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall (Dreamscape Media) and Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday (Hachette Audio).
Bookstore Romance Day, in Photos
The highlights of Kansas City’s Under the Cover Romance Bookshop’s celebration of Romance Bookstore Weekend were the author book signings. Pictured here (from back to front and l. to r.): Pam Godwin, E.C. Garrett, Julie Murphy, Adib Khorram, Naima Simone, Sierra Simone, M. Jay Granberry, and Lisa Rayne.
Customers patiently waited in line on Saturday morning for Tropes & Trifles in Minneapolis to open its doors for business.
Last Chapter Bookshop in Chicago was packed with readers during Romance Bookstore Weekend, who no doubt were stocking up in preparation for the delays in getting around anywhere in the Windy City during the Democratic National Convention, which kicked off Monday.
At Powell's City of Books in Portland, Ore., "we even had a proposal in the rare book room," said Jeremy Solly, Powell's director of marketing. The happy couple posed with red roses.
Love's Sweet Arrow in Tinley Park, Ill. featured a roulette wheel for customers to win romance-related swag.
