Once upon a time, a woman started a book club.
The woman was named Oprah Winfrey. And the book club became a big deal. Huge.
Oprah’s Book Club started in 1996 and inspired a massive wave of reading. Looking back on my own childhood, I realize that all it took for my mom—and so many others, especially women—to grab a book was that iconic little Oprah sticker.
Oprah’s book club may have been the first one driven by a celebrity, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Over the years, many other A-listers have invited their fans to read along with them, often amplifying new storytellers in the process. Reese Witherspoon’s book club has been especially effective at lifting the voices of up-and-coming women and BIPOC authors. These celebrities, among others, have done amazing things for the literary community, spotlighting writers in the way they deserve and encouraging people to read a book when they may have otherwise chosen to do something else with their spare time.
The rant that follows has absolutely nothing to do with the aforementioned clubs and the public figures behind them.
There’s plenty of proof out there that these celebrity book clubs have made real impact. As a lifelong reader and cheerleader for all things literary, I’m always happy to see more people reading more books. Plus, I have a ton of respect for anyone who chooses to be a forerunner in a space. Celebrities like Oprah and Reese (we’re on a first-name basis, obviously) didn’t have to use their incredible success and existing platforms to promote literacy and put authors on a pedestal… but they did! And that’s freaking cool.
But more recently, another wave of celebrity- and influencer-driven book clubs have really started to grind my gears.
Picture me stepping daintily onto a soapbox because I have things to say.
Over the last few months, especially, I’ve noticed a trend: influencers who have built their fame largely on brand deals with massive companies that support them through Instagram partnerships, podcast ads, and the like suddenly… decide to start reading. And not only do they decide to start reading, but they decide to invite their thousands/millions of invested fans to join them… but more importantly, they invite those thousands/millions of invested fans to purchase their book selections—most of which are already bestsellers, written by folks who don’t need the extra promotion—via Amazon affiliate links.
I know this is a cynical take, but I’m fairly confident that I’m not reaching too far here.
I hate to name names, but for the purposes of this post and for this conversation, I’m going to. I actually used to be a big fan of this person—and I’m pretty sure that my use of her “book club” (check out those sassy quotation marks!) as a case study isn’t going to affect her bottom line too much. Let’s talk about Kaitlyn Bristowe.
Currently Reading: Maame by Jessica George
This one’s been on my bookshelf for almost a year now, and I decided to choose it for my own Patreon book club so I would finally get the push I needed to read it. I was confident based on the synopsis that I would be a fan, and so far, that seems to be true! Fun fact: apropos of this post, Maame was actually selected as a Today Show Read With Jenna Book Club pick! For the most part, I think Jenna does a thoughtful job of cultivating her list and of using her club to elevate diverse voices, so I’m here for it.
Earlier this year, Bristowe launched something she called “Big Book Guys” to her social media followers and to listeners of her Grape Therapy podcast. As part of the rollout, she talked about how she wanted to make reading more of a priority. Let’s be clear: I SUPPORT THIS—and I support her encouraging others to do the same.
That being said, there are some issues with this model. Here are a few I see:
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