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In a bustling room in Sydney, a thrilled crowd browses stacks of stickers and bookmarks, searching for their favourite characters. Another group flicks through racks of clothing, selecting T-shirts that proclaim “romance readers club” and “probably reading about fairies”.

A poster on the wall, featuring removable slips, invites visitors to take what they need: a romantic entanglement, a heartfelt admission amidst mythical combat, a morally grey man or a rugged rancher.

Half of the tabs have already been taken. This is a pop-up shop for novel-inspired items: visitors are well aware which tropes they want to go home with.

This scene puts an observer amid a lively and deep fan community. The pop-up store is operated by an Australian small business that makes handmade book-themed merchandise. The event was advertised to tens of thousands of followers on social media, and many showed up: the queue outside wound around the corner.

The Social Media Surge

It’s just one example that have sprung from Australia’s swiftly burgeoning online book community. Literary TikTok and Instagram, on the platforms TikTok and Instagram, have surged since 2020, and romance and romantasy are the leading categories.

The central demographic are females in their second and third decades online fan communities.

A Reader's Journey

One such reader is a young teacher from Brisbane who began reviewing romance novels on her social media account in 2020.

“I grew up in what we like to refer to as the Wattpad era,” she says, alluding to a popular fan-fiction site. Much of the writing was “pretty terrible,” she admits, “but a lot of it was centered on relationships and I read so much of that.”

“Once I got to university I started reading a greater amount of romance … and I’ve been pretty much reading it ever since,” she states.

She now reads between 200 and 400 books a year. Her online presence has allowed her to connect with other romance readers around Australia and overseas – including a new housemate.

“We initially connected over social media and figured out that we were both teachers, both read the same stuff and we’ve met up in person a bunch of times and now we’re about to move in together,” she explains.

Building a Business on Passion

The online community is a major attraction of the genre, say the founders of an online store, Trilogy of Romance, which they started as an outlet to share their love of romance novels.

“We noticed that romance – especially darker and trope-driven romance – didn’t always have a dedicated, judgment-free space in traditional bookstores and starting online allowed us to connect directly with readers who shared that passion,” they say.

“The reception has been incredibly positive, we’ve built a loyal, engaged community that supports not just our store but each other.”

Their customers are overwhelmingly female readers aged from their 20s to 40s who are “very drawn to ethically ambiguous heroes” – although hockey romance is also popular.

“Dark romance is by far our biggest seller both in books and merchandise,” they assert.

The Retail Landscape

Despite being a top-selling type along with science fiction, Australian bookstores do not tend to have extensive romance aisles. Outside of massive hits – like certain romantasy smash hits – most romance readers rely on ebooks.

If they want to browse the shelves, they seek out a Sydney bookstore named Romancing the Novel. The store’s owner, herself a romance author, says customers have often organized their schedule for their visit.

Her most cherished interactions involve those who are returning to reading after a long break.

“We’ve actually gotten men who don’t read romance but they want to dip their toes in, or they love to read fantasy and they’re like ‘Oh I’ve just read a popular romantasy book’ … what can I get into next?” she says.

*Names have been withheld for privacy