The £20 Book Boyfriend Draft: Five Men, One Roster & the Arc That Could Save Publishing — The Spicy Librarian Podcast

The rules are simple. You have £20. You need five book boyfriends. Every man on the market has a price tag and you have to build the best possible roster without going over budget. Easy. Completely straightforward. Nobody lost their mind at all.

Drafting Zade from Haunting Adeline, Josh from Lights Out, and Acker from Metal Slinger ( the first book Katie ever spoiled, throwback) — who came all the way across the ocean for you, and we respect the commitment. Katie went for Ruhn from Crescent City, Xaden from Fourth Wing (Katie's roster, Katie's rules and Greyson from Daggermouth — masked man, awful in-laws, but somehow still a solid ten.

Then we had to defend our rosters. You’re getting involved. The logistics of five men living with you were discussed in more depth than we anticipated, and the results were illuminating. But which house would you live in?

Round two gave us a trope budget — enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed, taboo relationship, fake dating, accidental pregnancy, miscommunication, instalove, grumpy sunshine and second chance all hit the table — and from those picks we arced the next two New York Times bestseller and the return of Chad and Poppy. The publishing industry is not ready, and it’s welcome.

Timestamps:

01:15 — Rules of the Draft05:10 — The Draft Begins26:33 — Roster Defence: The Logistics of Five Men39:29 — Round Two: The Trope Budget45:13 — Arcing the Next Bestseller: Chad, Poppy & the Book That Could Save Publishing

Books & Characters Referenced:

Zade — Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton (dark romance, stalker romance)Josh — Lights Out by Navessa Allen (dark romance, masked MMC)Kingfisher — Quicksilver by Callie Hart (romantasy)Ruhn — Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas (romantasy)Vale — Crown Me Yours by Liv Zander (dark romance)Xaden — Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (romantasy, enemies to lovers)Rhysand — A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (romantasy, MaasVerse)Seven — White Rose Painted Red by Elena Lawson (dark romance, why choose, indie)Acker — Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider (dark romance)Greyson — Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe (dark romantasy, masked MMC)

If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram to tell us who would be in your £20 roster. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤