The directory includes independent bookstores across the country, though CIBA member stores have more detailed entries with photos and unique store descriptions.
Book publishers and industry watchers are taking note of the romantasy subgenre’s enormous popularity among young female readers author Sarah J. Maas alone has sold 40 million copies and the power of #BookTok to elevate both its well-known, traditionally published writers, and self-published indie authors alike.
Romantasy books, a genre-blending mix of romance and fantasy, are topping the sales charts and going viral on social media. Nicola MacNaughton, co-owner of Slow Burn Books in Calgary, explains the demand of the genre and what it says about the evolution of the romance novel.
Specialty romance book stores have been opening across North America to respond to rising demand, including three shops dedicated to the genre on the Canadian Prairies all founded within the last year like Edmonton's The Book Boudoir.