Love Between the Covers Documentary
Love Between the Covers (LBtC) is a new documentary about the romance novel community and is now available for screenings at public libraries and venues.
Both the film and its website, Popular Romance Project, are products of the partnership between the Library of Congress’s Center for the Book and Blueberry Hill Productions. According to the production company’s press release for the film, “Love Between the Covers is the fascinating story of the vast, funny, and savvy female community that has built a powerhouse industry sharing love stories. Romance fiction is sold in 34 languages on six continents, and the genre grosses more than a billion dollars a year—outselling mystery, sci-fi, and fantasy combined. Yet the millions of voracious women (and sometimes men) who read, write, and love romance novels have remained oddly invisible. Until now.
For three years, we follow the lives of five very diverse published romance authors and one unpublished newbie as they build their businesses, find and lose loved ones, cope with a tsunami of change in publishing, and earn a living doing what they love—while empowering others to do the same. During the three years we’ve been shooting Love Between the Covers, we have witnessed the biggest power shift that has taken place in the publishing industry over the last 200 years.”
About ten libraries have already signed up to host a screening at their locations and there are more reservations being processed at the time of this article’s posting. Jennifer Lohmann, Adult Services Manager at Durham County Southwest Regional Library, is not only a librarian but also a romance novelist and a previous Romance Writers of America Librarian of the Year. Needless to say she is eagerly supportive of hosting a screening. “Given the large number of romance authors in the area and the community of romance readers at the library, it seemed natural for us to host the event. It follows in a long line of programming the library has hosted aimed at the romance community.”
Laurie Kahn, the documentary’s director, agrees that libraries are the perfect place for a screening. “Seventy-five million Americans read at least one romance novel per year, and 46 % of romance consumers read at least one book per week! These voracious readers have not always felt welcome in public libraries, and screening the film will send a clear message, welcoming romance readers into the library to watch a film about the romance community with an audience of other people who love the genre, or are curious about it. A public screening will also help librarians establish good relations with local romance writers and these relations could lead to future popular events at the library.”
There is a rental fee for the film that includes promotional material such as fliers, posters, and postcards. Kahn’s team at Blueberry Hill Productions is super nice and ready to help plan your library’s LBtC event. Details of screening procedures are available online or via e-mail at screenings@lovebetweenthecovers.com.
Start planning your Valentine’s Day events now and include this award-winning flick! (The director would love to have 100 or more public libraries have a showing on or near February 14th, 2016!)
Editor’s Note: PLA will be screening this film at PLA 2016. Watch for more information on dates/times at placonference.org.
Tags: documentaries, romance, romance authors, screenings
