Last week, my close friend and I found ourselves on a precipice. (Not the Boyfriend Cliff, TYVM). No, no; we were on the cusp of falling for a marketing gimmick, and just before we fell over the edge, we pulled each other back.
Here’s what happened.
A few months ago, one of our favorite jewelry and piercing shops began to promote a new offering: welding jewelry onto your wrists or ankles. A permanent bracelet. An anklet without a clasp. That sort of thing.
The first time I heard about this (on Instagram), I scoffed, and sent the post to my friend in a DM. What a stupid idea!
I’ve always been into jewelry because it’s a way to express myself and my taste without the permanence of a tattoo. So why would I get something expensive affixed around one of my appendages?
Time passed, and I watched videos of dainty gold chains being welded onto wrists. Therefore, I was served even more images and videos of welded bracelets, as the algorithm and attention economy had their way with me.
As this shiny gold content began to make itself at home on my Instagram feed, I noticed another trend: images of Sally Rooney’s newest book (a book that was months from its publication date). I’d read Rooney’s previous two books and enjoyed them enough, but I wasn’t exactly waiting on bated breath for her next one.
Suddenly, I found more and more of my headspace dedicated to thinking about the new Sally Rooney book as editors, authors, and book bloggers I follow posted pictures of their advanced copies. It seemed as if every person who received a copy of the book was posting about it.
I even saw one author share a picture of their advanced copy with a comment about their “mixed feelings” (a euphemism they likely felt compelled to use because, after all, how could they not like something they’ve received for free? And something that is such a signifier of Literary Importance™️?). But don’t worry, once the book is available for purchase by all you plebs, this author will be happy to discuss it.
As someone who reviews books, I’ve shared the impulse to post a #galleybrag on Instagram. But, in my defense, these were books that I received advanced copies of because it was my job to review them, not because I’m an influencer, a cog in the Instagram hype machine. Sure, book reviews are part of book promotion, but they are (or, at least should be) different in that they offer some sort of critical insight.
Last weekend, my friend and I went to the jewelry shop that offers welded bracelets. I had an appointment for my 97th ear piercing (something I received a very personal attack on recently). While we were there, we asked about the bracelets. As soon as we saw the gold chains in person, we exchanged a glance.
Exiting the shop, me with a fresh hole punched into the cartilage of one of my ears, my friend and I agreed: Neither of us wanted a permanent bracelet! Long live the clasp! What had we been thinking?! I plead temporary insanity!
The publication date for Sally Rooney’s book neared (the book came out today), and the Instagram posts grew more manic, with various influencers sharing pics of the swag bag they received along with their highly coveted early bird copy. Some of the cognoscenti even received a bucket hat, the hypebeastiest hat of all, which seems a little ironic given that many of the characters in Rooney’s novels identify as Marxists, often lamenting the ugly capitalist world we inhabit.
I understand that this sort of promotion is the job of marketers. I’ve worked in marketing. I’ve sent products to influencers with the hopes that they will share pictures on social media. I know how the sausage is made. But when many people purchase a book, they don’t realize that they’ve fallen for a web of traps set out for them by marketers. This book they’ve been told to want might as well be a permanent gold bracelet they didn’t want in the first place. It’s the mere exposure effect! (Can you tell I took Psych 101 in college?)
I guess what I’m saying is that unless you live in a bubble, an adult version of the Waldorf school, where Instagram and the interwebs are banned, what we think we want is what we’ve been told we should want. Even our sexual preferences are culturally prescribed. How then, do we ever know what we truly want? While it’s impossible to totally disentangle our wants from outside influences, I do think there are ways to think more critically about what we purchase, consume, and read. Below are a few of my considerations when choosing books.
Word of mouth—Recommendations from someone whose taste you share or admire, a close friend or a writer whose aesthetic you’re into. (But don’t fall for books authors have “blurbed” (provided quotes of praise for book covers), and instead look out for what authors recommend in interviews or the like!)
Survey your own reading patterns—And then mix it up. Have you read enough books by women lately? Is everything you’re reading by white writers? Have you read anything in translation recently? Mix it up. By reading outside your own experience and usual interests, you might find a book that moves you or changes your perspective.
Check your own bookshelves—What books do you own that you still haven’t gotten around to reading? What books do you own that you love so much they deserve a reread? As a writer, I find this exercise particularly useful because if I’m only reading the latest contemporary titles, my own sense of what Important Literature™️ looks like becomes skewed toward passing trends.
See what moves you—Visit your local indie bookstore and read bookseller recommendations, those little notes taped to the shelves. Pick up books and read a few pages. Or maybe you’ll serendipitously find a book that a friend recently told you she loved! (And be sure to look beyond the front table, the place where books with the most marketing $$$ are placed.)
See you back here in two-ish weeks for the third and final installment of Rachroobear Recommends: Summer Reading Recs. (Feel free to check out Parts I and II in the meantime.)
And, of course, feel free to ignore my recommendations if you don’t share my taste in books :)
—RZ
Watching: Late Night | Cruella | The White Lotus | Red Oaks
Reading: The Native American ballerinas who made history | Tenderness, caring, and bunnies in a Washington State prison | “Why do so few men read books by women?” | The important work of Abortion Doulas. | “Where do eels come from?”
Love 2 hear it: Drake’s latest album deemed not good
Headline of the Week: “Fatal Attraction: Scientists Blame Sea Snake Attacks on Sex Drive”
Eating: The creamiest creamed corn that contains no cream. | Harissa Spaghettini | Excellent (and easy) GF chocolate chip cookies