As we have seen at our library, there has been a huge demand for "spicy" romance books that have grown popular via Tiktok. This has been great for drawing new readers into the genre. However, I am interested in getting those readers to branch out and explore other areas of our romance collection outside of those viral authors.
As a fun way to get our readers interacting with the other romance books in our collection, I would like to include bookmarks in our romance books that will have a rating system that asks our readers to rate the spiciness of the book. We could include a little chili pepper emoji, ranking from 1 to 5 peppers, and after the reader has finished the book, they could mark the chili pepper based on where they thought it fell. As more readers read the book, new readers picking up the book could look at the past pepper ratings and decide if they wanted to read the book or not. This rating system could help those looking for spice to find it, and those wanting romance without the spice to choose elsewhere. This is also a more discreet way for readers to find their comfortable spice level, since it is anonymous and they could explore the books themselves looking for a rating without having to ask a librarian.
Since our library catalog also has list features, I would also like to make a list of movie pairings that readers of these popular Tiktok romance books would enjoy. For example, if you liked Colleen Hoover, you may like this list of movies or TV shows. We could even integrate this into a display with book and movie bundles.
Liz, I love this idea! I wonder if you could even make a poster or something - once you've collected a bunch of results - that shows books and their ratings. I love that it's the ratings of the patrons of your library, so it's more personal, and it makes them more involved in the library. I feel like people watch movies more than read, in general, so I think listing books that go with movies would also be a good way to get more people into the books.
ReplyDeleteThank you! A poster is a great idea! I would have to consider where to put a poster since our romances are not in a designated area; they are mixed in with the rest of the fiction collection.
DeleteI like the idea of the bookmarks and rating system. This would be good if the reader doesn't want something too spicy or want more spicy. They can see what books other patrons are reading.
ReplyDeleteI think that is such a fun passive idea! And the spiciness factor is so fun!
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