In the city of Grapevine, a stage is lit up before which 2500 stand excited. The person everyone is waiting for appears to be especially important, having attracted such a crowd. The fans have traveled from all over the United States, and even farther. I am standing next to Marion Archer, who, as a romance editor from Australia, knew that this event couldn’t be missed. By the gleaming anticipation on their faces and the fidgety stance, one would only assume these dedicated people must be waiting on a rock star, or at the very least a celebrity. And one would not be entirely wrong. It is the first day of Book Bonanza—an event considered by many as the pinnacle of the romance fiction community.
The audience erupts in roars of excitement as Colleen Hoover, a Texas native, comes on stage. The crowd screams in union. The usually hot Texas is about to get even hotter.
The Cohorts—as Colleen Hoover’s fans call themselves—are in a battle with the evangelists to secure the top spot on this year’s best-seller list—and from the recent sales eclipsing the Bible, it looks like the Cohorts are winning.
Colleen’s books sold about 12.5 million copies in 2022 and has been dubbed the “Queen of Book Tok ” by the trendy readers of social media website, TikTok. According to Publisher’s Weekly, “this year alone (2022) her books will have sold about 12.5 million copies. Her latest, It Starts with Us, was published by Atria in October of 2022 and sold more than 809,000 copies in its first week, making it, Simon & Schuster reported, the fastest-selling fiction book in company history.” (Publisher’s Weekly). It’s easy to see that her influence on romantic literature is only just getting started. Her most popular novels are regular sights on the New York Times best-seller list.
Hoover continues to assert her dominance on the New York Times best-seller list with her novel “It Ends with Us,” which has maintained a remarkable global presence for 111 consecutive weeks. Originally published in 2016, the novel has defied traditional publishing norms, garnering widespread acclaim since 2021 and solidifying Hoover’s standing as a prominent figure in contemporary literature. Her year is about to get even better with the release of an “It Ends with Us” adaptation.
Hoover surprises the crowd at the conference with a special viewing. Huddled up in the bus driving to the nearest cinema, these people must have thought themselves the luckiest in the world. And they might just be. Tissue packs were distributed in the cinema before the film even began, which tells you enough of what to expect: prepare for waterfalls!
Hoover speaks of the film proudly at the conference. “This has been surprising, enlightening, frightening, stressful and the best thing that has ever happened. I can’t even describe how surreal it feels.” As viewers leave the theater in tears of joy, Hoover remarks, “I sold the rights to this book four or five years ago, and to actually finally see it happening, and so soon, makes me so excited for the world to see it.”
Hoover’s literary repertoire spans across genres—from romance to psychological thrillers and narratives addressing issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse, homelessness, and societal inequality. Known for her compelling blend of provocative storytelling, intricate character development, and unexpected twists, Hoover’s works defy easy categorization while consistently captivating a diverse readership.
From her presence on stage, one can easily glean that Hoover is natural at being authentic in her own skin. This is attested by her Book Tok following, in which her vulnerable and revealing videos are liked and shared by millions. With her novels striking at the core of her readers’ psyche. When I asked a Book Bonanza fan about Hoover’s books, she said: “I want Colleen Hoover to punch me in the face. That would hurt less than these books.”
Like any popular author, success comes with criticism, mostly by adults fearing exposure of sensitive content to some of Hoover’s teenage readers who gravitate towards these adult novels. In a CNN article about the success of Hoover’s novels, there is a look into the negative discourse at the heart of the Colleen Hoover discussion. “The issue at hand, for many critics, is not that domestic abuse—a painful fact of life—is part of the narrative. Rather, it is that the behavior is central to the (doomed) love story in which readers are supposed to invest themselves.” CNN makes a fair point. It is difficult to read a romance novel without expecting a good dose of romance. Many readers go into romance novels with the expectation of reading inspirational love stories. Given that many of Hoover’s readers are teenagers or younger, adults fear about this sort of behavior being normalized for young people.
What this view does not recognize is the service to the world of reading and books that Hoover delivers. On the second day of Book Bonanza, I had lunch with Kristie Nichols, a mega-fan of the genre. “I read romance, like any other genre, to escape for a little while. It’s fun to live in a make-believe world for a bit sometimes. I get to live vicariously through the characters.”
Many readers, like Nichols, share these sentiments. Genres like Hoover’s are becoming more popular online. A sub-genre of romance novels focusing on flawed, morally gray, and conflicted characters and stories has become more popular than ever thanks to authors like Hoover.
Hoover has created a new movement of her own, one of romance and crudity, a type of honesty with which readers seem to find themselves more in touch than with anything else today. A crucial aspect to her success is that people in challenging situations feel seen and heard.
Book Bonanza is a one-of-a-kind event where hundreds of authors gather and discuss their books, interact with over two thousand fans, and reveal exclusive information. You can see why such an event attracts so many fans, and it has been since the very first Book Bonanza which was held in Denver, Colorado, in 2018.
Yet, Book Bonanza isn’t just about connecting readers with their favorite authors; it’s also a testament to family ties. Behind the scenes, Hoover’s vision is supported by the steadfast aid of her two sisters, Lin Reynolds, and Murphy Rae.
This Book Bonanza event may be the last. Hoover, now venturing into films, seems to be overwhelmed and needs a break. Kayla Roads, a dedicated fan, lamented, “Knowing that this is the final Book Bonanza changes the vibe, I want to soak up every minute.”
Nichols agrees. “My favorite part of Book Bonanza is being in the same place with friends, and people that ‘get it.’ I love the connection we all have. You walk into a room of strangers and walk out with friends.”
The fans are predominantly women, with the occasional man almost sticking out like a sore thumb. They say that behind every great man stands a woman—and vice versa. Behind Hoover is her husband, Heath, who has found himself in the back rows as the hype of this anticipated gathering. His calming demeanor and proud smile whenever his wife takes the mic shows dedication to wife’s craft, and the audience that comes along with it.
Heath is not the only proud husband in the crowd. Niall Leonard, a fellow author, attended the event in support of his wife, E. L. James, the writer of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. Love is not present only in the written word at Book Bonanza. Leonard cannot contain his satisfaction in his wife—addressed by fans simply as Erika—as she has soared from a fanfiction writer to an esteemed author.
In turn, Erika has encouraged Leonard to author his own books. They are “Not romance though,” she says to me, and laughs. “He is a much better writer than me.” When I inquire about his books, he mentions his recent novel, A Heart Within the Beast, which is a retelling of Dante’s Inferno. When I inquire further, he chuckles and says, “This event is not about me,” and points to Erika standing on the stage, “It’s about her.”
The origin of Book Bonanza took shape as the main fundraising event from the Hoover sisters’ creation the Bookworm Box, a nonprofit company aimed to give back to the community from fellow readers. The Bookworm Box began raising money with a monthly subscription box service that included two signed books delivered monthly to readers, and a bookstore. Book Bonanza became the defining event of romantic literature in July of 2018.
The most recent event was bound to be popular.Book Bonanza tickets for 2024 went on sale in September 2023, the event had a waitlist of over 10,000 people without tickets. The event hosted a total of 2500 attendees. Since its debut, the endeavor has raised over a million dollars for causes including food pantries, the National Book Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Archer, who stood by me at the inaugural session, is a senior book editor and founder of MakingManuscripts.com. She finds the romance genre intriguing. “Witnessing Colleen on stage, delving into the heart of her book, highlights my gratitude for collaborating with such a remarkable author.” Archer highlights romance as her favorite genre to edit, “For me, editing romance isn’t work; it’s a privilege. It’s about telling stories that capture the essence of love, making each word count in creating lasting impressions.”
Book Bonanza is not the only outlet for romantic readers. There have been other events rising in popularity in the last decade which further add to the romance culture building in our current century, such as The Romance Writers of America (RWA), whose annual meeting will be taking place this summer, from July 31st to August 3rd, in Austin, Texas. With their first annual conference being held in 1981, the RWA typically attracts thousands of attendees per year, making it an incredible opportunity for anyone interested in jumping into the business.
There are dozens of conferences like this: Apollyon, Romance Author & Reader Events (RARE), Steamy Lit Con, The Conference organized by Steamy Lit Book Club, and others. The exponential growth of these events over the years can be seen alongside the unapologetically expansion of the romantic fiction reading community.
This is not the first time that such a genre has faced financial success with just as much criticism. It is a trend throughout history that now feels cyclical. Writers like Colleen Hoover and E.L. James have been considered successful and problematic at the same time. Romantic authors from the 18th and 19th centuries were given the same reaction. That somehow, being popular with women showed a lack of talent. The genre has since gained a stereotype for being written for, about, and by women.
The reputation has left a bad taste in the mouths of many readers. One reader, Kayla Roads, is just one example of such a reader. “On a serious note, one challenge is judgment. When others ask, “What are you reading lately?” There are times that I don’t want to tell them for fear that others might believe it’s ‘beneath them’.”
The fear of judgment is something many romantic readers feel. The sense of community seems to come from finding people who read the same genre. The community has welcomed people from all levels of society with open arms. The thing that connects this community is the vulnerability and growth that is at the center of romantic literature. It is the balance of reading about dramatic stories with characters that are flawed. The controversy has only created a more warm and welcoming community of imaginative readers.
The readers of romance were all connected by the same trait of romance novels. Ultimately, it seems that the key to the growth of romance is in the reality with which it is portrayed, making it intoxicating for readers. Addressing subjects which have not been dealt with before in modern literature with the ideals has been a turning point for authors such as Colleen Hoover and E. L. James. This is not the first time that such a genre has faced financial success with just as much criticism. There has also never been such a strong group of readers to follow another genre.
Recognizing the toxicity, pain, and real-life modern tragedies as much as the love, passion, and desire in romance with which many can relate to in some form or another is vital in creating a grand-scale community, which Book Bonanza has successfully materialized. Hoover describes her writing as “a therapy that feeds my soul”, undoubtedly showcasing her “it” factor that shines through Book Bonanza’s devoted audience, a factor that is imprinted into her readers from the first page, as they read to find the comfort she finds herself.
