Overall, Americans are reading less. A study out earlier this year from the University of Florida and University College London showed that reading for fun is down 40% from 2003 to 2023. In addition, a poll from NPR/Ipsos showed that only 51% of Americans read a book in the last month compared to 80% who watched streaming.
But there’s one big exception to this: romance fans, nearly half of whom read a book a week, according to one romance industry survey.
“Romance print sales last year actually pulled the entire industry into the black,” said writer Rebecca Ackermann. “From this time to this time last year, romance print sales have increased by 24% so it’s still growing, and it’s really keeping the lights on for a lot of publishing houses.”
Ackermann wrote about the power of the romance industry for The Atlantic, and spoke with “Marketplace” host Kimberly Adams about her reporting.
To listento their conversation, use the media player above.
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