Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

I just started working in a used bookstore and have been talking to the owner about organization.

As a romance reader do you expect historical romance to be in a different section than general romance? What about Paranormal Romance?

The main issue that's being ran into is that so many authors write 2 or 3 different types of romance so are currently in multiple sections. Or they're "light" paranormal (not vamps/weres but maybe mind things- like Jayne Ann Krentz). Or for some a series will have both historical/contemporary books (ex-Linda Lael Miller)

Just curious what yall think...

i prefer all romance regardless of sub-genre in one location - just with an A-Z organization

although, there are books that transcend genres - that I wish were often located in both places - like some of the UF stuff - it could go under romance, or under fantasy

I'd rather have all romance shelved together.

I agree with Dee and Susan - I've always found it much easier if all romance titles are shelved together, sorted alphabetically by author. The only ones that might be better separated out are the category (Harlequin/Silhouette/etc.) romances. Every used book store that I have regularly visited has separated them out - assuming they carried them, not all did.

Thanks ladies. That's pretty much what I was thinking :)

I'd prefer having all romances regardless of subgenre shelved together. Sometimes you find a new author while browsing. I know I've picked up romances that aren't in my preferred genre just because I ran across them and they "looked good."

Sandra J wrote: "I'd prefer having all romances regardless of subgenre shelved together. Sometimes you find a new author while browsing. I know I've picked up romances that aren't in my preferred genre just becau..."

Thanks Sandra! Appreciate the input :) And oh how I have done the same thing! lol. I'm forever picking up books that way :)

I like when an author's books are all together but separated into series order. I appreciate when book stores do this.

When I worked at a bookstore that's exactly what I tried to do. Of course, I seemed to be the only one of the shelvers who cared. Probably because the rest of them weren't romance readers. Some of them weren't readers at all. (How can you work at a bookstore and NOT like to read?!)

i think a simple book test should be required to work in a bookstore - i hate asking questions of ppl work there and not getting an answer

on simple stuff like where is Chloe Neill's chicagoland vampires series it isn't in the fantasy section (FWIW BAM shelves it under general fiction)

Thanks ladies. I'm new to working in a bookstore so am still figuring out some of the sections but I do love to read. Of the three of us I'm the only romance/fantasy/sci-fiction/YA reader and am trying to get the displays a little more user friendly but hard when you're just coming into an already established store :) Really appreciate all of your input!