logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
24m 12s

The Serious Business of Romance Novels

CNN
About this episode

Book sales — in general — are down, but one genre is bucking that trend: romance. Romance novel sales surged a whopping 52% in 2022. So what’s behind the popularity? How did romance become the reigning champion among fiction genres in America? To find out we talk with Leah Koch and Bea Hodges-Koch, owners of The Ripped Bodice, a single-genre bookstore focused on romance novels.  

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Up next
Today
Will Tariffs Bring Trouble to Toyland?
These days, the toy industry isn’t all fun and games. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks sits down with Audie to talk about how trade wars and culture wars are shaping the state of play in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
26m 38s
Jul 3
George Takei’s Journey Through Fear, Silence, and Activism
Star Trek legend George Takei has spent a lifetime confronting injustice: his family was sent to internment camps during World War II, he fought for civil rights in the 60’s, and later in life he became an activist in the LGBTQ+ community. Takei talks with Audie about his new gra ... Show More
27m 42s
Jun 26
Alaska’s Senator: 'You’re Roadkill in the Middle’
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski spent the past two decades making a name for herself as a Republican who regularly straddles party lines. In a new book, Far from Home, Murkowski delves into her journey navigating hyper-partisan politics -- from the Tea Party to the Trump era. She s ... Show More
31m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
ICYMI: Should We Quit Romance Novels?
Candice Lim is joined by Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion to talk about their love of romance novels. The romance genre grew rapidly this past year, becoming the fastest-growing category of fiction and generating over $1.4 billion in sales revenue. Partly thanks to Goodreads and ... Show More
31m 40s
Dec 2023
27. Romance Novels
How did love stories about vampires, cowboys, and wealthy dukes become the highest-grossing fiction genre in the world? Zachary Crockett gets swept away.  SOURCES:Delaney Diamond, romance novelist.Danielle Flores, high school math teacher and avid romance novel reader.Brenda Hiat ... Show More
18m 38s
Feb 2023
Love Is In The Air—And On The Shelves
Sales of romance novels were up in 2022, with a surge of about 52 percent for sales of print copies, according to Publishers Weekly. That's despite an overall dip in book sales last year. Still, there's a longstanding social stigma against romance novels, as they're often written ... Show More
11m 20s
Mar 2022
Romance Novels Are For Everyone
On this week’s episode of The Waves, the co-host of Slate’s internet culture podcast ICYMI, Rachelle Hampton sits down with Slate associate editor and romance author, Marissa Martinelli to talk about romance novels and, of course, the television show Bridgerton. In the first half ... Show More
43m 30s
Apr 2022
Introducing 'The Book Case'
Are you stuck in a reading rut? The Book Case, a new weekly series from ABC Audio launching May 2, makes the case for books outside of your usual genre. Wander the aisles of your local bookstore with Kate and Charlie Gibson and meet fascinating characters who will open your appet ... Show More
2m 6s
May 2024
The Queen of Romance
Over her lifetime, Dame Barbara Cartland would write over 700 books that would sell more than 750 MILLION copies worldwide. Though her books were primarily aimed and read by women, Cartland's messages were strickingly regressive, with an ephasis on purity that seems strange to mo ... Show More
40m 35s