Harlequin on Nightline and Romance Vs the Recession
3 Comments April 14th, 2009 in 60th anniversary, media, on the web Posted by Amy
by Amy Wilkins, Harlequin Digital
The ABC News show Nightline ran a piece last night about Harlequin — specifically how romance is doing well in the current economy and Harlequin’s 60th anniversary. It also features some celebrities reading bits of Harlequin books — including Wolfgang Puck reading from a 1978 Anne Mather novel Rooted in Dishonour! You can watch the video online here and read the accompanying article.
You may have seen a slew of articles online recently about romance sales during the recession — some positive (personally, I like this article from Canada.com once you get past the title, for the comparison to James Bond alone!), others….um, not so much.
Why do you think romance continues to do so well when times are tough? Has the economy changed how or what you read?
Tagged with: ABC news • Anne Mather • Nightline • Rooted in Dishonour • video
Escapism always does well when times are tough, because there’s so much more to escape from.
Loved the Nightline piece, especially that particularly hunky cover model! And Paul Rudd’s reading skills, he’s rather cute too isn’t he.
Heidi (who just got her escapist kick for the day, thanks Amy!)
I think especially now, we need that goodness, that HEA. That glimpse of hope and FEEL GOOD to tuck in our pocket, while we tackle other things.
It’s our outlet, fulfills a need . . . and it’s just plain fun!
Our books fuel us. Which is why I think there will always be a demand for our romances.
Hugs!
Marian Pearson Stevens
I agree with the escapsim and goodness. Also, in the U.S., the big box retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, etc) offer a great discount on books. You can buy a Presents for $3.50, which is cheaper than a tube of lipstick (Estee Lauder theory that in times of recession, lipstick sales sore because women still want to buy something that makes them feel good but it’s little and doesn’t cost a lot so they don’t feel guilty).