DAIJA SMITH

Preface

Romance, like marketing, involves techniques of persuasion and attraction; both require building quality relationships, crystal clear communication, a deep emotional connection, and, above all, investment. Each and every one of these actions require a taxing amount of effort and attention that is arduous to pull off. With all that in mind, how did publishing houses, specifically those geared towards contemporary romance, like Harlequin and Avon, manage to stay afloat during the perilous COVID era?

The marketing landscape for romance publishing was starkly different pre-COVID. Before the digital distribution push during the COVID era, there was a heavy reliance on in-person events like book signings and book conventions. Print advertising was on the decline, but still around for the most part. Authors partnered with brick-and-mortar bookstores to set up promotional displays for upcoming releases. There was a slow-growing digital element consisting of mailing lists, newsletters, advance reader copies (ARCs) from NetGalley, author blog tours, and social media presence on Facebook and Instagram.

All of this came to a halt once the pandemic hit. Publishers pivoted to an all-digital strategy at breakneck speed to build a digital footprint. The rise of #BookTok coincides with this, becoming particularly crucial during this period, while email marketing campaigns and ARCs gained even more importance. Publishers also shifted to video content and live streaming to nurture author-reader connections. Because of the pandemic, romance publishers pivoted to three key strategies: accelerating digital distribution with e-books and audiobooks, utilizing and supporting robust virtual communities for readers, and responding to readers’ needs for works that reflected the new realities of a quarantined society. #BookTok preceded publishers’ investment in it as a grassroots phenomenon. Publishers were able to adapt to that, nourish it, and begin participating. This is more than just a top-down phenomenon, as readers also provide bottom-up direction to where the market drifts.

Distribution Strategies

Digital distribution became a dire necessity during the pandemic. Bookstores were receiving less foot traffic due to quarantine; this freaked publishers out, leading to them ditching their usual timelines and throwing absolutely everything into e-books to maintain relevance amongst readers. When bookstores, commercial and indie, shut their doors because of government mandates, publishers were left with two choices: go digital or go under. Print supply chains collapsed, taking a massive nosedive while digital demand skyrocketed. Publishers cut production times to maintain the reader’s attention. Marketing budgets also shifted from physical displays to online ads; those ads were primarily on what is now commonly known as #BookTok. The Bridgerton series hit screens and devices in tandem; something like this would have been utterly unheard of pre-COVID. Rather than waiting aimlessly for a second print release, publishers pushed digital copies of the novels the moment Netflix dropped the corresponding show. Emphasis on digital here: Bridgerton was actually published well before the Netflix series. The first release in the series, The Duke and I, was published in 2000 and concluded with a total of eight books in the summer of 2006. A novella titled “Violet in Bloom” was published in 2013, seven years before the Netflix adaptation.

There are several notable differences between the book and the TV series. While both center on the romantic escapades of the Bridgerton siblings, Netflix takes significant creative liberties with the provided source material. This includes the expansion of side characters like Lady Danbury, introducing new characters that didn’t appear in the books, like Queen Charlotte, and a deep dive into the lore of the Featherington family. The most striking difference is the show’s colorful, diverse casting approach, departing from the book’s rather lily-white cast and introducing themes exploring race and society in Regency England. The Netflix adaptation maintains the romantic subplots and family that initially popularized the book series whilst weaving multiple storylines together and further developing side characters.Those changes happened for a reason. The original book series was published well before diversity in romance literature became a major talking point, in addition to the cast being overwhelmingly white. The show, on the other hand, has responded to shifts in public consciousness (as well as the many conversations taking place in places such as #Booktok) to incorporate more actors of color.

Online Marketing

At the height of the pandemic, in-person events died seemingly overnight. Publishing houses didn’t waste time mourning. Instead, they entered, utilized, and nourished pre-established tight-knit online spaces that reached readers right where they were: at home, doom-scrolling on their phones. I must emphasize that while publishers didn’t build these communities themselves, they capitalized on them and thus changed their overall landscape. Social media became a powerhouse for romance marketing, driving sales harder than even the most ornate bookstore display. #BookTok became the new convention floor for budding authors, more so for authors in the contemporary romance genre than nearly every other genre combined. Instagram Live replaced book signing lines, allowing followers to directly interact with their favorite author. Virtual book clubs replaced physical book clubs, and, ironically, drew larger crowds in the process. These virtual book clubs were, and still are, held across various spaces. Discord servers were the hub for real-time discussions and author Q&As. Goodreads was the spot for book analysis, recommendations, and in-depth reviews, positive, or negative. Readers gathered in Facebook groups to share fan theories and release schedules. Subreddits like r/books and r/literature facilitated general discussion. There were also apps designed solely with book clubs in mind such as Fable and Reese’s Book Club. Authors could also elect to connect directly to their fan base through dedicated social media accounts; sites like Patreon and Substack allowed them to foster community and provide exclusive content while earning much-needed income on the side. Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians (2015-2021), originally self-published in 2015, went viral and became a cult favorite on #BookTok. It quickly landed on the bestseller list shortly after being traditionally published in 2021, all without a single in-person event.

Comfort and Escapism

COVID significantly disrupted social interaction, affecting cherished activities like in-person book clubs and coffee shop meetups. Nobody was having impromptu meet-cutes at coffee shops anymore, so publishers changed their stories to match the bittersweet reality of their readers—it turns out pandemic isolation made readers desire different kinds of romance, perhaps a romance that was out of this world? A bit fantastical even?

A Court of Thorns and Roses, or ACOTAR, predates the pandemic by 5 years (2015). However, Maas’s works experienced a significant rediscovery and boost in popularity well beyond their typical readership thanks to the massive pandemic romantasy boom. Maas’ fantasy romance, now dubbed romantasy, offered exactly what COVID had stolen: touch, freedom, and adventure. The novel did more than just sell–it dominated the market for quite a while. ACOTAR offered readers an immersive fantasy world set in a complex fantastical landscape with magic creatures, intricate world-building, and romantic subplots; this setting provided readers a much-needed reprieve from the anxiety-riddled reality of COVID.

Final Thoughts

COVID was a scary time for everyone, publishing houses included. Quarantine led to a drastic drop in foot traffic for bookstores, who in turn had to act quickly to keep their doors open once all the chaos subsided. This quick thinking led to changes that would permanently alter the publishing landscape for years to come. These changes were intended to be temporary, acting as a sort of band-aid, and ended up transforming the entire publishing industry. Contemporary romance publishing will most likely remain focused on digital distribution for the foreseeable future. The publishing industry proved it could survive, and even thrive, during a catastrophic global crisis. Romantasy’s emergence during this period is nothing short of surprising; unlike traditional romance or fantasy, romantasy offers readers worlds that lend them imaginative freedom during a period of restriction.

The central idea of all this is that COVID forced romance publishers to completely overhaul how they conducted business; the changes they implemented ended up having an overarching, net-positive effect on the entire industry, and strengthening it in the process. In other words, it’s like if a restaurant that strictly accepted dine-in orders was forced to start doing delivery, only to find out delivery was much more profitable. Romantasy got so big during the COVID years that it’s now competing pretty heavily with traditional fantasy in the market. It has gone from being a niche crossover genre to developing into a massive staple genre, and this will likely continue well into the future.

Works Cited

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Zarroli, Jim. “TikTok Is Driving Book Sales. Here Are Some Titles #BookTok Recommends.” NPR, 31 Dec. 2021, http://www.npr.org/2021/12/26/1068063564/booktok-is-a-new-force-driving-book-sales-and-publishing-deals