To be considered a romance novel there are two simple criteria. The first, and most obvious, is a central love story. The second is a happy ending.
This may come as a surprise to those of us who have reached for the tissue box after reading popular works of fiction with love stories like The Fault in Our Stars or The Notebook. But according to Romance Writers of America, and bookstore owner Leah Koch, those are just novels with romance in them. Not romance novels.
Leah and her sister Bea own The Ripped Bodice, a bookstore in Culver City that exclusively sells romance novels. From enemies to lovers to vampire noir, there is always a guaranteed happily ever after. And the pandemic left them the busiest they had ever been, as readers searched for the comfort of satisfying conclusions.
“Truly, I’ve never been as busy as the first two months of the pandemic,” Leah says. She found herself packing online orders 12 hours a day for hungry readers.
“They need the relief of knowing that this is going to end happily so they can just enjoy it,” she says, “I think people underestimate how powerful that is.”
Romance is also a powerful business to be in. A billion dollar industry in fact. In 2016, romance made up 23% of the overall fiction market. However, the genre still carries a hefty stigma. Ask someone what they think about romance novels and they might say something about horny housewives or guilty pleasures.
Throughout history, women were seen as highly susceptible to the things they read. In the Victorian Era, it was thought that women would not be able to distinguish fiction from reality, and reading was seen as something dangerous and scandalous. Romance books have always been places for women to explore themes of sex, love and vulnerability, even when those things were not so easily discussed in public settings. Romance novels gave women a space to understand themselves and explore their sexuality.
Unfortunately, the stigma still rings true today. Often thought of as “trashy” or “cringey,” romance novels are scoffed at.
Leah says that it’s solely misogyny. “These books have been almost exclusively written by women, almost exclusively edited by women and it’s readership is dominated by women,” she says.
Often novels were referred to as “bodice rippers” (without endearment) because of the cover art depictions that they are so known for that features busty women in period clothing embraced in the sculpted arms of a male love interest. These scantily clad illustrations were actually drawn by men, and most certainly catered to the male gaze. The term bodice ripper stuck around, often referring to a campy, unserious genre.
But at the Ripped Bodice, they have reclaimed the name as well as a space unapologetic of what women like.
Pink rose decals, heart shaped light fixtures and walls adorned in book pages, the store looks like something reminiscent of a regency era romance novel itself. With an altar dedicated to Jane Austen and candles with names like “lingering glances,” the bookstore is reclaiming a space for romance, while many bookstores often shelve the genre to the back of the store.
According to Leah, the decor was very purposeful. From the amount of lighting that poured in from the two large skylights above, down to the Instagram-able displays.
But for the Koch sisters, it isn’t just a business, it’s a love story. They spent their preteen years in the historical fiction aisle of their local bookstore. Bea loved the regency era and the beautiful dresses that graced the covers. So, the two naturally gravitated to the neighboring romance section with its glossy covers featuring glamorous women and hunky men.
“I think what really drew me to adult romance novels was this sort of importance placed on the ordinary–people and their inner lives and emotions. It’s very easy to put yourself in a story,” Leah says.
Years later, while Leah was finishing her last year at USC as a theater major, the sisters saw a hole in the market. Many romance fans didn’t have a space to enjoy their reads, and often felt a sense of shame or judgment from others. So Leah and Bea drafted a plan to become the first romance-only bookstore in the United States. The pair launched a Kickstarter and were met with fervent support from the romance fan community. In fact, many of those who backed the business, were nowhere close to Los Angeles. But they too, believed there needed to be a space where the romance genre could be celebrated.
As, respectively, female and Queer business owners, the Koch sisters believe representation is important at Ripped Bodice Bookstore. They also believe the Romance genre still has a long way to go. Published romances are overwhelmingly white and heterosexual.
“We put a really high premium on acquiring LGBTQ books and making sure they’re very prominently displayed,” she says. After customers came in looking for more diverse protagonists, Leah and Bea began publishing a diversity report where they track the publication of BIPOC romance novels in a given year.
“When you love something, you want it to be better,” she says. She says romance readers look for stories that are more like themselves, whether that involves the main character having a specific job, race, sexuality or religion. People want to see themselves.”
“I think people are drawn to romance because there is something for everyone,” she says.
After nearly six years in the business, the Koch Sisters have put efforts into diversifying the community so that everyone can see themselves with a happy ending.