Lola Sekon
Contributing Writer
For those of us that are chronically online, or at least glued to Pinterest, TikTok, or YouTube, I’m sure that you’ve seen the infamous photo of influencer Addison Rae reading a book while walking down the street.
Whenever I look at this picture, I can’t help but scoff at the absurdity of it. I may be speaking for myself, but trying to read while walking is near impossible — this photo is definitely created for clickbait purposes. And this isn’t the first time we’ve seen celebrities pretend to look occupied while being swarmed by a herd of paparazzi. Lately, their go-to has been a book.
With this recent trend, I’ve been wondering about celebrities and their relationship to reading. How do they impact the popularity of reading as well as actual book sales? I’m willing to bet that if a famous person is seen reading a copy of a certain book, sales for said book will inevitably increase.
Are celebrities actually good for books and reading culture as a whole, or are they detrimental to the sacred hobby?
So, I asked an expert. I consulted the Publicity Director forMurdoch Books at Allen & Unwin, Christine Farmer, on the matter.
She explained the massive impact that celebrity endorsements have on the publishing industry and how their influence can significantly boost sales. She mentioned Oprah Winfrey’s book club, noting how these endorsements tremendously affected the sales for the book being covered.
Now, with the rise of BookTok (a corner of TikTok where people recommend books to their fellow viewers), Farmer states that “every publisher today would now like a BookTok endorsement.”
There are multiple factors that play into modern book publishing. Since the rise of BookTok and arguably, the invention of social media as a whole, the publishing industry has transformed dramatically.
If writers wish to gain mainstream success or profit from their work, they need to make sure that their book is marketable or has some form of “virality factor.” Whether Kendall Jenner was photographed on a boat reading the book, or it shows up on Timothée Chalamet’s Goodreads reading list, visibility is crucial.
Farmer also brought up the topic of celebrity books — memoirs written by celebrities — and how these are fast-selling, high-grossing titles. She listed Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare” as one of the “fastest selling memoirs in the history of the UK and Australia (and possibly the world), [selling] 3.2 million copies worldwide in its first week.”
This opened another door in the conversation about celebrity reading. In the photo previously mentioned, Rae is reading Britney Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me” — a prime example of what Farmer expressed. Celebrity memoirs are fast-selling products that appeal to fellow celebrities, who will read and promote them, therefore proving the potency of influence these memoirs have over reading culture.
This information has given me a lot to think about. I won’t deny that in the past, I’ve been influenced by celebrity endorsements and have read a book simply because I’ve seen certain celebrities reading it.
I think that there is a slight benefit to celebrities’ influence over reading. Their social presence pushes people that may not be avid readers to dive into the hobby, which is inherently positive. Especially considering today’s political climate that is actively championing anti-intellectualism and trying to bar people from being properly educated, encouraging people to read truly matters.
Yet I feel that there is a darker side to this.
Not all book recommendations are created equal, and sometimes the taste of the recommender deserves exploration. In some cases, books even become famous and viral solely because a celebrity has read it, not because it tells a genuinely good story. For instance, Delia Owens’ “Where the Crawdads Sing” is a noteworthy example, with readers being outraged by how the novel portrays Black characters in a stereotypical light.
We should have some discernment about whose recommendations we’re following when trying to find our next read. That said, I don’t think anyone should feel ashamed about wanting to read a book that has been endorsed by a celebrity — reading, in any form, is important.