B&N Spotlights Growth in Romance Category

Barnes & Noble has seen a 31% jump in romance books sold compared to the same time period last year, according to the bookseller's latest data from stores around the country, with 46 of 50 states showing an increase in romance book purchases from a year ago. Alaska has seen a 17.1% jump in book sales by unit compared to last year, while Delaware has seen a 12.3% pickup, and Georgia exhibited an 11.8% increase. Oklahoma, Ohio, Nebraska, and Tennessee were the only states in which customers bought fewer romance books this year compared to last year, B&N has found. 

Among top sellers were Jasmine Guillory's Reese Book Club pick The Wedding Party, Casey McQuiston's Red White & Royal Blue, and Helen Hoang’s The Bride Test, all of which feature diverse characters—another trend B&N sees as shaping the romance category. Changes to the genre are also showing up in the marketing and presentation, the bookseller found, with the cover art for many new books abandoning the traditional romantic paintings of lovers and landscapes for colorful, Instagrammable illustrations with a more playful style. Movie adaptations have also played a role in sales.

Barnes & Noble’s top 10 bestselling romance books of the summer are:

1. Window on the Bay, Debbie Macomber
2. Under Currents, Nora Roberts
3. After We Collided (After Series #2), Anna Todd
4. The Seekers, Heather Graham
5. The Mister, E.L. James
6. After (After Series #1), Anna Todd
7. After We Fell (After Series #3), Anna Todd
8. Someone to Honor, Mary Balogh
9. After Ever Happy (After Series #4), Anna Todd
10. The Wedding Party, Jasmine Guillory