"Bestselling romance titles include a number from British publishers such as Mills & Boon whose 'The Temp and the Tycoon' is one of the most downloaded Romance novels to date." Daily Telegraph, 5 March 2011
Writing in the DAILY TELEGRAPH on Saturday, Richard Alleyne reported a boom for Mills and Boon in the eReader market. Clearly, Mr Alleyne isn't a romance reader since he suggests that this is because women are less embarrassed to read romance in public when they can do it undetected.
Actually, it's because romance readers (and publishers) have been ahead of this game from day one. These are women who read A Lot. Who are not embarrassed by the covers. Who don't feel the need to apologise for their taste.
The rush to buy eReaders was not from geeky lads and ladettes wanting the latest kit. It was led by women - many of them well past the ladette stage of life - who like the fact that they can buy books without having to leave the house. Their computer. They talk to one another on line, on twitter, on facebook and buy the books their friends recommend. Instantly.
The alternative for me these days is a thirty mile round trip to my nearest proper bookshop and bookshops are not a romance friendly zone.
Mr Alleyne also mentioned that The Temp & the Tycoon, a book published in the Mills & Boon Centenary Collection, is one of the most downloaded books in the romance genre at Amazon UK
You can read the first chapter HERE
THE TEMP & THE TYCOON was published in the US in a two-in-one called STRICTLY BUSINESS.
12 comments:
This was the first M&B book I read and I loved it. It's still one of my favourites.
I love this story. And now that I've re-read the 1st chapter, I'm wondering where the heck my print copy is!! Not where it's SUPPOSED to be. drat.
And as the hosty for the ebook threads over at Harlequin's community, I am sent links too frequently about ebooks and theories of romance readers being ashamed of their covers. What these "analysts" don't take into their number crunching is the number of books romance readers go through in a year and how annoyed they are with themselves if they're out and about and finish one book and don't have another handy! There are a whole lot of members in the community who read 100, 200, even 3 or 4 hundred books every year (and then there's Sadhbh, who read close to 1,000 each of the years she was home on maternity). eBooks are great for us, as you said.
Penn
Real books ~ I stopped shopping at our nearest Wallmart when they stopped carrying Harlequin. I just happened to be in it one day last week as it was the only store open in the mall we went to. I noticed they were back to carrying Harlequins again. I got a feeling some ladies were more vocal about not carrying the books than I was.
I am not ashamed to read romance books in public.
It's too bad you didn't have all the facts about romance books at the tip of your tongue when that odious bookshop owner sprouted off. I think too many private bookshops don't get the fact that romance readers spend a lot of money buying romance books. They do it monthly if not weekly.
Poor Mr Alleyne has the wrong end of the stick :-). Congrats on The Temp & the Tycoon being one of the most downloaded books! That's really fantastic Liz!
Congratulations on "THE TEMP & THE TYCOON" for being the most downloaded book!
I went to read the first chapter yesterday but had some problems, now going again!
Thanks so much, Gail!
Penn, the great thing about the eReader is that all your books are in the same place. Just don't lose your eReader!
Kaelee, the thing that these independent booksellers don't seem to get is that romance readers don't just buy romances. The buy cookery books, books for their kids and grandchildren. My husband spends a fortune on books about the American Civil War, Roman history (£25 for one on how to build like a Roman!).
We are big business and they are losing it.
Lacey, Nas - thanks so much. I had so much fun writing this book. I had the story in my head as I flew into New York and then I went everywhere my heroine wanted to go. And I had the fun of the Romance Writers of America conference, too.
Wish I was doing it again this year, but too much else happening.
Hi Liz:
You wrote that your husband likes to read:
“Roman history (£25 for one on how to build like a Roman!).?”
I have a bookcase full or Roman history books and that’s a bargain. Just hope your husband doesn’t get into buying books on Roman coinage. They can cost 100 pounds each. And you need a great many of them to identify what coins you have. The books often cost far more than the actual coins.
Has your husband read Michelle Styles Roman romances? She lives very close to Hadrian’s Wall and loves Roman history.
Vince
Thankfully, Vince, he's not into coins, but the history. And being an engineer and chartered builder, has always been interested in Roman building techniques.
He hasn't read Michelle's books, although they have had some interesting chats about the American Civil War.
I keep hoping to get him reading Lindsey Davies. I love her books.
Hi Liz:
Lindsey Davies is very good but I think Steven Saylor is much better. He is a Latin teacher and he does not mind getting violent. I’d try him first. Lindsey has too much food and cooking for a lot of men. : )
Vince
P.S. my crypto word was "mensa". Latin for table.
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