According to the ABA’s annual report, more than 600 brick-and-mortar, pop-up, and mobile bookstores were added to the ranks of the American Booksellers Association in 2025, many of them reflecting the growth of romance and romantasy. The organization has grown 151 percent over the last six years, and the majority of stores have reported year-over-year sales increases. The Associated Press takes a closer look.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
