‘Book Boyfriends’ and ‘Shadow Daddies’: the men cashing in on romantasy
1 min read
Summary
The genre romantasy, a combination of romance and fantasy writing, is generating huge profits, not only for publishers but also for creators of fan events and cosplay alongside spawning related side businesses.
One of the more elaborate recent trends in this sector is the book-themed fantasy ball, occurring in various cities, allowing attendees to mingle with popular romantasy characters, in the form of cosplaying performers.
These events entail costume themes, all-night dancing, and opportunities for photographs, with tickets costing between 100and400, not including the money spent on costumes by attendees.
This trend has been boosted by content creators on the social media platform TikTok, where content related to romantasy books and authors has seen a huge rise in interest.
The success of these books, boosted by TikTok, has led to authors making special partnerships with sports teams, as well as the creation of related side businesses such as cosplay outfits, writing courses, and fan events.