Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie Webb. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
Romance is known for its spice level – often the level of spice can make or break a story for a reader. To help people navigate spice levels and choose books that are right for them, I created our Tongue in Cheek Spice Scale:
Green pepper – Young adult books; no spice but romantic interest is clear
One Red Chili – Kisses and flirtations
Two Red Chilis – Some description, but can fade to black or leave much detail up to the imagination
Three Red Chilis – Description is clear, but not explicit and scenes tend to be limited
Four Red Chilis – Explicit and detailed descriptions
Five Red Chilis – Explicit and detailed with multiple people, varied acts, and the explicit content is a significant part of the story
Each book comes with a bookmark that notes the spice level as well as notable tropes to help people find – or avoid – certain topics.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Dr. Stephanie Webb and I own Tongue in Cheek Bookshop. I have had an interest in romance stories for years, and I wanted to create a community of readers who also love the genre. Tongue in Cheek supports independent authors through events and books sales. We run the Polastic Book Fair, which is a pole dance class with a book fair right after – I am looking forward to moving into other types of book fairs in 2025. Tongue in Cheek will offer Polastic Book Fair events for birthdays, holiday parties, and other celebrations in the near future. We also attend market around Denver as we work toward a brick and mortar shop.
I hope that we offer an inclusive place for readers to connect and find joy in what they read, without judgment. I curate our book selection to offer great reads at great prices, and I offer book buy backs for folks who want to sell their books as well.
I would love for people to know that romance is not only for people who were raised as women! All stories feature a character who changes somehow – that is a part of the heroes journey. Romance books feature a romantic relationship as the catalyst for change! Human connection is an important experience for everyone.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I have owned multiple businesses before, so I am going in with a good dose of reality. At this stage of business, I am currently funding Tongue in Cheek by myself. I have a full time job and two other jobs to support the start up costs. All of my profit is going to my ideal future state and opening a brick and mortar. In the future, I hope to secure a business loan in order to transition to a bigger platform.
I hope customers know how grateful I am for every purchase. They are supporting not only a future bookshop, but my dedication!
If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?
Yes, Tongue in Cheek has multiple revenue streams. Of course, books are our bread and butter and I currently sell them online, via our Instagram stories, and in markets. I also offer book boxes, that I curate myself.
I create and sell bath bombs as a supplement to books, and also work to carry bookish items like bookmarks and candles that people will love.
Finally, I am really working to develop events that people love. Books are a part of each event, but they including dancing, moving, and eating together to continue to foster community and connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tongueincheekbookshop.com
- Instagram: tongueincheekbooks
