Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey and the big-bucks impact of celebrity book clubs
Bad dates, good reads and Reese Witherspoon … plus Oprah, Florence and many more. Why celebrity book clubs wield so much power – and why you stand to benefit.
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Buying a book by an author that you haven’t read before is like going on a blind date.
You go in with the hope you’ll be wowed and that all things going well, you won’t get much sleep that night. Of course, the advantage of a blind date is that the connection has come from a trusted friend or interfering colleague but a book stands on its own, on a shelf of many, with no one to tell you what an excellent personality it has.
If you’re not part of a book club or have friends that are avid readers (the best people to be friends with), where are you getting your book recommendations from?
As with the blind date scenario, the cover can only get you interested, it’s not a guarantee of good times to come.
Reese Witherspoon or Oprah (the pioneer) might not be in a position to set you up with a love interest but they can set you up with a book and their recommendations, as well as those from other celebrities are making a big difference to book sales. Both have picked out debut novels, seemingly out of obscurity and made them bestsellers. Reese’s inaugural book club pick in 2017, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine has sold over 2.5 million copies globally. Yes, it’s an excellent book but there are a lot of excellent books that aren’t selling 2.5 million copies.
When Oprah’s book club was at its peak (when her show was still on air), she was said to have the power to sell 5 million copies with her endorsement and the money can’t buy opportunity of an interview with the author on her exceptionally popular television show. When was the last time you saw an author, who wasn’t a celebrity in their own right, on prime time television talking about literature?
Once a book is selected, not only do they get the social media push of an esteemed person with millions of followers, they also get a coloured sticker on the front cover so that when you go to the book shop, in search of your next great read, you can easily spot the recommendation. Now, if you don’t have your own book club to attend (which are more often than not an excuse for wine on a school night) and you’re not reading the literary reviews in the paper each week, you have some guidance from a trusted source.
It’s good business too, in the case of Reese Witherspoon, who receives early reading copies of books and not only can she champion a book that she adores but she’s also on the ground floor in terms of buying screen rights. Reese’s production company, Hello Sunshine, produced Celeste Ng’s novel, Little Fires Everywhere (a 2017 pick), Cheryl Strayed’s, Tiny Beautiful Things (a November 2022 pick), Laura Dave’s, The Last Thing He Told Me (a May 2021 pick) and Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel, Daisy Jones and the Six (a March 2019 pick) to name a few.
The beauty of celebrity book clubs is that now there are so many (with varying degrees of sales influence) that there’s a good chance that you can find one that aligns with your reading preferences. Wanting to get into the classics? Kaia Gerber is keen on Camus. Wanting a novel that will make you think? Florence Welch makes time for Murakami. Want a mix of both? Her Majesty The Queen suggests Frankenstein and Lessons in Chemistry.
Membership to these communities is free, and that’s what they are, communities – even if the community is online. And the more cynical of you might think that these celebrities have their own ulterior motives for their book clubs, and they very well might; but in a time where we have so many things competing for our limited attention; work, family, streaming services, a photo of a cute dog, anything that promotes reading is to be encouraged. And likely to have a higher success rate than a blind date.
Kimberley Allsopp is the author of Love And Other Puzzles (which has sadly not been picked by a celebrity book club … yet) and works for HarperCollins Australia.
Share your reading recommendations at The Sunday Book Club group on Facebook – we’re not celebrities but we do love to talk books. And on that note, do try our Book Of The Month: the suspense-filled A Shadow At The Door by Jo Dixon. Get 30 per cent off the RRP with the code SHADOW at Booktopia. T & Cs: Ends 31-Jan-2024. Only on ISBN 9781867250326. Not with any other offer.
Originally published as Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey and the big-bucks impact of celebrity book clubs