The New York Times ran a story today on the new partnership between Harlequin the publisher of Romance novels and Nascar, the stock-car racing association.
The deal calls for a 16 book series with ‘Nascar settings’ with the first and last books to include a cameo by a real life Nascar driver.
The vice-president of licensing for Nascar says of the new partnership “It’s probably more of a brand-building and P.R. bonanza for us.” He also sees a potential TV series in this.
“Booksellers and other publishers are following the Nascar-Harlequin hookup with interest.” (I think we can substitute big-box retailer for bookseller here.)
This is a misguided effort to find more readers. When publishers and booksellers become more interested in the potential selling power of the Nascar brand (or any other brand) and not the quality of the work they present the integrity of the book as a creative work is compromised.
The relationship between these two deeply literate entities is so strong and varied that a few days before the Daytona 500 ‘some 50 men and women, roughly divided between Harlequin fans and diehards who belong to the Nascar Members Club” took part in a speed dating event. The participants changed places each time the checkered flag was waved.
Like the many Nascar fans who love to see the accidents I am hoping to see the crash of this relationship around the next corner.
A couple of romance novel factoids:
-romance novels make up 55% of mass market paperback sales.
-The fastest-growing category is the “para-normal” romance, which are books about vampires and werewolves where one needs to look beyond physical appearances to discover the true inner self.