#43: What Heated Rivalry Revealed About the Bookselling World

This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Indigo romance buyer Kaitlynd Carmichael to break down what actually makes a romance book blow up. From BookTok’s influence to spotting trends before they hit, Kaitlynd shares how books go from shelf to sold out. They also dive into the rise of dark romance, slow burns, and why emotional love stories might be the next big trend, plus favourite reads and what to pick up if you’re new to romance. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction 1:00 - What Does a Romance Buyer at Indigo Do? 4:55 - Behind The Scenes at Indigo When A Book Gets Popular 9:40 - How Has Heated Rivalry Impacted Romance as a Whole? 12:30 - How Much Does BookTok Influence What Sells? 16:10 - How Has Romance Changed Over The Last 10 Years? 18:42 - Romance Trends 30:35 - Kaitlynd’s Top Books of 2025 36:00 - Indigo’s Book Boyfriend List 38:30 - Kaitlynd’s Writing Journey 40:25 - Most Exciting Upcoming Release FOLLOW US: Morgann Book TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook Off The Shelf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Off.TheShelfPodcast Hosted by: Morgann Book Created by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston Produced by: Stefanie Macchiusi Associate Post Producer and Editor: Ricki Biramontes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.