Hide and Sneak
Kindle or Paperback?
It’s a common discussion in online romance reader and author groups. Authors go to great lengths to create beautiful covers only to have them hidden behind a Kindle cover. Some authors have shied away from the bare-chested mancandy covers in favor of illustrated covers, more artistic photographic covers, and even discreet covers for readers who still prefer to read a paperback over a digital book, but don’t want to broadcast that they’re reading a steamy romance novel. Oh, and certain retailers have begun censoring covers with man-nips showing in their advertising, etc. Yep, you can have the cover on the book on that retailer’s site, you just can’t advertise it with that cover. Hmmmm…yeah. Some pretty beautiful covers have been canned because of that policy. Which really sucks for the authors & artists who put the time into the photo selection and design only to have it shelved upon publication. And I think that policy really diminishes the artistry and talent of the photographer who took the pictures as well. But I digress. Or did I?
Anyway, my brain began to ponder the book cover question based on, yep you guessed it, several recent conversations in online Romancelandia groups. Why are romance readers so hung up on hiding what we’re reading? Well, quite simply: judgement. Judgement from people we know, as well as from people we don’t. Judgement based on archaic notions of what a romance novel is, or isn’t. And the types of people who read them. And trust me, I absolutely, 100% get it. When I first started reading romance I only told people I was super close to, who I already trusted not to judge me.
It took me some time to get past that, but once I did the results were pretty wild. Life’s too short to hide what you’re reading. Seriously. It really is. And here I am writing about it, because this far into my romance reader journey, I’ve pretty well told everyone what I read and I pretty much don’t care what kind of judgement that brings anymore. Unless of course your judgement brings you to the conclusion that you’d love to read a romance novel and find out what all the hype is about. Or your judgement helps you decide I’m a pretty cool person to share your reading habits with.
I mean, my judgement meant I missed out on some pretty awesome bookish conversations with people I love. Apparently my sister, my younger sister (well ok, my only sister) has been reading romance novels for years. YEARS. And you know what, she never told me. *gasp* And her best friend since childhood reads romance novels. In fact, she read some of my favorite authors before I did! *doublegasp*. And I never knew! But then again, I never asked. I always saw my sister reading on her Kindle when we went to visit, but I never asked what she was reading. And it was hidden behind that handy-dandy electronic library in her hand.
Was her Kindle reading in my presence intentional, meant to hide what she was reading from me? Maybe. It could have just been for convenience sake. I’ll be honest, as open as I am now about what I love to read, I still don’t read paperbacks- anywhere. I am a dedicated and devoted eReader, but that’s more because it’s just easier. I can take 800 books with me on my Kindle. Paperbacks get heavy, y’all. But I wonder what would happen if I did read a romance paperback in public. And would that public location or the cover style matter? I mean, I probably wouldn’t read a mancandy cover at the front desk at my job. Mainly because it really isn’t appropriate conversationally for the younger kids who attend classes there. I don’t know how their parents feel about the genre, and it’s not my place to open that can of worms. But an illustrated cover or discreet cover would likely make the cut. But what about a doctor’s office waiting room? Hmmmm… excellent question.
I just googled Read Romance in Public Day. Because, that’s how my brain works. And you know what I found. 2 articles from 2015 and 2017 claiming August as Read-A-Romance Month. But nothing about a specific day to read romance in public. And nothing more recent than 2017 about Read-A-Romance Month. That could be my limited Googling skills at work. Or it could be that it got so little traction that it faded away, back into the hidden corners of eReaders and discreet covers. Now, there’s National Read Across America Day every March 2 that promotes reading of all kinds. And International Read Comics in Public Day is celebrated every August 28. I think there needs to be a Read Romance in Public Day. Can you imagine?? Taking a romance paperback (or hardcover if you want to combine your daily work out with your reading habit) to a public place like a mall, park, beach, etc and sitting out in the open blatantly reading a romance novel. *pearlclutching* Even better, make sure it’s one with an amazing mancandy cover! *horrifiedgasp* I have several I can recommend if you’re interested. I actually kinda live for those covers. Yeah, I can imagine it. In fact, I’m going to challenge myself to do it. Sometime within the next month, when I have somewhere to be that is deemed public, I am going to grab one of my favorite romance paperbacks from my shelf and read it on full display. Who knows, I may find another romance reader in the mix of people eyeing me judgementally. And I can always use more romance readers in my circle of friends.
