Summary
Overview
Richard and Marina explore how female desire is revolutionizing entertainment industries, from romance publishing's explosive growth to hockey romance TV adaptations. They discuss how traditionally male-dominated industries are finally recognizing the massive commercial potential of serving female audiences, examining breakout hits like Heated Rivalry and the rise of romantasy. The episode also covers Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show controversy and Jeff Bezos's strategic dismantling of The Washington Post.
The Rise of Female Desire in Publishing
Publishing has been patient zero for the female desire revolution, starting with 50 Shades of Grey but truly exploding with self-published romantasy authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros. What mainstream publishers dismissed as erotica evolved into the biggest genre in the world when it merged with fantasy elements, creating 'romantasy' - romance with dragons, werewolves, and mythical beasts. This genre now dominates BookTok and allows women to experience desire on their own terms, often through male-male storylines or fantasy relationships that remove their own cultural baggage from the equation.
- 50 Shades of Grey sold 150 million copies worldwide but was dismissed as an outlier rather than evidence of massive demand
- Self-published erotica and fan fiction flourished underground while traditional publishing ignored the market
- Romantasy (romance + fantasy) became acceptable when it got 'bolted onto fantasy' - publishers were comfortable with dragons
- Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros are now among the biggest writers in the world, though many haven't heard their names
- Women prefer male-male romance stories because they can experience desire conceptually without bringing their own baggage
" There came a point where when mainstream publishing got comfortable with it or found a route into it is when it sort of got bolted onto fantasy... there has to be with dragons if there's a dragon in it they'll allow it "
" Women being removed from these kind of intimate situations completely allows them to just experience the desire on a kind of conceptual level and not bring their own baggage or their cultural baggage to it "
Heated Rivalry: From Gay Hockey Romance to Cultural Phenomenon
Rachel Reid's self-published gay hockey romance novel Heated Rivalry represents the perfect storm of overlooked female desire meeting savvy business strategy. When tiny Canadian streamer Crave adapted it, the show became a massive phenomenon despite minimal investment, demonstrating how engaged female fandoms can make seemingly niche content incredibly profitable. HarperCollins specifically cited Heated Rivalry in their 6% sales increase, and the show's success proves that romance doesn't require expensive production - just authentic storytelling that serves an underserved audience.
- Heated Rivalry started as niche 'gay hockey romance' written by Rachel Reid for her own enjoyment
- Canadian streamer Crave licensed the rights and produced it cheaply - romance only needs a rink and hotel rooms
- HarperCollins cited Heated Rivalry specifically in their 6% sales increase announcement
- The show's approach rejected traditional TV pacing - main characters have sex within 15 minutes rather than waiting until episode five
- Female romance authors form an 'open elite community' sharing business strategies because traditional publishers ignored them
" It's almost enough if the fandom really show up and they always do which is why again it's odd that people don't understand that these are kind of quite bankable the fandoms show up and then a bit more ripples out that's enough "
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