Emily Goyanes, a Publishing and Writing MA student expected to graduate Fall ‘25, has taken hands-on experience in the book world to the next level. She works as a bookseller at Lovestruck Books, the first romance-focused bookstore to open in Cambridge. The store offers an array of romance subgenres, including romantasy, romantic comedies, contemporary romance, historical romance, and LGBTQ+. “We’re a diverse community where every reader belongs,” says their website.
Lovestruck officially opened its doors in December 2024, and hosted an array of grand opening events throughout January, including tarot card readings, author visits, and free coffee tastings. And Emily, hired a month before Lovestruck’s grand opening, has been there since the beginning.
From Barnes & Noble to Lovestruck: Importance of Indie Bookstores
For Emily, a Los Angeles native, Lovestruck Books is not the first bookstore she’s ever worked in. With experience working at Barnes & Noble in California and Trident Booksellers & Cafe on Boston’s famous Newbury Street, she was a perfect candidate to join Lovestruck’s new team.
But Emily feels that independent, or indie, bookstores shape romance readership and author visibility in ways that larger retailers often don’t. She emphasizes that Lovestruck fully caters to the community’s needs, curating a selection of books tailored to its customers’ wants. “For romance specifically, Lovestruck has been able to stock a lot of titles that maybe aren’t as popular as the big ones,” says Emily. “We also really wanted to create a space for self-published and independently published authors. I think we’ve been able to do a great job of that so far, and hopefully we can continue to do so!” she adds.
Romance in the World of Publishing
Although romance dominates the publishing industry and remains one of the highest-grossing genres, academic discussions often overlook it. The stigma behind the romance genre makes a dedicated bookstore like Lovestruck so important, especially in an academic hub like Cambridge. “As a lifelong romance reader, I’m constantly striving to make people view romance as a serious genre. There’s still a lot of stigma and stereotyping around romance, but Lovestruck is proof that people want romance books. It has been extremely reaffirming to see crowds of people in the store coming in to celebrate love and love stories.”
Emily also celebrates how the romance genre is making small leaps of recognition in the publishing world. She says, “In one of my classes, The Role of the Literary Agent, we track the New York Times Best Sellers every week. This past week alone, almost half of the paperback bestsellers were romance or a romance subgenre. It’s great to see proof that this isn’t a genre that’s going away; it really is persevering through difficult times.”
Continuing to Bring Lovestruck Into the Classroom
As a Publishing and Writing MA student, Emily remains fascinated by tracking sales and literary trends in real time through her work as a bookseller. “It’s interesting to see what the general public enjoys reading, and which authors tend to stick out in different stores.”
When asked about the influence of popular media on sales, Emily says, “There is a lot of influence from BookTok in the store, but I would say less so from other sources like Goodreads. A lot of our customers are newer readers who are just getting into the romance genre, so many of them gravitate towards popular BookTok titles.”
Emily also emphasized how often she applies lessons and skills learned at Lovestruck to her classroom discussions, and vice versa. “A lot of the time when I’m tracking trends and looking into what books we should carry in our store, I get to talk about that with my classmates. The author events we host have also given me the opportunity to communicate with both authors and their publicists, giving me a better understanding of how book tours and signings work,” Emily adds.
Conversely, Emily says knowledge from her publishing classes has been helpful, specifically in regard to a writer’s workshop she is hosting at Lovestruck. “While reading books and giving feedback is something I enjoy in general, my editorial classes have given me the credentials to run that in the store!” she exclaims.
Looking Forward
Emily’s experience at Lovestruck Books, combined with her education at Emerson, has deepened her appreciation for all aspects of publishing. “From the authors to the editors to the cover designers to the sales reps who are putting the books into our store—I’ve really gotten to see a little bit of everything.” She also adds that “working in a bookstore—in both a chain and an indie store—has helped me weed out what I’m probably not suited for, as well.”
Overall, Emily maintains that “it’s great to just be in a space with so many like-minded individuals who love reading, writing, or book editing. It’s given me the confidence to pursue some of my more creative hobbies!”
Lovestruck Books, conveniently located near Harvard Square via the MBTA Red Line, is the perfect spot for romance readers and book lovers alike. Whether you’re looking for an enemies-to-lovers trope, fun bookish gifts, or just a warm cup of coffee, this is the place for you. Be sure to check out more upcoming events on their website—and if you stop in, don’t forget to say hi to Emily!
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