What It's Really Like to Run a Romance Bookstore

This is a dream come true of an episode: we got the owners of The Ripped Bodice to talk to us about all the ins and outs of running a romance-only bookstore. We talk about everything from the genesis of their annual State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing Report to their fav recommendations for tweens and teens …..and how they deal with “vintage” romances in the store. I found everything about our discussion fascinating — plus, if you’re a paid subscriber, you get very good advice on how to recommend books to others!

Show Notes:

• FOLLOW THE RIPPED BODICE ON INSTAGRAM!!!

• Or even better, go to one of their actual bookstores in Brooklyn or Culver City

• If you can’t get to LA or Brooklyn, here’s a Reddit thread compiling a list of more romance bookstores

• The Ripped Bodice State of Racial Diversity in Publishing Report

• Listen to our previous romance-specific episodes:

  How Romance Novels Center Marginalized Joy

  How Romance Writers Rewrite Publishing’s Rules

  The ACOTAR Chokehold

• A fascinating piece on the use of “spicy” as a descriptor for romance novels

• Some of the books and authors mentioned in this episode:

  • Chuck Tingle

  • Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend by Emma R. Alban

  • The historical romance writers Bea dealt out of her backpack as a kid: Lisa Kleypas, Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn, Lorraine Heath, Loretta Chase

  • Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney

  • The Ripped Bodice’s collection of used and rare romance novels

  • The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

  • Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

  • For YA recs: Alexandra Bracken, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Sarah Kuhn, and Elise Bryant

We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

• We’re still looking for questions about queer romance that aren’t related to “why are all these women writing about romance between two dudes” (which we will definitely tackle, don’t worry)

• Women’s Sports and/or Gender Panic in/around Women’s Sports

• SAPPHIC POP, SO HOT RIGHT NOW (especially want to talk about Chappell Roan but we can go in so many directions)

• How do people access/consume celebrity gossip these days

• How we talk and think about cancer

• Midwest [Dad] Masculinity

• WTF is going on with [insert clothing brand/website] here

• Gwyneth? The new Brad Pitt / George Clooney movie?

• We’re definitely doing a Paul Mescal episode but I’d love your ideas about who should be my co-host

• Still want to do a Sydney Sweeney and Gen-Z Stardom ep!!!!!

• Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (this is the subscriber-only form!)

For today’s discussion: How did this discussion change or texture your understanding of how a romance bookstore works? Or: what are your tips for recommending books to others?

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