The Romance Novel Recession

The economy may be frigid, but steamy reads are on the rise. Just as Depression-era readers turned to Scarlett and Rhett for a little escape, Recession readers are turning to romance novels to forget their economic woes. Contra the trend of the rest of the rest of the publishing industry, sales of romance novels have surged. Sales at Harlequin Enterprises increased by 32 percent this year, and romances are doing exceptionally well at e-book sellers and at public libraries. Why? They’re cheap, they’re addictive, and they’re always at the checkout line. And romance readers are a loyal bunch, usually reading a series straight through. It also beats worrying about your job.