#26 Today's Romance Novels with the Ripped Bodice LA

<p>We sit down with Leah Koch, co-owner of the Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Los Angeles to put our thumb on the pulse of 2021 romancelandia. Together we discuss the history of the Ripped Bodice, traditional vs. independent publishing, the fallacy of publishing trends, how booktok (book side of tiktok) has influenced the world of romance, and how Leah finds the next big romance books. We also have a serious discussion about how romance and romance publishing is failing us, the consumers. So buckle in sparkly romance nerds, it's time for some real talk with some good laughs along the way.</p><p>Content Warning: language use and some shame upon Nicholas Sparks and James Patterson...sorry not sorry.</p><p><a href="https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/human-interest/2021/08/12/booktok-boon-is-changing-the-publishing-world" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What is Booktok?</a></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.therippedbodicela.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ripped Bodice information</a></p><ul><li>Instragram @TheRippedBodice</li><li>Tiktok @ TheRippedBodice</li><li>Twitter @ TheRippedBodice</li><li><a href="https://www.therippedbodicela.com/read-romance-repeat" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read, Romance, Repeat</a></li></ul><p></p><p>Books/Authors we talk about</p><ul><li>Mad and Bad: Real Heroines of the Regency by <a href="https://www.therippedbodicela.com/product/mad-and-bad-real-heroines-regency-bea-koch-signed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bea Koch (signed edition!)</a></li><li>The minotaur book...<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Milking-Minotaur-Short-Erotica-Story-ebook/dp/B072LZLNRW" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sorry guys, please don't open this link in view of other people, for your own credibility </a></li><li>Heroine Complex <a href="https://www.therippedbodicela.com/book/9780756413279" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">by Sarah Kuhn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.therippedbodi