Episode Overview

Episode Title: The Bookshelf Recommends: 831 Stories (Ep. 568)
Podcast: From the Front Porch
Host: Annie Jones (Owner, The Bookshelf, Thomasville, GA)
Guests: Caroline (Marketing & Events Manager), Kendyl (Inventory Coordinator)
Date: February 12, 2026

Main Theme:

This episode spotlights the romance publisher 831 Stories, examining how they're disrupting the genre with their novella-length books, cohesive branding, savvy marketing, and immersive world-building. Annie, Caroline, and Kendyl discuss their own relationships with romance novels and share their top recommendations from the publisher’s catalog.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Romance Reading: Personal Perspectives

• Kendyl as "Romance Guru": Annie recognizes Kendyl as The Bookshelf's go-to for romance recommendations.
  • Kendyl’s Journey: Romance genres (YA like Jenny Han’s books) rekindled her love of reading during college. “I just hold romance as such a special place in my heart and in my reading life. I just think romance is the best.” (04:48)
  • On Character-Driven Stories: “I think that you’re reading a romance, you see the ending from a mile away… but you get to follow these characters and watch them grow over the course of the book.” (04:48)
• Caroline: The Bookstore’s “Literary Fiction” Reader:
  • Prefers literary, hybrid-genre, poetry, and nonfiction.
  • Not typically a romance reader, but enjoys romantic movies: “I love, like, one of my favorite movies ever is While You Were Sleeping… That’s cinema to me.” (09:07)
  • Relates to romance more in films and TV than in books but became intrigued by 831’s novellas during a hectic period: “I was like, oh, this is the bag of delicious elevated microwave popcorn that I am desiring deeply right now.” (10:15)

2. 831 Stories: Distinct Branding & Format

• Novella-Length Works:
  • “They're more like snippets. They're more like tastings… You can digest it like you would microwave popcorn.” – Annie (11:21)
• Cover Design Evolution:
  • Historic shift from Fabio-esque, mass market covers, to cartoon/illustrative styles post-2018.
  • 831 books are small, slim, with bold graphic covers—abstract patterns, no people/figures—setting them apart.
    • Store Floor Appeal: “People are gravitating to pick that up because it’s different. It's not what we've been seeing since 2018. It's something fresh, it's something new.” – Kendyl (14:41)
• Price-Point Accessibility:
  • Lower cost than hardcovers increases pickup/buying likelihood: “People are much more inclined to pick that up and own it because it’s a low investment.” – Annie (15:16)

3. Marketing Smarts and Brand Sophistication

• Designed to Stand Out in the Market:
  • 831 intentionally creates a unique visual language for all its books—collectible appeal.
    “They're creating a visual language… it stands out so much next to any other book.” – Caroline (17:41)
• Addressing Reader Stigma:
  • 831’s sophisticated covers mitigate embarrassment/shame around reading romance in public: “I've spoken to customers in the store who are like, I like romance, but I feel kind of silly holding this book… [831] looks sophisticated” – Caroline (18:30)
• Urban, Cosmopolitan Aesthetic:
  • “It feels very New York… they are thinking what looks good reading on the subway.” – Annie (18:45)
• Collectability:
  • “Never underestimate… the collectibility of something. And why not collect all six of these? Gotta catch 'em all.” – Annie (20:16)

4. Immersive, Merchandised Experiences

• Interactive Content & Merchandising:
  • QR codes in the books lead readers to bonus chapters, playlists, and merch referencing fictional elements (shirts with band names, vases, pasta kits, etc.)
    • Initial reactions ranged from “icky/capitalism” to “genius”—but ultimately lauded as responding to fandom culture.
  • “I love owning physical things for the media that I love… what’s great about their merch is that it’s very low-key… unless you’ve read [the book].” – Kendyl (24:45)
• Event-Focused Marketing:
  • Book launch parties themed after book scenes (ex: karaoke nights), further world-building and reader-community engagement.
• Membership Model:
  • Subscription for early book access and exclusive merch (“tote bags!”), paralleling indie store memberships and Patreon models—the hosts admit admiration and envy at the foresight.

5. Strategic Publishing & Market Awareness

• Rapid Responsiveness:
  • 831 capitalizes on current pop culture and reading trends (sports, politics, celebrity, queer romance) faster than traditional publishers.
  • “I think 831… is on time. What I mean is—already sellers on Etsy… were creating merch for Emily Henry books. 831 feels like the first publisher… capitalizing on it.” – Annie (26:31)
• World-Building and Fandom Appeal:
  • Strong parallels drawn between 831’s strategies and franchises like A24 Films, Marvel, and Disney: “They feel like the A24 of romance novels or books in general—they’re just doing something so unique.” – Kendyl (27:31)

Featured Book Recommendations (Mini-Reviews & Notable Quotes)

1. [45:07] Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff

Selected by Annie

• Trope: Famous-person/normal-person romance (political strategist & ex-boy-band member)
• “A rom com that deals with universal basic income… and the way that it handles politics, I think is really savvy and interesting… sexy, steamy, but also didn't totally feel like, you know, I had to bury my head under the covers.” (35:10)
• “A great way to kick off to kind of let people know, this is what you can expect from our slate.” (36:46)

2. [46:46] Set Piece by Lana Schwartz

Selected by Caroline

• Trope: Celebrity/normal-person (actor & bartender/set designer), Notting Hill vibes
• “The tension in this book is not like, oh, the paparazzi saw us together and I can't handle the fame… it takes a kind of different and fresher turn, which I thought was… really nice.” (39:29)
• “Open door, but not excessive. Those scenes don't take up a lot of pages.” (39:36)

3. [47:56] Hardly Strangers by A.C. Robinson

Selected by Kendyl

• Trope: Chance-encounter, celebrity/normal-person; single-night timeline, poetic prose.
• “It oozes coolness in ways I cannot describe. It is also so vulnerable… the author is actually a poet, so you can kind of see her prose throughout.” (41:00)
• Compared to Before Sunrise (movie): “You follow them throughout the night… kind of getting to know each other and growing this connection with each other.” (42:08)

Bonus New Release Mention:

• Rooting Interest (WNBA-adjacent, queer romance) – “I am very excited to see… maybe they're dealing with similar tropes, but they're also adding maybe a political element… a sports element.” – Annie (43:09)

Memorable & Notable Quotes

• Kendyl: “I think romance is really for the character-driven reader, in my opinion, and I will die on that hill.” [04:48]
• Caroline: “A lot of romance books I'm not interested in reading, but if they were made into a movie, I would be watching that so fast.” [08:29]
• Annie: “They're more like tastings… You can digest it like you would microwave popcorn: like, it’s just there to enjoy and then be done.” [11:21]
• Caroline: “I've spoken to customers… who are like, I like romance, but I feel kind of silly holding this book. [831] looks sophisticated.” [18:30]
• Kendyl: “What's great about their merch is that it's very low-key too. Like, you’re not going to know what the shirt is unless you’ve read [the book].” [24:45]
• Annie: “They feel like the A24 of romance novels or books in general, they’re just doing something so unique and individualistic…” [27:31]
• Annie: “I think 831… is on time… 831 feels like the first publisher or company that I’ve seen understand what bookstagrammers, what the consumer already wants, and they’re capitalizing on it.” [26:31]
• Caroline: “Why shouldn't the experience of reading a book be like the experience of going to see a movie that now we have this shared lexicon of quotes and inside jokes?” [28:35]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• Romance reader identities and journeys: 04:01–09:29
• Format and cover evolution in romance books: 12:42–15:16
• Marketing, stigma, and sophisticated branding: 16:04–21:27
• Interactive merchandising, QR codes, and membership models: 23:29–33:29
• Mini-reviews (Top three 831 titles): 35:07–43:09

Conclusion

This episode is a deep-dive into how 831 Stories is innovating romance publishing—offering short, cinematic novellas with stylish, savvy branding and multi-layered reader experiences (merch, playlists, events, memberships). The Bookshelf team—each with distinct reading tastes—finds common ground in the immersive, appealing worlds 831 is building.

Perfect For:
Fans of modern romance looking for smart, accessible reads; those interested in book marketing trends, or anyone curious about how indie publishers are changing the game.

Further Info:
Explore the 831 Stories catalog and order bundles at bookshelfthomasville.com (search episode 568 for recommendations). See show notes for additional links and NPR coverage of 831 Stories’ events.