How 831 Stories Is Building A...

Merch plays a much bigger role in 831’s business than Cerulo and Mazur anticipated. It brings in “a lot” of revenue, said Mazur, declining to share exact numbers. 831 wholesales its merch at various booksellers, primarily those with a romance focus, like The Ripped Bodice. 

Other 831 merch is less conventional, offering “in-universe” products that “engage the stories in a tactile way,” said Mazur. For instance, its sweatshirt reading “The Just OK Gatsby” references its movie set romance, Set Piece. It also sells merch for the love interest’s fictional band in Hardly Strangers. 

These different types of merch offer various entry points and a differentiated way for readers to engage with the brand. Cerulo pointed to the halo effect “The Just OK Gatsby” sweatshirt received when writer, actor, and director Lena Dunham posted a photo wearing it on her Instagram.

“People come to our site to buy the sweatshirt and buy the book off the back of that. It’s definitely not the way that other publishers or entertainment companies are selling books,” she said. 

Why 831 commissions fan fiction from creators

For each of its titles, 831 commissions fan fiction from writers—most of whom are Bookstagram or BookTok creators, or run book clubs. Its roster of fan fiction writers include Cat Chiang, Nic Marna, and Zoë Jackson, as well as a handful of smaller creators. So far, 19 fan fiction stories live on 831’s website. 

831 reaches out to creators to ask if they are interested in writing fan fiction for a given title; if they agree, 831 does not edit the story before uploading it to its site, said Mazur. Creators then post their commissioned fan fiction on social, creating another marketing touchpoint for 831’s brand. 

It’s essentially a fan-forward influencer strategy. “People come who follow those creators to read the fan fiction and find out about 831,” said Mazur. 

While fan fiction creates more awareness for 831’s brand, the strategy runs the risk of rubbing fans the wrong way, as it turns an un-sanctioned, de-centralized, and free work into advertising for its titles. In response to potential criticism, Cerulo emphasized the excitement of being able to pay writers for their work—though she declined to provide specific rates. 

“For some, commissioning fan fiction feels antithetical to the idea of fan fiction,” said Mazur. “For us, it’s about recognizing, honoring, celebrating, and encouraging the act of generative fandom.”

Similar criticisms could be aimed at 831’s in-universe merch, which, like fan fiction, is typically made by fans and sold on platforms like Etsy.

“Generative fandom is a really important part of the ecosystem, but there’s something different about it coming directly from the creator of the story,” Mazur said. “It takes on a different feel or tenor.”

Embedding with the Fandom

831 identifies creators it works with by researching what the romance community is reading and talking about across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and Goodreads.