Welcome to another edition of Shelf Awareness Extra!, which are special issues that focus on a particular subject and appear once a month. This edition focuses on the eighth annual Bookstore Romance Day, set for Saturday, August 15. For a lot more about it, keep reading!

The popularity of Bookstore Romance Day, which takes place this year on Saturday, August 15, has grown almost as fast as the romance category itself.

Celebrating romance authors and readers, the event was founded by bookseller Billie Bloebaum. The first Bookstore Romance Day was held in 2019, when some 150 independent bookstores participated. Since then, even during the pandemic, more and more bookstores have kept the date every August, with the numbers of participating stores increasing to nearly 600 last year. Almost 700 have signed up so far this year.

The stores are primarily in the U.S. but include some in other countries, with participants last year in Canada, the U.K., and Australia. The stores have a variety of specialties, and include, of course, many of the fastest-growing type of specialty bookstore: romance bookstores. The rest are general stores that have connected with customers who love romances. And the participants comprise all kinds of stores: bricks-and-mortar, mobile, pop-up, online, and more, all of which celebrate Bookstore Romance Day in many creative, heartfelt ways. (See story below.) Bloebaum noted that a big recent increase in participating retailers is from "mobile, pop-up, and online-only stores, especially among the romance-focused stores."

And this year the focus of the day's celebrations is historical romance. "This isn't on purpose, but simply the way things worked out," Bloebaum said.

Besides in-store events, Bookstore Romance Day will include virtual programming that will be set soon. Last year's programming ran the Saturday and Sunday of Bookstore Romance Day, featuring separate panels of authors from Sourcebooks Casablanca & Bloom Books, Bramble, and Harlequin; "Humor Is Magical," in which authors focused on humor in fantasy and paranormal romances; "Love Is Queer," celebrating LBGTQ+ voices in romance; a panel "For the Love of Romance," presented by Steamy Lit and featuring romance authors; and "Toy Story," a discussion of sex toys in romance novels.

Bookstore Romance Day also sponsors programming at other times of the year. One example is Love Out Loud, a virtual pride romance panel, presented in collaboration with Steamy Lit, to be held this Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m. Eastern via Zoom. Frankie Fyre will be in conversation with fellow authors TJ Alexander, Karmen Lee, Chip Pons, Adib Khorram, and Brittany Johnson. Tickets are free with the purchase of any of the authors' books from Steamy Lit. There are also a limited number of $10 tickets available without the purchase of a book. For more information, click here.

In addition, Libro.fm will run a sale on romance books from August 12-19, and Bookshop.org is supporting Bookstore Romance Day.

Among the newer romance stores that are embracing Bookstore Romance Day is The Romance Section, formerly Sugar and Spice, Boulder, Colo., which opened in February and is slowly growing and finding that its most popular categories are romantasy, contemporary, and LGBTQ+, Hannah Morgan said. The store is partnering with other local businesses and the Downtown Boulder Partnership. For its first Bookstore Romance Day celebration, the store aims to offer some author signings and other fun activities.

It's a Love Story, Hayden, Idaho, just celebrated its two-year anniversary and has been steadily growing and become "a true gathering place," according to Tyann Bjorkman. The store and café includes three monthly book clubs (romantasy, dark romance, and contemporary), craft nights, game nights, and seasonal bookish markets that include local vendors. For this year's Bookstore Romance Day, the store will have a sale and share goodies.

There is still time for bookstores to sign up as official Bookstore Romance Day participants, which will allow them to be included on the participating bookstores map. The site also offers marketing and promotional assets, which will be updated soon.

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Bookstore Romance Day has a striking origin story. In 2019, as the first Bookstore Romance Day was being planned, Bloebaum said that the idea for the event did not exist until early that year. As recounted by Shelf Awareness, "In March [of 2019], a romance author started a 'bit of a Twitter kerfuffle,' during which she 'got down' on indies for not being romance-friendly. Bloebaum, who is actively engaged with many other booksellers about the romance genre, knew this wasn't the case, and decided it was time for a more public show of support. 'Bookstore Romance Day was an offhand suggestion that took on a life of its own,' recalled Bloebaum."

Stores are gearing up for Bookstore Romance Day in exciting ways, expanding on previous successful celebrations. Last year, Meghan Molinari, from Lark & Owl Booksellers in Georgetown, Tex., "hosted a book bedazzling night with six local romance authors, and it was such a fun and casual event full of crafts and laughs!" This year, Lark & Owl is hosting a launch event for local author Gillian Eliza West's new novel, When the Universe Sings, and "giving away romance ARCs throughout the day and offering signed copies of our favorite romance novels!"

Last year at pages: a bookstore, Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Last year to celebrate Bookstore Romance Day, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, Va., hosted an author meet and greet with romance author Olivia Dade, which "drew a huge crowd," Kelly Justice noted. This year, the store plans to partner with a local pop-up shop to have a treat on hand for customers, host an author meet and greet as well as "blind date book giveaways and new dreamy cardboard cutouts for photo ops! It should be a fun, busy day for romance lovers!"

Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Tex., is preparing a host of activities for Bookstore Romance Day that include romance displays and staff picks. "Our booksellers are excited to share personalized recommendations and hand flail over favorites," Cathy Berner explained. Other activities include ARC giveaways, partnering with other local businesses, pre-order specials and "our heart-shaped sticky note tradition: customers guide others to their next great read by placing a heart-shaped sticky note on your favorite books on our shelves."

Last year outside Unabridged Bookstore, Chicago, Ill.

Love's Sweet Arrow in Tinley Park, Ill., is offering "a panel on spice levels, authors in to sign and greet readers, and then some sweet treats to go with our set customers" to celebrate the day, said Roseann Backlin.

Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tenn., hosts a wide range of activities for the day. Katie Garaby stated that in the morning Parnassus hosts its "beloved love-themed story time for the kiddos" followed by two events that benefit nonprofits: "Bead Nash," a nonprofit bracelet company whose proceeds go to supporting local queer nonprofits, and a local florist, Dogwood and Dandelion, for a "bouquet bar" in the afternoon to celebrate. "We'll also be hiding two three-month subscriptions to Love, Parnassus for customers to find," Garaby added. In the evening, Garaby is hosting a PowerPoint event called, "Love Is the Point" a romance-themed night where romance lovers can pitch their hottest takes on the genre in under five minutes. "I'm hoping to do one called 'From Bookworm to Biker's Old Lady: How to Join a Fictional Motorcycle Club," she added. --Coco Zephir

To help support Bookstore Romance Day 2026, the organization has set up a GoFundMe campaign that aims to raise $3,500 to help meet growing expenses. (More than $1,800 has been raised so far.) As BRD explained, it aims to keep its virtual programming on the day free as well as "to increase the number of participating bookstores, to offer swag for bookstores to give away, and to implement some plans that have had to be kept on the back burner." Money will also go to expanded outreach to bookstores and publishers, meeting operating expenses, offering prize giveaways, giving gifts and honorariums to volunteers and panelists, and travel to and having tables at related conferences.