Happy April!

Catch Up & Brand Trips

☕️Tea Recommendation: Chai Latte with a Shot of Espresso

How have you been? How was the month of March for you? This month has been a wild rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. Some of those lows are why I’m posting or sharing a newsletter on a Tuesday instead of my usual Saturday. Not to mention the fact that I’m still finding my footing with this return to daylight savings time lol However, overall, March was a pretty good month for me and I can’t wait to see what this new month and quarter brings.

Brand Trips

This past weekend, a few book influencers traveled to Los Angeles for Shelves in the City with Harper Voyager, Avon Books, Epic Reads—imprints under the HarperCollins Publishing House. Now, this past week, I wasn’t as chronically online as I usually am because of one of the aforementioned lows. However, I found whenever I’d have a sliver of time, I’d end up scrolling on Threads. And I saw a few of my mutuals who were invited and attending the brand trip stating that a person or people (still not sure which) in the community were essentially hating on the trip in general.

I have thoughts from two perspectives:

As a fellow book/bookish influencer

As a digital marketer

Fellow bookish influencer

Here’s the thing that takes me aback sometimes with this community. How are we the same people screaming from the mountain tops that we should be afforded opportunities and experiences offered to other niche communities? Then, subsequently upset by the fact that these experiences are now happening. Furthermore lacking the ability to be happy for the folks that are getting to participate.

Would I have loved to be invited on this trip? Absolutely. Am I mostly aware of why I wasn’t? Yes.

I won’t lie or even be a hypocrite, I have serious FOMO when it comes to things like this. I may even be guilty of sipping some haterade a time or two. BUT, I tend not to regulate these emotions on the internet. Instead I either keep it to myself or to the group chat lol

In my not so humble opinion, I think some folks would benefit from doing that more often. Alas, we are in the age of expelling all thoughts in the etherial abyss that is the internet so… All this to say, be careful letting envy and jealousy walk you straight out of an opportunity.

Digital marketer

Okay so, remember I said I’ve sipped on haterade a time or two? Well last year when HarperCollins had their first Shelves and the City trip in NYC, I was a bonafide hater… for 2.5 seconds. But not mainly for the reasons you might assume. Let me explain.

I recognized that the folks who were invited were in some way shape or form sharing content on TikTok/BookTok. And well… I’m not on that platform. So my feelings of envy were more so rooted in the fact that it felt (keyword) like this relatively new branch of the online book community was getting more opportunities. Keep in mind, this is an observation and doesn’t technically mean I’m right.

Here’s my criticism of the first Shelves and the City last year:

It felt incohesive with no real goal or objective beyond generating or stirring up… to be honest, FOMO. Which makes sense, given the HarperCollins strike from last year. Want to give yourself a face lift? Seemingly give into one side while continuing to do wrong on the other.

From what I saw there was no real marketing of the imprints, new or old releases, and/or authors. Which should be a main component of a brand trip. Do we often see that stirring these emotions offer the most traction? Yes. The more people talk about something the more people will look into said thing. But, where it works for other communities i.e. the beauty community, it won’t work for others, i.e. this one.

With this year’s brand trip, I think a few things were done better. I won’t comment further on this for now as content is still trickling out.

Though I still think there are areas and aspects that could have been better, I don’t think the level of vitriol that has been given is warranted. Nor am I disillusioned enough to not recognize that this is more than likely a publicity stunt meant to “clean up” the publishing house’s image. Two things can be true.

Well those are my thoughts. What/How do you feel about brand trips? Bookish and non-bookish.

As always thanks for tuning into my musings and I’ll be seeing you in your inboxes soon!