Week Seven Prompt

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Celebrity book clubs can be a fantastic way to get word about a title out to the masses. Not only is this great for the author, but it can also be a great way to highlight movements. According to Loggins (2020), "a few of these clubs have a specific focus — such as feminism or female-authored novels" (p. 1). This can help amplify stories that are important and deserve to be heard, but may get lost in all the noise of the publishing world. Amplifying titles that speak on important issues, such as feminism, can also spark needed discourse surrounding those topics. For example, Emma Watson's bookclub, Our Shared Self, has public "discussions about feminism and current events" on Goodreads (Loggins, 2020, p. 1). 

While a celebrity sharing a book may not seem like a big deal, these book clubs have massive influence over the market. Of the fifteen New York Times (2021) bestsellers in hardcover fiction, five are celebrity or TV show book club picks (p. 1). The number one spot currently belongs to Jenna Bush Hager's club Read With Jenna with the pick of The Four Winds. Other titles are Good Morning America's picks of The Midnight Library and The Vanishing Half, and Reese Witherspoon's picks of The Sanatorium and Where the Crawdads Sing. All of these titles are in the top half of the list (The New York Times, 2021, p. 1). This list does change frequently, but the titles can stick around for weeks, if not years. Reese Witherspoon's book club called Hello Sunshine's pick of Where the Crawdads Sing has been on this prominent list for 130 weeks. While the author, Delia Owens, has written works of non-fiction before, this was her very first fiction novel, and there is no doubt that the publicity from Witherspoon's book club helped boost this book to the masses. 

These celebrities have picked some really fantastic titles in the past that have amplified #ownvoices, and I do look forward to their future book picks. However, I would love to see more diversity within celebrity book clubs to represent different communities because representation matters.

References

Loggins, B. (2020, December 7). 6 celebrity book clubs you should join now. NBC. https://www.nbcnews.com/know-your-value/feature/6-celebrity-book-clubs-you-should-join-now-ncna1070766

The New York Times. (2021, March 14). Hardcover fiction. https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/hardcover-fiction/

Comments

  1. Jennifer MillerMarch 5, 2021 at 7:33 AM

    Hi Darla,
    You make a great point about celebrities "amplifying titles that speak on important issues." I think this is a great use of a celebrity's influence over the market. These celebrities encourage people to read books and in many cases, educate themselves on important topics. I would love to see more young celebrities host book clubs to become role models for children who are reluctant readers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Storytime ScribeMarch 7, 2021 at 7:31 PM

      Jennifer,
      I totally agree! There is a whole new generation of readers and those young celebrities with massive social media influence could really impact a lot of lives!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 5, 2021 at 9:46 AM

    Hi Darla,

    I too would love to see more diversity within celebrity book clubs. Since they have such influence it would make a small step forward to even out the publishing world and voices being heard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Storytime ScribeMarch 7, 2021 at 7:29 PM

      Kim,
      Definitely! I love the representation for women that I saw from minimal research, but there is a definite lack of BIPOC representation.

      Delete
  3. Alisha CrumpMarch 6, 2021 at 1:37 PM

    Hi Darla!

    I liked that you pointed out that “these book clubs have massive influence over the market.” I never really thought about that observation, but it makes sense. If people like and trust these celebrities, then it should come as no surprise that their words carry a lot of weight, even if it’s in regards to book recommendations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Storytime ScribeMarch 7, 2021 at 7:33 PM

      Alisha,
      Definitely! I was totally shocked that five out of the fifteen books on the bestseller list were from celebrity book club picks. I have literally never noticed before, so this assignment was a huge eye opener!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousMarch 6, 2021 at 4:07 PM

    Hello Darla,

    Yes book clubs are very popular and they can really help spread awareness of certain books. While it is good that books are addressing important issues but that is not enough. These books have to have a good plot with good characters in order to help drive that issue. If a book doesn't have a good plot or good characters but are addressing important issues then that affects the issue in a negative way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Storytime ScribeMarch 7, 2021 at 7:27 PM

      Jon,
      I totally agree! It is definitely an important balancing act.

      Delete
  5. Erin CataldiMarch 10, 2021 at 9:05 AM

    You make such a good point! Minus Oprah - I don't think any of the celebrity book clubs are headed by any sort of diversity. I do appreciate that they do pick "some" titles by diverse authors - but I agree there needs to be much more representation. Full points!

    ReplyDelete

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