New Resource Alert: The Readers' Advisory Guide To Romance by Robin Bradford

Many of you know Robin Bradford for the work we do presenting our Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Readers training programs (which you can learn more about here). Robin is known for her collection development expertise, just as I am known for my RA expertise, but we are also nationally recognized and award winning genre experts as well. 

And now, Robin is joining me as an author in the Readers' Advisory Guide series for ALA Editions as the author of the brand new, fully updated Guide to Romance. It will be released any day now but you can preorder it here.

Robin has spent the last couple of years updating the VERY out-of-date previous edition of this book and it is now ready for the world to buy it, read it, and use it to help readers. There is no one else in the world that I would trust to get me information on Romance more than Robin. 

Please head on over to the ALA Editions Store and take a look for yourself.  have copied the information from the website below as well.

To celebrate Robin joining the RA Guide family, I am giving away a finished copy of my Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror, 3rd Edition over on the Horror blog. Click here for those details and to get yourself entered.

But back to celebrating this gorgeous and useful book. Just look at that cover. Robin told them she had no preference on the cover except for the direction that they could NOT use hearts. They did a great job!

Click here to order

Here is the information from the website about what you can find between the covers.

Use this handy guide to learn key factors in the appeal of this perennially popular genre, suggested authors and titles to have on your shelves, other collection development tips, and advice on connecting readers with books they're sure to love.

"Happily ever after" and all it entails keeps millions of romance fiction readers devouring approximately 10,000 titles published in the genre annually. Whether you’re already a devotee or a newbie in urgent need of some orientation, you’ll find this readers’ advisory guide the perfect tool for building and maintaining your library’s romance collection, answering patron questions, and leading fans of the genre in their exploration of new authors and titles. With panache and unbridled enthusiasm, Bradford

• begins with an informative and entertaining overview of the genre's history, including a proposed working definition of "romance" and an explanation of why it matters;
• sketches out the ways in which romance has expanded in terms of both content and formats;
• provides guidance on discovering titles from both traditional and indie publishers, best practices for building a robust collection, and suggested resources for keeping up to date;
• walks you through the myriad of romance subgenres, tropes, and common terms;
• offers readers’ advisory interview tips for navigating fans’ spectrum of "sexpectations," from sweet to steamy, to assist with connecting readers with the perfect book;
• shares advice for author visits and other library programming; and
• includes a comprehensive index that will help you find the information you need quickly.

Table of Contents

Series Introduction
Introduction: Welcome to Romancelandia!
Chapter 1: A (Very) Brief History and Definition of the Modern Romance Novel
Chapter 2: The Ever-Expanding World of Romance
Chapter 3: The Challenge of Formats 
Chapter 4: Subgenres of Romance 
Chapter 5: Tropes in Romance
Chapter 6: Romance and Readers Advisory
Chapter 7: The S Word: From Sweet to Steamy, Talking about Sex with Readers
Chapter 8: Programming and Author Visits
Chapter 9: Staying Current with the Genre
Index

Robin Bradford has earned a BA and MA in English, an MS in Library Science, and a JD, but has found a home in building reader-focused, popular collections in public libraries. She was recognized as RWA’s 2016 Librarian of the Year, a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2018, and is addicted to books and dedicated to helping others discover a love of reading. She has worked with authors to help get their titles into these collections, worked with librarians to push for equal treatment of genre fiction, and worked with readers so that they can find their favorite authors on their library's shelves.

Join me in congratulating Robin and consider adding a copy of this book to your library collections.