Romance novel can be much less successful in a European market. Although Italy is the strongest foreign market for the chick lit sold by single-title imprint Red Dress Ink, in that country romance readers do not care to read books about cowboys, as this type of occupation was not common in their culture. The paranormal romance genre is not popular in countries such as Poland and Russia, although historical romance tends to be very successful. Inspirational romance does not sell well in Europe, where romances that feature babies are very popular. German readers enjoy reading more erotic romance novels, and some German
Word Power Books began working towards establishing Word Power. The shop opened in November 1994, with a formal opening in December by Booker Prize winning novelist James Kelman. Since opening it has gained a reputation for supporting non-mainstream writers and ideas. In February 2017 Henry announced that she was stepping down "for personal reasons rather than the market" and was looking to sell the shop, leaving its future unclear. Word Power Books has published a number of releases by Scottish writers, including, James Kelman, Tom Leonard and National Collective. Word Power organise a radical Edinburgh Book Fringe alongside the Edinburgh Festivals each August.