Special Guest Meg Benjamin on Quarantine

by Jeannie Ruesch

By MEG BENJAMIN

Denver has a Wonderful Bookstore. I’m not going to name it (for reasons that will become clear), but everybody in town will know the one I’m talking about. It’s multistory, with comfortable armchairs strewn around as an invitation to sit and browse. There’s a cafΓ© on the ground floor right next to the newspaper and magazine section so that you can grab a sandwich while you check through the latest Entertainment Weekly. Famous authors come through regularly for signings. It is widely beloved, and it should be.

The fiction in the Wonderful Bookstore is mainly on the second floor. As you come up the wide staircase, the first thing you see is the mystery section. You know it’s the mystery section because there’s a large sign to tell you so. The books stretch across six bookcases and include both hardbacks and paperbacks, with a couple of the aforementioned armchairs well placed to give you a chance to read a few chapters before proceeding to checkout. The selection is eclectic, with both contemporary and classic authorsβ€”even a smattering of internationals.

The Wonderful Bookstore also has a romance section. I know this because I looked for it, although it took me a while. Fortunately, the Wonderful Bookstore offers maps of its books; frankly, I would never have been able to find the romances without one. Romances are shelved in a single bookcase located in one of the alcoves off the main area. The bookcase is identified with a small sign, but it faces the windows rather than the aisle, so you need to be looking to find it. As I recall, it’s surrounded by literary fiction, which takes up all the other alcove bookcases. Most of the romance offerings are paperback, and (since it’s a single bookcase) the number of authors is fairly small. The general impression I got is that the Wonderful Bookstore is willing to stock a barebones selection of romances for diehard addicts, but they sure as hell aren’t going to put that selection in a prominent place where their normal customers might see them.

Chances are, of course, that if I brought this situation to the attention of the Wonderful Bookstore management, they’d tell me I was imagining things. At least they carry romances, they’d point out, unlike some of the smaller independent booksellers who won’t sully their shelves with them. And I’m sure they think their customers aren’t really the type to read romances anyway.

To me, that kind of thinking constitutes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yeah, those of us who read romances probably won’t bother looking for them at the Wonderful Bookstore because we know (those of us who have tried) that they’re unlikely to be there. So the Wonderful Bookstore’s regular customers probably aren’t romance readers because romance readers have already moved on to more congenial places.

I shouldn’t have to say this, but it bears repeating: romance readers constitute a major part of current book customers. The bookstore that considers itself too good for romances runs the risk of someday finding themselves in desperate need of those readers who have become accustomed to looking elsewhere for their favorites.

I look forward to the day when the Wonderful Bookstore decides that romances deserve multiple bookcases too, but I’m not holding my breath. Besides, how will I know if this happens? I’ll already be buying my books somewhere else.

Meg Benjamin is a romance author who specializes in contemporary comedy.Β  Be sure to visit her website at http://www.megbenjamin.com/ and check out her latest release,Β  BE MY BABY.

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5 comments

Stacey Joy Netzel March 31, 2010 - 7:07 am

Meg, here in Green Bay, WI we’re lucky to have two main bookstores, Waldenbooks and B&N, that are both pretty romance friendly. They recognize the large percent of sales in the romance section and treat the local authors well. Hopefully your Wonderful Bookstore will one day do the same…though it can’t hurt for you to still mention your observations to the management. Maybe if enough people take the time to say something, placement and number of authors/selections/shelves might eventually change.

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Laurie Ryan March 31, 2010 - 12:26 pm

We are also lucky to have multiple bookstores available, both chain and small independent. In fact, a few local authors have now had book releases in some of the small independents. I do find I have to search for the romance section in the chains, but luckily, I find them both well stocked and with multiple bookcases. Although, it did take one of them an entire month to get in my friend’s new book. I finally went to the competition, who had it sitting on the shelf. Sigh.
Great post. We all need to be pro-active with our local bookstores, both in promoting purchases at them and in trying to keep this highly successful genre highly visible.
Thank for posting!

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Kelly Jamieson March 31, 2010 - 3:06 pm

Given that romance is the biggest selling genre it seems a foolish business decision to NOT sell and promote romances. I just don’t get it.
I do feel very lucky though that the Wonderful Bookstore (probably not the same real name, though the description is similar! Oh what the heck, it’s Chapters) in my city DOES carry a large selection of romance – and it is out in the open, right next to yes, literary fiction, but also a beside a large section of erotica as well as the cookbooks, home design and wedding planning books! With armchairs next to a fireplace where you can drink your Starbucks coffee and look through the books!

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Meg Benjamin March 31, 2010 - 3:30 pm

I’ve found the chains in the area are actually very supportive of romance (Borders is bringing RomCon to Denver this summer–hope to see everybody there). It’s the older independent bookstores that seem to have a problem. I wouldn’t object so much if they didn’t give lots of space to mysteries and science fiction, while treating romance as a dirty secret. I find myself echoing Butch Cassidy, “What’s the matter with those guys?”

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Lavada Dee April 2, 2010 - 10:35 am

Years ago, like many many years, I opened a used bookstore. At that time I didn’t read a lot of romance and didn’t do a good job of setting up that section. WRONG! Almost at once I realized that over 50% of my customers were romance readers. Within two months I had completely rearranged the store.

With Romance proving itself in the market place I think stores like the Wonderful BookStore are going to be in the definite minority.

I enjoyed your post Meg and love the ease of navigation on your website.

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