There are a great many resources for folks who are hunting down that obscure category romance from the early back-when to the late days-of-yore, and a great many more resources for people who seek out the latest news and information about the romance world, from writing to reading to - woohoo! - shopping. When I’m looking for news of the genre, I think to myself, “Self, you know where you need to go to find out about new and somewhat innovative small online businesses seeking to serve the avid romance reader? You need to read the U.S. News & World Report.”
From their article on 28 April about the success of small businesses online despite mega-retailers and a very sad and mopey US economy comes this fascinating profile of Derek Stafford, founder and owner of (get ready to bookmark this one because I’d never spell it correctly if you asked me to) Lughnassadh Books:
Trying to compete with Amazon and other behemoths is daunting. But with the right strategy, an entrepreneur with limited resources can cash in on the boom in online retailing. Derek Stafford, who founded and runs the website Lughnassadh Books, sums up his outlook this way: “One of the best ways to compete with Amazon is not to.”
Stafford has been selling used books from his website since 1999. In the early days, he says, he would sell pretty much anything he could find. But now, he says, “I’ve gotten more and more specialized.” He stopped selling all fiction except Harlequin romance novels, for which he discovered a distinct niche market. This focus gives him a brand that distinguishes Lughnassadh from the big boys. He’s trying to create a comprehensive listing of all the Harlequin romance novels to further develop this brand and establish himself as a one-stop source for genre aficionados. “Even if I can’t be the seller, I want to be the source,” Stafford explains.
That’s right: his store has an entire section of nothing but Harlequin romance novels, and there’s a forum attached to the store for customers who can’t remember the name of the book they’re looking for (no one ever has that problem around here. Least of all me).
A website that reviews romance novels from a couple of smart bitches who will always give it to you straight. No bullshit. No gushing--unless the author really deserves it. To find out more, read all about us or check out our minty-fresh and funkadelic FAQ section.
Also pretty much anything by Martin Waddell. I think my favourite was ‘Rosie’s Babies’ where a little girl is talking to her mum about her babies - stuffed toys - and what she does with them. Really she’s trying to…
Okay, I had to chime in.
Anything by Ezra Keats but especially A Snowy Day
Anything by Don and Audrey Woods: A Napping House, King Begood’s Bath, the “Bear” story as it’s called around here.
Oh! Forgot to add a more modern favorite: Julia Donaldson. My kids love The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Monkey Puzzle, Room on the Broom, and The Snail and the Whale. I like them because I like reading in verse :)…
In addition to all the classics listed above, here are some of my family’s favorites:
My children really loved Curious George - we have two large hardback books with most (if not all) of those stories.
…
What’s concerning is that he was wearing clothes to begin with and lost them at one point. Makes me wonder what he was about under that stage.
From Voldey Voldey!
