In honor of Read-A-Romance Month and Romance Awareness Month, this August we’ll be sharing insights from members of the romance bookish community! For this month’s issue, we took a look at this community and what makes it so special in this article, and interviewed internationally best-selling romance author TL Swan to learn more about her writing approach and widespread impact in this article. Here, you can read the full interview with bookfluencer and 1/2 of Nerdy Babes PA Services, Mindy Menotti. For her social media, see below!
How long have you been interested in reading as a hobby/academic interest/etc.? In other words, how would you describe your history with reading?
I would have to say my love for reading started during my middle school years. I can remember going to the library multiple times a week to check out Goosebumps books and the Babysitters Club books as well. I went several years after starting high school without reading for fun, but when I started reading again in my late teens, I would go to this used book store in my hometown and buy literally every single Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, and Nicolas Sparks book they ever had in stock. This went on into my early twenties. And then life got busy and I didn’t read again until 2 summers ago. A friend of mine loaned me a few books while I was recovering from a surgery. The first book I picked up was Verity by Colleen Hoover, and I was HOOKED from that point on. I have not gone a single day without reading since reading Verity, and I have only become more and more invested in my reading journey over these past two years.
On average, how many books do you read a week? A month?
I read anywhere from 3-6 books a week. It depends on how much sleep I want/need. I try to average 15-20 monthly as a goal, but there have been busy months I was not able to reach this goal.
What is your preferred reading method (i.e., paperback/hardcover, Kindle/iPad, audiobooks, a combination of these, etc.)?
I have always been a big paperback lover. I love the smell of the books, the feel of the pages and the journey of reading a physical book. However, my younger sister bought me a Kindle a little over a year ago as a birthday gift, and I have become a very big lover of my Kindle as well. Especially with the late night reading I enjoy.
How did you first get into the book community on social media?
Two summers ago I started a Facebook book group with a great bookish friend that I met online, through a really large book group. We wanted a smaller, more intimate space to talk about all things books with other book lovers, so we opened a group called Insta Book Babes. The group grew quite quickly and as it grew, authors became members, which turned me onto a whole other book world of “bookstagram” on Instagram. And then from there authors in our Facebook would ask us to follow their pages on TikTok, so of course I had to make an account there to follow along their writing journey too. And things have just blown up from there as far as being in the bookish community. Which I must say is a group of some of the most wonderful people I have ever had the privilege of meeting.
What are some of your favorite genres and tropes to read? Do you often follow trends in terms of genres and tropes that become popular, or do you stick with a particular set of favorites? Do you follow an author regardless of what sort of stories they write?
I am a romance lover at heart, but I do tend to read a fair share of psychological thrillers and mysteries. I would say for the most part I read romcoms or sports romance books as my first choice, but dabble in the darker romance books as well.
I have so many tropes that draw me in that I can’t list them all, but some of my favorites are forbidden love, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and small town romance. Anyone that knows me will tell you that I am a huge indie author supporter, so while I love supporting all of the big name authors, I try to also read a large portion of indie authors. I try to follow any authors that I have read or plan to read, as well as recommended authors too.
Who are your favorite authors and how did you discover them? Do you read a lot of indie authors, mainstream authors or a mixture of both?
I would say a good mixture of both, though in recent months I have been reading about 80% indie authors. Some of my absolute favorite indie authors are Carolina Jax, Jade Dollston, AK Landow, LA Ferro, Ryan Marie, Maggie Rawdon, Kate Campfield, Angela Casella, Nicole Abrams, Nadia Han and Brooke O’Brien. A good amount of these authors I have met through the Facebook group, and the others I have met through my book besties.
Some of my favorite mainstream authors are Devney Perry, Freida McFadden and Colleen Hoover. My sister, Mycah, introduced each of these authors to me.
Are you in any book groups for any authors on social media? Do you network with authors? Have any authors sought you out to be a part of their beta team/ARC team/etc.? Have you opted into these opportunities?
I am in over 100 book groups for authors on social media, with most being Facebook author groups. I do a lot of networking with indie authors and have really enjoyed that. I have had a large number of authors reach out to me personally to read on their alpha/beta/arc teams and participate on their influencer street teams too. I currently read for over 50 different authors as one of alpha/beta/arc readers. I rarely turn authors down, unless I cannot meet the deadline due to my already busy schedule.
What are your thoughts on the book community, both at large and your specific experiences/interests within it? How do you find the broader book industry has changed over time? Has social media played a role in enacting this change?
I would say that the book community in general has been one of the most positive places I have had the opportunity to be a part of. Though I know there are things that happen and bumps that pop up for people in the book community, my personal experience has been nothing but positive. And for that I have been very grateful.
The industry is constantly changing, as social media makes constant changes as to what is or is not allowed as far as social media content and posting, so as influencers and members of the book community, we have to roll with the punches. I do feel that it has had some negative impact on some of the authors and that in some cases it has been a lot harder for them in recent months to market and promote their books as easily as it once was. But they too, take it in stride and keep pushing forward.
Describe the book community through a social lens. Has this community granted particular social/friendship opportunities you might not have experienced otherwise?
Some of the very best friends that I have, I’ve met through social media and the bookish community. Friendships that I know will last a lifetime. Friends that I talk to multiple times a week, if not, on a daily basis. It has been amazing for me not just as a reader and lover of books, but as a stay at home mom as well. It has opened doors and given me opportunities that would have never crossed my path, had I not been a part of the book community.
How did you go from being a reader to filling more of an influencer role? How did you grow your following? How would you describe your position and responsibilities?
I went from a reader to an admin for the Facebook book group I stated above, and from there meeting authors from the page and following them on the different social media platforms has taken me on a journey of my own.
I would say I grew a following easily in that when you are searching social media platforms as a reader, you are looking for other readers who like the same genres, authors, tropes, etc. So you find people with the same reading interests. Pages with great book recommendations. Pages that have new authors you have not heard of and want to learn more about. And with my social media pages, I feel I have a wide range and variety of all of those things, so my following has grown at a great pace.
What platforms do you use to explore the online book community and create content? What kind of content do you make and post?
I use Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, as places to post content and support authors. I enjoy making all different types of content from reels, to videos and then just the normal graphic posting. I do graphic design with different online apps and take live photos as well for content.
What is your approach to sharing about, promoting, and recommending different authors and books? Where did your desire to help authors originate?
If I can make a small impact for each author that I read/review, support and promote- draw in new readers, that makes me feel that I have helped get the word out about them, and it brings so much joy to my heart.
When do you write reviews for what you’ve read and what platform do you share these on? What is your approach to writing a book review?
I personally try to write my book reviews immediately after reading a book. While it is fresh on my mind and I am still living in the universe with the characters, I do my best reviews. I post reviews for authors on Goodreads, Amazon, BookBub and at times StoryGraph.
While I try to really express what I like about each book and the writing style of the author, I work my best at not putting spoilers in the reviews, so that I do not ruin the adventure for other readers.
What are some of the challenges that come with being an influencer in the book community?
I would say one challenge is wanting to be able to support EVERY single author out there, but there are just not enough hours in the day to do so. I also struggle because I would love to be able to read for so many other authors, but time always seems to get in the way. HAHA
Do you feel a certain obligation or pressure to give glowing reviews if you receive a beta/ARC or you’re just a fan of the author, whether you are connected to them in some way or not? How do you navigate handling this in a space of impact and considering the public power you have in the book community?
I do not feel an obligation or pressure to give a glowing review to anyone that I read and review for as an alpha/beta/arc reader. I have had a few times that I was not vibing with a book or felt it needed more work prior to being released, and I reached out personally to the author to discuss that prior to finishing the book and leaving a review. But as far as feeling pressure by any author to leave a particular review, I have not felt that way at all. I try my best to always be honest with authors as I read for them, and I have received back my areas of concern as a good form of constructive criticism from the authors. They want this from early readers, as they don’t want to put out subpar books, which is why they have us reading for them prior to publication dates.
Do you attend author/book events? What impact do these have on your outlook of the book community?
I have not personally been to any book signings or large book events. However the PA service I help run, alongside Brittany, manages several authors. So with that being said, we have several events (6-7) that we plan to attend with these authors in 2025, and I am very excited for the experience to come.
In an age so flooded with technological influences, what helps keep you inspired and motivated to continue reading?
It’s an experience being able to read. Every author brings something different to the table, which is just incredible in itself. The journey and adventure that I am able to get lost in with each book. And being able to disconnect from the outside world and outside noise is very relaxing.
Anything else to share?
I would love to share that along with my business partner, we have recently opened a PA company to support indie authors in their writing journey, and it has opened my eyes to a whole other part of the book world that I did not know existed. And without having started that FB group two summers ago, I would have never had this opportunity, so for that I am very thankful for the book community and how it has taken me on one of the best rides of my life. Brittany McKeel and myself have thoroughly enjoyed having Nerdy Babes PA Services, and look forward to working with so many new authors in the near future.
Instagram: instagram.com/bookishly.mindy
TikTok: tiktok.com/@bookishly.mindy
Facebook: facebook.com/people/Bookishlymindy/100093799725276/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Nerdy Babes PA: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558701162209 |
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