WINNER ANNOUNCED!

ROMANTIC NOVELISTS’ ASSOCIATION ROMANCE INDUSTRY AWARDS FOR LIBRARY OF THE YEAR 2025

WEDNESDAY 8 OCTOBER 2025  We are delighted to announce that Manchester Central Library is the winner for the category of Library of the Year for our annual Romance Industry Awards (RIAs) 2025.

Manchester Central Library has championed the genre in a positive and professional way by hosting the Love Stories Etc. festival, as well as other romance author events using a mixture of in-library publicity and social media. Danny and his team have proven to be enthusiastic champions of the romance genre, creating a welcoming and accessible space for a variety of romantic fiction authors, bloggers and readers, especially with events such as Love Stories Etc. 

This is precisely what the genre needs: a large-scale, high-profile event whose reach and impact are felt both locally and nationally. Showing a clear recognition of the importance of romantic fiction as a literary genre and it is particularly refreshing to see that for two years in a row, Manchester Central Library has provided the resources (staff, time, money and space) to support this event attracting writers, publishers and readers of romantic fiction.

Danny Middleton of Manchester Central Library said, “Gosh, what an honour to win the RNA Library of the Year award! I’ve worked in bookselling and libraries since I was 16. I’ve been the Events and Reader Development Manager for Manchester Libraries the last 15 years and it’s still the best job in the world. The most enjoyable part of my job is developing partnerships that encourage people to discover the joy of reading for pleasure. 

Over the last two years the highlight has been working with the publishing powerhouses Sara-Jade Virtue and Alice Murphy-Pyle on the fabulous Love Stories etc festival. I can honestly say nothing recognises the impact of reading more than this festival. Central Library is taken over by an atmosphere of love, laughter and huge support for the many authors and a warm welcoming hug of a community for 100’s of fans of romantic fiction. 

The festival has been a huge success and is now an important feature of our annual programme. I look forward to working with Alice and Sara-Jade for many years and developing the Love Stories Festival further. This is just the start of a beautiful relationship!” 

Our RNA Chair, Seána Talbot, said, “Libraries are an essential part of our communities. Events like Love Stories Etc. and book clubs at Manchester Central Library bring readers and writers together and we, at the RNA, appreciate their work in enriching the romantic fiction community.”

Our RNA Director, Lucy Morris, commented, “The Love Stories Etc. event was such a great success for romance authors and could not have been achieved without the valuable help and space offered by Danny Middleton and his team. It is clear Manchester Central Library has committed to delivering this high-profile, romance-focused event for years to come and continues to improve upon its delivery year after year. We applaud libraries taking the time and resources to help support our genre. Thank you!”

The RIAs celebrate those who have done outstanding work this year supporting the romantic fiction genre and its authors.

The winner for Library of the Year 2025 was decided using the following criteria:

1. How the library supports individual writers/authors
2. How the library supports the romance genre
3. How the library innovates or improves support for writers/authors or the romance genre

The additional six categories in the RIAs are: Publisher of the Year, Editor of the Year, Agent of the Year, Romance Champion of the Year, Rising Star of the Year and Romance Narrator of the Year.

The winners of the remaining six categories will be announced during our RIAs ceremony, which will be held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City, 8-14 Cooper’s Row, London EC3N 2BQ, on Monday, 3rd November 2025 at 11:30 a.m. The Library of the Year shortlistees and the winner are welcome to attend the afternoon to celebrate.

To purchase tickets for the awards ceremony click here.

https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/awards/the-rna-industry-awards

ADDITIONAL MEDIA INFORMATION ABOUT MANCHESTER CENTRAL LIBRARY

https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library

Danny Middleton Manchester Libraries, Galleries and Culture.

Floor One. Town Hall Extension. PO Box 532. M60 2LA

 MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

RNA Press Officer: PressOfficer@romanticnovelistsassociation.org