Starting with a quick disclaimer: on Open Book, we primarily talk about books and reading. However, the contents of this newsletter could easily apply across media genres and relate to movies, music, etc.
As both reader and someone who works in publishing, I’m fascinated by what books others gravitate towards. I find their TBR lists help me get to know them, and I love conversing over the shared love of certain titles. But in the age of personal branding, we need to consider that some people are showcasing genres as brand versus passion, and keeping us (the viewers) at an arm’s length from truly knowing them.
Having a passion for reading does not mean you need to love every genre or shop according to your perceived interests (your brand).
Knowing what book someone is reading can be so intimate. A reading list reveals someone’s interests, their favorite passages show what resonates with them, and their ratings and reviews share their reading priorities.
If you asked me before I had time to start thinking about it, I’d say “I read everything, but my favorite books are historical fiction (primarily featuring WWII or New York), cozy/psychological thrillers (like this and this) and most contemporary fiction (like Emily Henry and Kristy Woodson Harvey).”
I would also tell you I started the year with the intention of reading one nonfiction book per week for self- and business development, and that I’m slightly behind on that goal.
AND THEN I’d remember to share that I recently read Fourth Wing and was shocked that I loved it so much. Oh, and that I was influenced to buy All Fours, and it’s okay so far.
Rob loves to say that I have a 15-minute circle-back in most instances…meaning shortly after a conversation moves on, I think of something to add — usually clarifying — and have to reopen the chat. I personally think this is because I often speak as I think, and once I stop talking my brain has a chance to catch up and formulate a clearer thought. Haha, anyone else like this?
So 15 minutes after you asked me what books I love, here’s what I’d realize and amend:
After reading 10 nonfiction books so far this year, I lost steam in bettering myself through lessons and wanted nothing more than to dive back into fiction to expand my mind through the creativity of escapism.
I don’t know why I was so adamantly against reading Fourth Wing — I loved Harry Potter, Divergent, The Hunger Games…all the popular series of our adolescent years. Hi, I’m Jessica, and I also like reading fantasy, it seems.
And what I don’t like is slow moving l i t e r a t u r e. I don’t like All Fours. The truth is it activated a reading slump for me because I couldn’t get past page 50, and felt guilty admitting I didn’t like it. While we’re at it, I hated Paper Palace. Books like these books bore me to tears (and honestly, sometimes I don’t even understand what’s going on). This is me owning my ‘non-sophisticated’ fiction tastebuds, and putting All Fours back on the shelf, tagged DNF.
I often have to read out of my interests for work, but what we can do with the information we clarified above, is apply it to my personal brand.
I love the goal I set as a book-loving entrepreneur: to read so many expansion books — it’s so on brand — but it’s totally misaligned from my personality. Me powering through title after title to show you I’m a plugged-in business owner is going to be exhausting for me and boring for you.
The books I share will be books I’m excited to read, have completed and whole-heartedly recommend. I don’t want you to write me off as a less-than-serious publishing professional when I say I don’t want to read that classic book, but instead am counting down the days until Leigh Bardugo releases the third Alex Stern installment (March 2025!), behind Ninth House and Hell Bent. Fiction sparks creativity, believe it.
I also want you to trust me when I say go buy Greenlights and Happy Sexy Millionaire if you’re interested in betterment, because as far as I’m concerned, those are the only two you need on your shelf (I re-read them both annually).
You’re not a bookstore (or Spotify, or a movie theater). As a book lover, you do not need to cater to all book lovers, feel judged for your choices or what they imply about who you are. It’s also not fair to authors, for misaligned readers to promote their books and send them down a path for potential negative reviews. Opening up your brand to exclusively include titles and niches that you enjoy, scary as that may sound, will only make your bookish community stronger.
Of course, there will always be outliers. But at its core, reading what you love inspires more reading. You inspire yourself to pick up another book. With every passionate share, you inspire an aligned reader to take your recommendation, and open the door for them to share their favorites with you. And a little added bonus: you’re building brand recognition in the process! :)