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We Read Smut: Bookish Conversations for Romance Readers
We Read Smut, hosted by Alesia, empowers romance readers to embrace their love for smut and dive deep into the diverse world of this captivating genre. Tired of feeling judged for your love of steamy reads? Join us as we create a safe space to unpack the complexities and joys of smut, challenge societal norms, and celebrate the power of inclusive storytelling.
We'll explore everything from trope deep dives and author interviews to thought-provoking discussions on topics like body positivity, LGBTQ+ representation, and reclaiming the word "fat." We'll also tackle reading challenges, offer "shelf help" for your TBR pile, and venture into the realms of fantasy romance, offbeat erotica, and the vibrant world of BookTube.
Whether you're a seasoned smut reader or just dipping your toes into the genre, this podcast is for you. Subscribe now and join the conversation! Follow us on Instagram @WeReadSmut and use the hashtag #WeReadSmut to share your thoughts.
We Read Smut: Bookish Conversations for Romance Readers
Finding Diverse Voices on BookTube with BabeInLibrary
Are you tired of the same old book reviews and looking for a fresh, authentic perspective on reading? Join host Alesia as she sits down with Lisa, known as BabeInLibrary, for an electrifying conversation that goes beyond traditional book discussions. This episode dives deep into the world of BookTube, romance reading, and the transformative power of diverse literature.
Lisa is a proud bookish nerd that can be found at any time with a book in her face. She attributes her love of reading to Pizza Hut and the Book It program from her youth. Unfortunately the means she is always seeking a reward or a good girl after she finishes a book. As a proud library card holder since 2000 she dedicated her bookish name to that special place. You can find her on all social media platforms at babeinlibrary.
In this episode, we're discussing:
- The Evolution of Book Communities: From secret reading to open discussions about spicy romance
- Diversity in Reading: Strategies for intentionally expanding your literary horizons
- BookTube Insights: Behind-the-scenes of content creation and book reviewing
- The Importance of Representation: How diverse books can broaden our understanding of different experiences
- Romance Reading: Breaking stigmas and recognizing the depth of relationship-focused literature
Whether you're a seasoned reader or just starting your literary journey, this episode will inspire you to read more diversely, challenge your reading habits, and discover new voices in the book world. Don't just consume books—let them transform your understanding of human connections.
CONNECT WITH Lisa @ BabeInLibrary:
BOOKS/AUTHORS MENTIONED:
Capri's Book Island - https://www.youtube.com/@caprisbookisland/playlists
Sharonda Isadaor - https://www.youtube.com/@sharondaisadora
MoPages - https://www.youtube.com/@MoPages
My Share the Love video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6qUh0h9YGU
Passion by Monica Walters (Amazon)
Running list of books mentioned (Doc)
Thank you for listening to the We Read Smut Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag @WeReadSmut. Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast.
Connect with Alesia:
Storygraph
This podcast was produced by Galati Media.
Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.
Are you tired of the same old book reviews or the same old boring roundups, and you want to hear from passionate readers who can go more in depth about the books that you know and love, then it's time that you dive into the world of booktube. Today, we're talking about booktube and so much more with Lisa, also known as Baden library. Listener, discretion is advised. This podcast contains mature content intended for adult audiences only. Lisa, I am so excited to have you on. You guys might know her as Badin library, but Lisa, oh, thank you so much for being here. I'm so excited to have this chat.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:Thank you so very much for having me. I'm honored to be here today.
Alesia Galati:Yes, all right, so let's get into your reading journey as an adult. You know, where did that kind of love of romance and love of reading come from as your adult reading journey began? So actually,
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:before even reading as an adult, I am an older person in the community, I will say, to one degree, I don't know if you had book it. So when you're working with like when you were younger, Pizza Hut used to have this reading competition. You read so many you get a personal pan pizza. And so I typically think I stem back from there. But when I was in college, one of my college roommates, she had, she had Twilight, and so many of us probably have started well back then. So I binged that I we were in her family's home, and everyone went to sleep, and I'm up in the middle of the night again. You could not pay me to read a college textbook, but I'm sitting here and I'm going through it, and I am having a time in the middle of the morning, and from there, I really just kept going. Then when I got out of college, I was unemployed for a year, so I had nothing but opportunity. But even back then, it was a little bit less. I just kept going from there, and now I'm a monster when it comes to the reading.
Alesia Galati:Oh, I love that. Yeah, I can think back to now. I'm 33 at the time of this recording, and I remember having grown up very strict to where I wasn't allowed to read a lot of certain books, and so I would try to sneak the ones that maybe weren't approved yet. Or as I got older, I went, I lived in New York City for a bit, and I would go and I would take books, not take books, borrow books from the library. And that's when I discovered Twilight. And that was, like, 2011 I want to say. And I was like, What is this? And I, like, flew through the series as well. I'm thinking too. But like, I went through all the Hunger Games books during that time, like I was really into all of those, and I always loved reading, but to be able to read something that like wasn't approved, quote, unquote, was really exciting and a little titillating to me. And then even thinking about my college roommates and some best friends that I had in college, where I would have my phone, and somehow I found an erotica site, and I would just read it, and I'd be like, Girl, I would just like read it to them. Like, these are flip phone level.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:Let me tell you, you just like unlock something in my memory. So speaking about my name is Babin library. Clearly, I love my local library, so I've had my library card since 2000 and I remember going in and I never went to the children's section. My mother would just like, drop me off. And she was like, Okay, girl, go do what you got to do and come out like, I'm gonna give you X amount of time. I stayed in the adult section and no one was clocking me. No one was like, Hey, sweetie, your section is over here. I am finding Omar's high re I am I am looking for everything that I could get with a black person on it that had, like, romance so, like, milk in my coffee, I had it all. And as many of us, if I'm going again, back in high school, and probably beforehand, how many of us have picked up a Zane book? How many of us were reading coldest winter ever? I think that was like the rite of passage for everyone. So when we're talking about, you know, getting into books like, well before your 50 Shades of Gray, I was deep into it. Like, I'm I am reading and ready. Had no clue what I needed to be reading and ready for. But I was like, this is a good start.
Alesia Galati:Yes, oh my goodness, it's so it. Interesting too, because, like, I was doing all of that, and then when I became a mom, and I had finished my bachelor's, and I was on to becoming a second time mom, I don't know, I got, like, on my high horse for some reason. And I remember my mom telling me, I'm reading 50 shades, and, oh, my god, it's so spicy, and it's so this. And I was like, ew, mom. Like, that's trash. Ew. And now I'm like, Oh my God. I wish I could, like, go back and be like, slap myself upside the head. Like, girl, you were reading way worse three years ago. Chill out.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:The audacity of us. The
Alesia Galati:audacity. But yeah, oh my goodness, yeah. I feel like it is a rite of passage. I have a friend. She's in her 50s, and she talks about stealing some of her grandma's books. Even some of my great grandmother's books were like, passed down to all of the women in the family. Those didn't get donated. All the rest of the women got those books.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:Oh, this looks a little one for where it well, love exactly,
Alesia Galati:oh, my goodness, so good. So then what happened, like, in the more like getting into, I feel like there's a whole culture right in the book community, and now, versus, and I don't know if it was just COVID that did it, but I feel like the book community now is just so different than it was like people weren't talking about reading smut or reading these quote, unquote, spicy books right back then. It was more like, Oh no, I don't want anybody to know what I'm reading, or I'm gonna read it under my covers, on the down low, whereas now we're reading it in the coffee shop. It don't matter.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:Yeah, I can't really tell what it is, and I think it, it's always been this or that, right? Because at this point, if I see another flower cover, I'm going to screen. But in terms of, I know people Cover Girl, so like, I have to be able to, because I'm not as visual as some people, right? So I, while I don't think about the characters, I resonate with seeing beautiful people on the cover, knowing that it's a romance. So I think, for you know where we are today, cover sell, right? People have to know what they're getting into. They don't want to be spending the time because, again, we are in such a quick, paced environment. It's like, okay, if I look at this and it has a football and it has people, I'm automatically assuming it's a football romance. These are the things that I'm getting out of the story, right? So we are working in, like popcorn I need to know before even opening the book, and that could be a good or bad thing. But again, just as much as we have that, we have the opposite of, there's still plenty of people that want that cutesy, Illustrated cover, and then they get smacked in the face with, you know, a good smut scene, and they're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, I wasn't prepared for this.
Alesia Galati:Yes, that always cracks me up, though, I think when people are like, and this is a discussion that I'm seeing a lot in on threads right now, and a lot of authors are pushing back on this idea, but someone posted they were like, Oh, they should have ratings on books, just like they do on movies and just like they do on music and just like they do on video games. And a lot of the authors were like, Whoa, we are not policing this. That is not okay. You want to know the things that are in there, go look it up. There are ways to find like, if you're really intentional, and say you're picking up something for your tween or your young teen, then yes, you need to be doing your research. It's just not a matter of, oh, that's got a cute cover. I'm sure it's fine. No, we don't do that anymore. There are tons of ways to figure it out. And I think a lot
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:of that's right, the marketing can do as much as they possibly can. So additionally, can your bookstores. But usually if you're going somewhere, and again, I think this depends on where you're getting your books. If you're going into a physical bookstore, they're going to have a young adult section. Now that doesn't necessarily mean that is going to be free and clear of any type of romantic interest or intimacy scenes. It just means that it's taken down a little bit. I don't necessarily want to get into this too much, unless that's where we decide to go. But the conversation about reading and banning books, right? That's important from a discussion of, are you reading the books before you're giving it to them, are you looking at the content warnings? Because responsible authors are putting that information in there. They're letting you know. So it's not really that you're being misled. Yes. Now we're in this mass publishing industry where there are certain publishing houses that are picking up everything. Thing. But as you're starting to see them picked up, you know those are being targeted, you can see that book talk that automatically should have some synapses firings to say, Yeah, that's probably going to be too raunchy for my 12 year old.
Alesia Galati:And even if your tastes are something that maybe you don't like, really smutty romances. I know that I've had conversations with people who are asexual, and they're like, Hey, do you have any recommendations for the one or two spice? Because I just really don't want to read a lot of smut. And it's yes, and maybe don't follow our account, which is okay, there are plenty other accounts that are gonna have romances that do not have as spicy recommendations, but the majority of the ones that we recommend are going to have open door scenes in them. And that's just a fact, right? And we know who we're talking to, hence the we read sweat like it's very clear. And then there are other accounts that you can go to. I won't name them because they have the word clean their username. We don't like that word here, but you can go find them. It's very easy to find ones that have those closed door scenes or have the Fade to Black scenes. But getting back to your own reading journey, what happened next? So you had that year you were enjoying your reading. What happened next to take you on that reading journey
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:so surprisingly, I don't know how I came across it, and I think probably it was a mix. I don't know if Book Two came first or Goodreads came first. I think they may have happened at the same time, but I found Goodreads, and I've been on there since probably 2011 and that just continued to give me more ammunition provide items that would be similar to me, right? And at that time, I wasn't a large consumer, so I was utilizing my library. I was trying to see what was available. And I think again, there were certain limitations of what was being published and what was accessible via the library, but that helped me to find Okay, I like this. Maybe I can go to something else. And so I just kept going. At that time, I set, like, really manageable goals, because I wasn't sure what my working life would be like. I didn't know when the job was going to come. So I really was like, okay, I can do one book at a time. Take it one page at a time. And it wasn't that I had the competition right back in 2011 social media didn't really, with the exception of BookTube, we didn't have Bookstagram, we didn't have book talk, we didn't have a lot of those other things that really fed that competition didn't really, you know, add into like, am I reading enough? So I just kind of went at my leisurely pace. And then as I continue to go on the journey, I started to have more and more opportunities to say, Okay, actually, let me just binge read this entire catalog, right? Because I started to get into series recently, someone just told me, like, you are a serious girl. And I was like, am I I absolutely am
Alesia Galati:I love that? Yeah, I actually. And I told you this before we hit record. I did not even realize that booktube was really like a thing until I saw you talking about your videos on Instagram, and I was like, Oh, I would sit there and listen to someone talk about their favorite books or do roundups of books, absolutely. So how did you get into that? Yeah,
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:so I can't really tell what came first, whether it was good reads or Book Two, but I know that a lot of people that were on Goodreads that I happened to follow because we were reading the same books at the same time. Also would say, look at my videos on booktube, or more information, go here. And it led me to go there. And I started to see, okay, these people are really dedicated. They're able to be more expansive. They're able to talk about what they're reading, their reactions, they're able to be very creative with it. At the time, we did not have Bookstagram, we did not have book talk, so we didn't have those visuals that go with it. So really, you're reading the book, you're reviewing the summary. And in BookTube, you had to people were wearing costumes, people were giving you live reactions, so there was a lot more engagement from a visual representation, and you got to feel like you connected with that person. I think that was the first time that I felt like I connected with other readers, because at the time, I was reading in isolation, like I'm reading alone, my friends are not reading I'm not engaging with them, so they're not really experiencing the joy or the sadness or the chaos that I'm going through on these adventures with these characters. That's
Alesia Galati:how I feel about like, when I'm reading a book and I have to tell my friends, I'm like, you're probably never gonna read it, but I have to, have to tell you about it and or my husband, I'm like, Look, you're coming along. In this ride with me. It too bad I have to listen about football that was
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:that could be like the modern day vows as people get married, like I agree to love you, whatever, no matter if you're talking about alien pain that I'm never going to have, you're talking about being able to buy me a library at x, y and z, while I realize all of my shortcomings, I will listen to you, and that should be written in as like the new modern day vow for bookish people, it
Alesia Galati:really should. We're gonna renew our vows at 10 years. So there you go. There's the renewal vows are gonna be something about having to listen to him talk about football, and him having to listen to me talk about books. It's going Hannah, right? It's very romantic.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:It is, I think that is, like the core tenets for a lasting period. Oh, it's
Alesia Galati:so good. That's honestly, something that I don't think enough people talk about, especially I'm a mom. I've got two kids, and after I had my second kid, my libido was shot. It was so bad, and honestly, smutty, romance saved the sex in my marriage. So I don't think people talk about that. Enough of oh, this was titillating. Hey, honey,
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:these significant others should be worshiping you atrophy, because there's a no way that we wouldn't. First of all, bookish people are literally the people in the streets and the freak in the streets. They're in between the pages, getting all of the foundation, honey. You want to know what I just read? Yep. Would you like to try it? Fauci should be loving you dearly for the things that you're bringing to them, because it's good quality content.
Alesia Galati:I have definitely set my husband's screenshots and said, Let's do this. And he's like, I will see you. Yeah, yeah. Actually, later, yes.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:How many books does this offer have? Do you need me to go buy the Mac list? Like, how can I help? How can I help you? Help me?
Alesia Galati:I was telling someone recently. I was like, anytime I try to write a review, I'm like, five stars. Good vibes. Next book, because I read so one I read so many books at a time, I'm usually listening to one, reading one on my Kindle app, and then I'm usually reading one on my actual Kindle, and then they're across different genres, so that I don't get them mixed up, yeah, just picking out books left and right. And so I'll get to the end, and I'm like, Oh, that was good next. I just, I don't take a moment to sit and breathe with it. And anytime that I have to write a review, especially for an arc, I'm like, How do I do this? Why is this so difficult? Good vibes all around I liked it or I didn't like it, and and this is the one thing that I didn't like. So how do you Yeah, how does that work? So
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:I think it depends on the content creator. So some people will do small burst. So they will come to you as soon as they get done, either reading the book, or as soon as they read a certain scene, they'll do a check in. And that is something that I am starting to do. I'm starting to learn because I am in the same space as you write, I'm reading so quickly and I'm moving on to the next thing, and I am a mood reader. So it's not often that I'm always going to be in that same threat. I have to intentionally think I'm going to do something about a range mirror. So I have to stick to a TBR, which is probably the most difficult thing that I could ever ask myself to do. But you may have some people that will, like I said, do those instant check ins. You have people that take extensive notes. So that is how a lot of times people can write reviews, or they will be able to share that information with you and kind of read that so you don't get to see a lot of the behind the scenes and the prep. One of the things that I thought before getting into it, like these people are doing it and it's effortless, any type of platform that you're on, it takes work. It takes a lot of prep. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes, and even more so when you're doing it in a long fashion, right? Because you have to really say, okay, yes, I know people are coming here for long content, but there are some book supers on here that are on here for two hours. I was like, I don't have the two hours to give you, but I can't shorten up. You know, this book that I'm adoring to 15 minutes, it's just not going to happen. So I think that it's, it's that balance that you see, but it's a lot of work on the back end.
Alesia Galati:Yeah, I can imagine even thinking about I'm a podcaster through and through, I've been podcasting since 2018 and so long form content and like being able to sit in one spot and just bang out a 30 minute, 45 minute solo episode is not out of the realm of possibility for me, but it's the being on face camera. That really weirds me out sometimes. And even I have a video editor on my team, and like Alesia, when you pause to like, state something again, try to keep your face still, try to hold your body still, so that the Edit clip doesn't look super jumpy. And so then I'm thinking about all these different things that go into it, and all of the notes. And am I looking at my notes? Where are my eyeballs while I'm doing this? There's so much that goes into it that I don't think people realize, like, how much effort it takes to actually put forth videos and then put it out in the world. And be like, I hope you like it. There's
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:a lot of things that either get scrapped, right? Depending, again, some of us have the ability we're perfectionist, right? So I will sit there and edit and edit and edit, and I'll be like, Okay, after the fourth time, this is good enough, or I'll scrap it. Sometimes I will record and then I'm like, I actually hate that. I'll shut it down, start it over again. It really depends. The longer that you do it, the more you can critique yourself, the more you you know, find those perfections and also looking at other people, right? I think as you grow, you learn, even if it's a different genre, right? I think that's some of the best things that you can do is look at other content creators who don't necessarily read the same genre as you, but you find interest in how they're, you know, summarizing the content, how they are editing. You can learn so much from that diversity of thought and not have it be tied to the genre that you're reading, right? Because then you're starting to pay attention to the book, and then you're like, Okay, well, I didn't feel that way. Take the book out of the equation and listen to the speaker and see you know how they're engaging. B roll, which is very, very important for book, super right as you're doing vlogs, or as you're doing intros, what other things do people find interest in? I think that's one of the biggest ways that I start to see the difference is that in the book two community, we are constantly engaging with others to say, Okay, well, what do you like? Because at this point, it's a production. We're putting it on for us, but we're also getting people to tune in, whereas on Instagram, it's a little quick content, right? You may never go back to look at that, because you're 30 posts later,
Alesia Galati:I love that strategy, too, about not looking at people who are in the same genres as you, because that's just going to lead to comparison. You're going to probably feel inferior to how their production looks. Take that out of it. Take yourself out of it, and just say, How can I improve a little bit more today, because honestly, content creation, especially for hobbies, and some people might be monetizing it, right, but it usually starts off as a hobby. Hobby content creators, it is a labor of love, and we are putting our best foot forward, and doing our very best and also changing as people at the same time. So you mentioned starting to watch and be on Goodreads and be on booktube around 2011 How do you think it's changed over the years, better or worse, right? But how do you feel it's been so
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:I think there's been really good points. And then some points, I'm like, Okay, we're losing a little bit of craft here. For one thing that I will say, I am starting to see more diverse content creators. I am able to see people that look like me and you, people that are reading diversely, right? I may have to do a little extra digging. I may have to go in and put specific things in there, but I'm starting to see a lot more of that representation, I think also with the books that I'm reading. I don't know if it's the books that I'm reading or the people that are reviewing, but at one point, ya was really big, and so that was only the only things that I was seeing. And of course, like everything else, there's an algorithm, but you start to see now that we've moved away from that space, or maybe I've just moved away from that, and now we're looking at books that are now being those adaptation right? You're starting to see Hulu picking things up. You're starting to see prime pick it up, and you're starting to see a lot more of that being pushed into the algorithm feed. And that could be a good thing or a bad thing. So like, I did a video for black cake because I knew it was coming to Hulu, but that was a really good opportunity for me to continue to push that, because yes, is going to be marketed. However, that's maybe not a book that I'm going to see on booktube. I'm not going to see a lot of people having those discussions, because that still promotes for me to be able to talk about people that are coming from the Caribbean, people that are generational. Those are the conversations and things that I want to continue to see. And so what better opportunity? I think the ways in which. Change. There was more time that we were just doing, like short content where people are sitting and talking to you. Now a lot more people want vlogs. They want B roll they want they want to see your life. Right before it was only books. There was no other content that was going to be on booktube. It was very direct and to the point and now people want to feel like they know you most of the time. You may not have known that person's name, you may not have engaged with them. They're not inviting you into their life. So that's where I think a lot has changed within the booktube community, but I think it also is reflected in some of the other spaces that we're in.
Alesia Galati:I feel like it's really interesting because, like, I think about even some of the YouTube people that I follow, and a lot of it is, I don't focus on YouTube a lot just as a content absorber. I don't really go on YouTube a lot. Mine is to watch your videos, and then very sporadically, if there's something I want to know, then it shows up on Google as a video. Sure, I'll watch that. And then there's one other person who is a fitness person, Kaylee Cohen, and she does spin classes and weight training videos. And I really love her approach to just like inspiration and getting stronger, rather than slimmer, and just, I really love her vibe. And you could always see her little pug in the background. She has two kids. Her husband works behind the scenes on the cameras, as you'd see a little bit of her life, but not a lot. But on Instagram, you see a lot more of the behind the scenes. And so I'm curious, as a content creator, how much balancing does it feel like to be on YouTube and then to have to shift? It sounds like it's a lot of effort, right? And like a lot of things that go into it, it's like, how do you balance the because the two platforms you tend to be on our YouTube and then Instagram. So how do you kind of balance that in showing yourself? And then I want to go a little deeper into like, what do you share versus what do you not share? And like, how do you decide that?
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:Okay, I love this question. For me, I feel like I am currently struggling to be in both spaces successfully because they require a lot of prep on both ends, right, like on the Bookstagram side, I don't have a ton of graphics. I love seeing the content creators who can have like, visuals flying in and overlapping and doing all of the things, right? I love to see that I'm not that person. I I am 35 and I am not able to go in and figure out all of the tools like y'all have it, have at it. I'm going to promote, I'm going to move it forward. But I think I have to be very intentional in that space, because I have to remember, okay, how many times have I posted? Does it coincide? Or is it a get like I'm trying to be in both spaces simultaneously? But sometimes it doesn't necessarily get that easy, because I have done a video, and yes, I should be making the visuals match my video, but I usually put that in my story, and the story only lasts for so long, and I don't want that same image to be in my feed, so then I have to add something else. So just juggling those two is very difficult, because again, one is very short content and one is long and expansive, but I write down where I'm gonna post. Am I posting on this day? I am the least consistent person. This also goes with my mood readings. Like I know some booktubers, they say, Okay, if you're going to post on these days, so say you do Tuesday and Friday, it has to be a video every Tuesday and Friday. That's too much to be able to commit or behold to. And so I just try to make sure, if I post something on booktube that I'm also promoting it in my Bookstagram, and the hard part is just getting people to convert from that space over to book. And I haven't been able to do that seamlessly. But that doesn't mean I won't stop trying.
Alesia Galati:I find the same with podcasting and then social platforms, right? Because podcasting is such a vocal thing and podcast listeners, they're super fickle. I love you guys, but you're super fickle. Like, once someone is inconsistent, you will drop them like a hot potato. You will move on to the next podcast, which, like I get they're also bingers, and so they'll go on a road trip and binge 20 episodes, and then they'll ghost you for six months, and then during that time, they're never gonna reply to any of your social content. You'll give them a call to action in the episode and say, Hey, reach out to me. Send me a DM, and maybe one person i. Of the 500 that listen will actually send you a DM, and then, like trying to push them over to the other platforms, it can be really difficult, just as a content creator, so I feel you, it can be so hard, it's like, I'm here, and I'm literally begging you to just send me a DM and tell me that, like you hear me, anyone out
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:there? I've never even thought about that, because before I started audiobooks, like I would listen to podcasts, and I still listen to podcasts, right? I think I'm trying to balance way too much. That's the other gift and the curse I love, that books have found their niche and their space in multiple places. There's about four or five bookish podcasts that I listen to, but until you just sat there, I was like, I have never literally DM someone like they may say, hey, reach out to us and tell us what you're interested in and hearing tell us how you like the episode, x, y. And I'm like, this is over. That's it. So don't please if you're listening to this, if you're watching through the spider flag, please engage. Let them know. Hey, I'm listening. This is what I like. Because we need to be able to feed the machine. We need to be able to continue to have content. We need to know what you're liking and what you're not liking. And I think it's easier on some of the platforms because there's a thumbs up button or there's a comment space, but I've never thank you for sharing that, because I've never thought about it once.
Alesia Galati:Yes, it's so difficult. So how do you navigate, like, how much to share of your life? I know some of our guests are very private. They don't want to be on video, which I 100% respect. So how do you kind of balance that, especially with consumers on YouTube, wanting more of the behind the scenes and wanting to know your name and wanting to know more about your life. How do you balance all that? I
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:try to have some core things right. I do not put anyone on my socials that has not agreed, and even if they do agree, I think circumstances change, and I don't want to put someone in a position where, because I love seeing those booktube where they're bringing their spouse in and they're interacting. I don't have a spouse, so I'm those are things I'm okay with. Sharon, if someone watches this video and you all want to know more about me, and it's going to help me out. Send your husband's friends my way. Send. The DMS are open. But as far as like, when it comes to the people in my line, I want to protect them by any means necessary. So I tend not to put anyone else unless it's another content creator, right? It's someone that's already stepped into the line, like someone that's already done that when it comes to some of the things, because, as I talked about B roll, I want to make sure if I go into a space. I'm not focusing on people that I don't know. I am looking at the scenery, but there is more to be able to see. As readers, we take our books everywhere. So if I am out and I am listening to audiobook or I bring my Kindle, right, I want you to experience it with me, right? Because I'm not reading simply in this room, in my four walls, like I am experiencing life outside of that. So of course, I'm gonna show when I go to book fears. I'm gonna show you when I go out of town, I'm on a plane, I will show you all of the things I'm experiencing because I'm experiencing it with this Kindle right here with me. I am experienced it as an audio or a visual, digital reader. I am taking the books with me, and I'm taking the people with me. I just try to make sure that I'm not exposing people or things that didn't want to be a part of it.
Alesia Galati:Yeah, I've been in the online business space since 2016 and became a new monument in 2014 so like, my kids have been part of my business journey. And like, they show up a lot on my business socials up until about a year ago. They're 10 and seven now, and so now we're at the point where if they say, Oh, I don't want my picture taken, we respect that, right? That is that is a big deal. And if I do post something about them, I will ask them for permission beforehand, or if you know, I don't post them on the we read smut account, but like on the we read SMUD account, I have taken conversations that I've had with my husband, and I will put those up. Those do really well. By the way, people love my husband. He is. He's a nasty boy sometimes, but, like, some of the stuff that he says, I'm like, Babe, oh my gosh. And they're like, give that man a treat.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:Yes, yes. Actually, we deserve
Alesia Galati:it's so funny, and then I'll obviously, I check with them first. I'm like, Hey, I'm doing this for Bookstagram. I'm gonna share these screenshots. Are you okay with that? Like, consent is so important, especially with the people in our lives who we love, not putting them on blast. Sidebar, I recently heard that people who don't share about their spouse. Says on social media, or their significant others on social media have happier relationships. And I was like, I bet I'm not putting anybody on blast. I'm getting your consent before I share this. And yeah, and like even the pictures, I'll be like, Hey, how do you feel about these pictures that I'm sharing? Do you like them? Cool, awesome. And usually he's like, send me a copy of that collage. I like that. I want it so things like that. I think it's so important when you're balancing, like the people in your life and trying to, like, how much do I share, how much do I not? But that B roll stuff, I think he gave some really good ideas too, and and I'm even thinking about going because I don't go out of my house a lot because I work from home. I don't like going to events because I have social anxiety out the wazoo, and so like very few events that I do go to, but you will always catch me reading everywhere I go. So if I'm in the doctor's office with a kid, we are reading my book. If I'm on a drive, I'm listening to something. If I am having to watch my kid do MMA, I'm either listening to an audio book or I'm reading out my Kindle. These things are happening. So these are such great ideas of get that content anywhere you can
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:absolutely now, sometimes it's to my desk from it, because I will be like listening to something at work. I am a very engaged person. I'm like, I'm not admitting among coworkers, are you talking to yourself again? Maybe don't bother me. We are in the thick of it like that. We are in the throes of passion. Please give me five seconds. But yeah, so no, I think it's very important to show as much as you're comfortable with, because that's what people are looking for. They're looking for the authenticity. They're looking for someone that is relatable, right? That does not mean show up as a completely different person that is not sustainable, that is not something that you should feel like you have to do, but make it so that people want to see what you have to offer. What is making you unique? When it comes to the significant other conversation, again, people become way too invested, and they start to look for things that's not there. But I wonder if your husband knows that he's Mr. Weave reads much. Does he know that that's the moniker, right? And these text messages, sir, if you don't keep up with it, we're looking for it on a quarterly basis or every six month, right? Like we need the content, but even that little bit is just enough to show your dynamic, right? To show I love those where they get the cover, and the guy's like, I think that this is this. And I was like, You're not wrong. I'll always
Alesia Galati:send him ideas of, Hey, babe, I have an idea. I want you to pull a book off of my shelf. Now I have a very extensive library of books behind me. My physical book amount is a round 250, or more books that I have, I have not read most of them, but because I just, I buy things that maybe I don't need. Most of them are trophies, but not all the time. Sometimes it's just, oh, that's so pretty. And I want to support that person. So yes, I'm buying it. And so I've got some of those too. And so I said, we're gonna get a bottle of scotch, because I love drinking scotch. We're gonna get a bottle of scotch, and I'm gonna have to take like, a sip or two every time you pull a book off of my shelf, and I can't tell you what it's about. And he was like, Girl, you're gonna be drunk. And I was like, but it's for the gram. He was like, All right, so
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:I think he took two things. Like, in my mind, I'm like, okay, yes, I'll be drunker than a sec, but how will he know? Like, how will he know? Because, Grant, I will buy the books, right? I have, I've got a ton of books. I know I have a general idea what it's about. The real question is, Have I read it? No, I keep an Excel spreadsheet. And every time I'm looking I'm like, it's getting ridiculous. Buy another one. At some point she'll read it. I think that's um, so that's the unfortunate thing. And I don't know if you find yourself doing this, but being a content creator, there's three different hobbies, right, reading books, buying books, right? And talking about books, right? You don't have to do all three. I find myself doing all three, right? Like, I will buy books, and I'm like, Yeah, I'm not ready to read this, but I need to have it. But when it comes to content creating, I have not gotten onto the bandwagon of doing like, all of the digital content, right, pulling the screenshots, doing all other things. I still like to have the physical book to. Hold up when I'm doing my videos or to take a picture with. And I think that is getting out of control at this point. I just bought the most beautiful copy of JL Seegers reclaim me before it even released. That's how much I love her. Like, I bought it, and I was like, it's beautiful. It's gorgeous. I have to have it. She hadn't even dropped a singular line. I was like, I deserve I know it's gonna be good, so I feel you on times of some of these are legitimate trophies. I have a friend. Do you offer books like one of my best friends? Like, can I take this and I'm like, actually, you cannot. This should not be touch. It should be in plastic. Please turn your eyes,
Alesia Galati:yes, 100% I recently reached out to four or five of my dear friends who I know read Open Door spice, and I said, Hey, here's my list of books that I own physical copies of. So I keep track of mine on story graph with the owned tag, or like the owned category. And then I also have a paperback category that tells me, Hey, I own the paperback of this, just so I can keep him in one spot. And so I've made that list public. And I said, look over this. You can look through and find like moods that you like, and I will tell you if it's available, meaning, if it's signed, you're not getting it. Number two, if it's to Alesia, you're definitely not getting it. Also, if it's part of a set, you're not getting it. So some of them are like, Oh, I'd love this one, and I'd love that one. And I'm like, you can get none of those. Maybe these, yeah, yeah, but I needed to get rid of some books that I was definitely not gonna read. But that was one way to do it. And the fact that I also am quite a collector of signed books didn't help that fact either. But yeah, I totally am with you. I was on threads one Saturday morning and saw a local author that I did not know was local. Was a Latina author was gonna be at my Barnes and Noble. And I was like, Hey, babe, I'm going to Barnes and Noble today. I've never read any of her books, but I was like, I support somebody, it's gonna be good.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:Let me tell you, I have that same thing. If I go to a space and there is a Latino author, if it is a black author, if it is someone that is, again, because we're not always in these spaces, there's so many conventions, there's so many things, even for like small local things, I'm showing up and I'm buying something. It is well within my right. I want to support you. I want you to continue to come back out. I want you to feel like at least this was worth your time. So I think that is really important, being able to show up and support, also monetary, right? I know it's not a situation that everyone can find out. So then again, I invade the library. I started off in the library. I literally just picked up a library book. So I'm not telling you you have to buy everything, but when you can do, it means the world to them, especially with indie authors, which we try to read a lot from right, if you can buy from them. I think the last I just bought from two authors that I know I'm gonna see in 2025 have never, actually three authors have never read a book from them, but I knew I was going to read it, and they were having sales like, why would I not give you the money directly? Why would I not support you knowing that you're trying to make a living in this, and I know I have the means to be able to do so right now.
Alesia Galati:And that's not to say, like you mentioned, I think book creators, we do have those three hobbies, or we tend to fall into some of that variety of reading books, collecting books, and then talking about books. Don't let how we're talking about it, or how anyone is talking about it, push you to feel like you have to collect outside of your means at all. I 100% and I know that Lisa, you agree. No, don't do that. Go to the library. There are so many ways to get free books without pirating right on. We read smut. We have a whole post about ways to get free books follow people like us. I am constantly sharing when books are on sale or when books are free. There's all of the stuff your Kindle days that happen. If you follow the authors you love, they will constantly tell you when their books are on sale. There are so many different ways to get them, in an affordable way, or literally just reach out to me and be like, Hey, you mentioned this book. I can't afford to get it. I will buy it for you. I'm not outside of doing that at all, and more than happy to do that absolutely.
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:You mentioned two things. One, I will say I'm always going to every time I see an author, have something for free, I'm always going to post it. So know that there's days, right? They have their birthdays, their anniversaries. These people want to get their content out there, right? So there's going to be that opportunity for you. Also know that if you go on so if you're a Kindle reader, you go to Amazon, there are opportunities where you can look up free books like so free interracial romance. You can look up free black romance, you can look up free items in the Kindle, and it will tell you all of the ones that are free. You do not have to have a Prime subscription. You do not have to have Amazon first read. So now that there is plenty of ways. And then, as a library supporter, just know that there are certain libraries that you can get a membership in, and you don't have to live there. There's other avenues to be able to support. I know one author, if they like their books are audiobook. They have them actually the audiobooks on YouTube, because that's the platform that they want us to go through, and it's from the author. So it's not that it's being pirated, it's not that it's out there for free, because Please do not do that. Do not go out there, especially arc readers. I know we're going to talk about, like arcs and things of that nature, do not take advantage of what has been gifted to you, because a lot of the time it will have your name in that book, right? I've got plenty of accesses to babe in library, and I appreciate that. Makes me feel a little bit special, but understanding that there's plenty of access out there for you to be able to get the books that you need, and we'll make
Alesia Galati:sure that we have access to those resources in the show notes as well, for anyone who's doing other things, then you can see that post as well as some of those resources. Hooplas one Liv there's so many different places that you can find really accessible books. So let's talk arcs as mood readers. And I know I am struggling with this, especially this year, and have actually reduced the number of arcs that I've requested, is that I'll request an arc and I'm in the mood to read it now, but I maybe have to wait four weeks or six weeks to get access to it, and then by the time I have access to it, I'm in a totally different mood. A few weeks ago, I was in a mafia mood this week, I'm in my alien mood, like it changes depending on what's going on. So how do you navigate that? Especially as a mood reader, I
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:think there's a couple of ways that I will do that. I actually prep myself at the beginning of the month so I know which arcs that I have, and so I have to constantly tell myself, okay, I didn't get to it this week. Put it on next week's TBR, bringing it up in the forefront of your mind obviously helps me a ton, also figuring out ways to partner it, right? I like to either do like a six degrees of separation. So if there is one trope that can tie into that, because sometimes you're not in that mood, right? You are knee deep in Alien romance, but you get to the point where it's like an arranged marriage. And I'm like, Okay, now I'm I've read this now. I can pick this one up. Now I can make that transition. I think there's times where you can also, when it comes to certain arcs that you receive, please be mindful. Do not force yourself at that time. If you are not feeling it, you don't want to negatively impact it. You do not want to critique a book just because you're not in that mood. Reach out to the off and say, Hey, I may be not able to get to it by this deadline. Read it when the time is right, and still go in and promote and market, because just because it's out does not mean that it's getting the traction that it deserves. It does not mean that they still don't want to hear your response. So I think you have to be gracious and kind to yourself, but also know that it is a benefit and a privilege to be able to get that art copy and to prioritize that however you can. Yeah,
Alesia Galati:that's so true. And yeah, I found myself in the last month, hey, you need to get to this book. And one of the books, I loved the book. It was fantastic, but it took me a month to read it because I was just trying to read it in little increments to like, I just need to get through this. But it ended up being fantastic. Once I get to the 250 page mark, I fly through the end, but it's getting to the 250 page mark, and it did feel like a struggle. And it wasn't because I didn't love the characters, or it wasn't because I didn't love the author, it was just I wasn't in the mood for it. And so I agree it can do a disservice to the final review, especially if you don't keep that in mind when you're like, how did I feel about this book? So going back to YouTube, how's the diversity look now? Like we talked about it, the journey of previously versus now, and even. Thinking about like you're on there. What are some, maybe some other content creators that you're really liking getting content from. But are we seeing, like, some decent diversity over there that we can check
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:out? Yeah, so I will say that there are plenty of BookTubers that I've done. I think I did a bookstagrammar Recommendations video. So there are some that are there. I will tell you that if you type in black book, super if you type in Latin X BookTuber, right? So one start at the search, try to intentionally go out there and look for it, go out and put in the book that you want to know. There are a lot of hashtags that you'll be able to find. I will tell you, as far as like certain and I don't even want to say just looking from a person that okay, this is a black person and she's going to be able to relate to me, or this is an indigenous person and they're going to be able to relate to me. I will say that I have found some allies in the community that read diversity. So do not discount it by saying that someone that is white or white passing right, they may not read the books that you're reading. So that's why I'm telling you to look up the books that you want to read as well. But as far as some channels that I think that you all should go check out, I would say mo pages, and that's m, O, P, A, G, E, S. Love her content. She is so funny, like it's just so great. I will tell you the one person that has a channel that has a full playlist of all black book subtubers, and I think she's at past 100 now, Caprice book Island, she makes sure to spotlight and share. She had one year that she read only fantasy or only romance, only black office, right? So she tries to be intentional with her reading. I will tell you to check out her page. I would say that I just was looking at, I believe it's shadora. Let me pull her up. I think if she Nora Isadora, I'll send you her information. She's also on Bookstagram, right? So a lot of the times you may have some bookstagrammers that are in that space that will convert over the booktube. So go in, if you're finding someone and you really like their content on Bookstagram, go into their link tree, see if they have any other socials. Those are really good ways to expand. But if not, like I said, I've got some, and I'll send you away so we can have a list in the description. Yes,
Alesia Galati:absolutely. Oh, that's so good. And that really helps too, because I think that people who maybe aren't watching booktube or didn't even know that it was a thing until this moment. You're like, wait, I like hearing people talk about books. And yes, I want to listen to people while I'm working or while I'm doing other things. Then that's such a great way to to hear about the books that you love or the books that you're interested in. And that is so interesting. The Creator that you said, does a whole year of reading a certain type of book. I, as a mood reader, cannot even imagine. I have to turn my intentions into percentages. So in a last year, I did not do well with reading diversity at all. And was really disappointed with myself. My diversity was 25 bipoc for 75 white or unknown. And I was like, girl, you need to get those numbers up. And so one of my intentions was to double it. And so it was a 5050, whereas now I'm at 6040 so 60% bipoc, 40% white or unknown. And that felt really good to me. And then when I looked at the numbers even deeper, I realized that I read a lot of black authors, specifically not a lot of Latina authors. So then, okay, let's build on this intention of next year. What does that Latina percentage look like? What does that indigenous or Asian or Pacific Islander percentage look like and like? How can I make sure that's also diverse while still reading for fun and reading what I like
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:absolutely and I think you know what? That's the thing each year everyone should be looking at, reflecting and seeing what they haven't read. So like, for me, this year, I was like, Okay, I'm actually not promoting enough sapphic reads. Why is that? Is it that I haven't found the particular authors? Am I not doing the work? So I'm going out and I'm intentionally thinking, okay, what can I do? I know J arias. She is, she writes primarily SAP read. She is of diverse background. Let me go ahead and put her on Mika James, right, and so I am doubling down right. So I'm also reading from bipoc authors. But I know that there's a margin of a different community that I am not supporting, that I need to make sure. Is visible, right? If there is a trans character, I'm like, Girl, what are we doing? RM, virtues is right there. Let's go ahead and add this to the list. Non binary. What things am I not seeing reflected? Because even when we again, and this is something that is important, right? As we talk about being diverse and representing a diverse community and making sure that is your platform, you have to realize that there is going to be, whether it's unconscious bias or blind spots or things that you don't have reflected on your shelves, that you should be invested in figuring out why. So I think that's important for every year I look at what I've read and I say, Okay, what do I need to capitalize on, even if it's going outside of my genre, right? I'm not the biggest non fiction reader, but I love a memoir. How can I diversify my reading genre? Because that I'm doing this month, and I apologize to be one of those people, but this month I am doing a noir November challenge, right? And I try to make sure to say there is a book for every single genre that will have a black person if you like sci fi, ELIZABETH STEVENS, if you like historical fiction, sadika Johnson, right? If you like mystery, you've got plenty of authors that have that right. So what can you find to be able to experience your reading, even if it's not romance, which, again, we're talking about romance. I love it, trust me, I can give you a recommendation for it.
Alesia Galati:So true. I think that it is so important that we are diversifying. And like you said, what are those maybe unconscious biases or things that are just blind spots that we're not paying attention to, and that's where I love things like storygraph, where you can see that data really clearly and like, really dig deep into what you're doing or what you're not doing and make those changes right? Like, we don't have to beat ourselves up. Let's do better next year. Let's be more intentional in how we're approaching it. Join challenges that get us maybe a little bit outside of our comfort zone, and make us think, oh, this, I maybe could do this a little differently and still approaching things from a place of curiosity and fun, like it doesn't have to be boring, it can still be tons of fun. And I love what you said about if you're interested in a certain genre, there is something for everyone. And I say the same thing for tropes, right? If you like a particular trope, there is a diverse book with that trope, or many diverse books with that trope. There's so much variety that I wish more people would talk about. But that's why we're having these conversations, and that's why it's important to have these conversations. To
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:your point. Star graph takes out of the work, right? If you're like, I just can't do it myself. The app literally does the work for you. It will tell you there is a section for LGBTQIA plus, right? So if you're like, I actually don't see that bar. I wonder why that is. If you don't see something reflected, that app will tell you, and I think it's created by the diverse community. We are able to send in suggestions. So I love storygraph, and I hope that we continue to pour into it, because they're listening and they're enacting the feedback that we're giving them. Yes,
Alesia Galati:and that's why I have a premium membership. He's literally five bucks a month. That's why I have that, so I can have those special graphs. Because I'm like, I'm a data girly. I like to see what's going on. I like to check it out my numbers regularly, and one of the things that I've been looking at this year was the percentages, but then also looking at, where am I putting my money? I'm spending a lot of money on paperbacks, but I'm actually not reading a lot of paperbacks. I am actually listening to books on audible, whether that's through the audible, premium free catalog with my credits, or through Kindle Unlimited like those are the two places where the majority of my reading is happening. So maybe it's not a great idea to keep buying books that I'm not gonna read. Okay, good to know, at least I have the data to tell me Alesia, maybe slow down a little bit
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:Absolutely. And so to bring up the comment you made about arcs like also challenge yourself, right? Like I am, for me, I said I cannot request another book, or I cannot do this until I've completed this. Right? Make it a reward system, going back to like my childhood, if I read so many books, I'm getting a pizza. If I knock down five books on my physical TBR, I can buy a book. Make sure that you are analyzing everything you do. I know that there is a conversation about reading big and political. Reading is strategic. It is political. It is being intentional about everything that. Do, and I think that's the importance that we're talking about today. Is just making sure that you're not idly by. I am not a person that reads for escapism. I can see how it is done, but when I do read, I am reading, and I'm seek, taking that information in, and so I need to be intentional about what I'm taking in and consuming and sharing. That's why I find it very difficult to post or make videos about things that I haven't read, even doing TBRs, like doing my TBR videos, I'm like, I don't want to get out here and say it's about something and it's completely not so I think being responsible as a content creator is also important. That does not mean that you have to say you love everything, because we're not gonna like everything, but being clear about the things that you don't like, that whole conversation of I didn't see myself reflected. Maybe that's the point of reading the book. That's what we're here for. And this is someone's story. I just read passion by Monica Walters, and it was like, do not say that this is not reality. It may not be your reality, but this is someone's experience, and for her to put that in, like her author's note or her dedication, I was like, Yes, more of this.
Alesia Galati:I have learned so much about myself, but also the people I love through reading even romance books, right? Like I was on a podcast interview recently, and I was talking about how much I love to read for fun, and as a business owner, I don't read self development because I can't it. Just I can't read it. Also, I don't need to improve myself. I'm mentally working on myself on a regular basis, and actually I'm improving by reading romance, and here's how. And I talked about how when my son got his autism diagnosis, it wasn't a freak out, because I had read books where main characters had autism and on the spectrum that he does, and how they're able to have high functioning lives and they're able and like, here are the little quirks and the little things, and here's how to address it, and here's how they're able to still live a fulfilling life and understanding themselves. And it gave me a deeper understanding of my son, but it also was like, wait, I kind of see some of those things in myself. Interesting. Might need to go back to the doctor and talk about those things. And that was something I hadn't even expected or thought I would ever realize it is such a powerful tool, and I cannot praise it enough,
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:yes, and I think you literally took the word powerful out of my mouth as well, like out of my brain, because that's exactly what I was going to say. I think the thing about and I know we said even romance, right? Romance is a valid it is an important. I think we stigmatize romance reading so much. But if I think about it, it's not just about the relationship of the main characters, right? It's not solely focused on them. In romance book, you get to see how their family shows up in their relationships, what their friendship, relations. Like we are human beings, we thrive on interaction and the amount of interactions you get in a romance book, because you're already investing your feelings, you're already in emotion. So that shows you how you show up in the world and how you interact. I think it's very important that we destigmatize romance books solely about the the intimate relationships. It's so many relationship dynamics that you see in there. And most of the time, if you're not reading something like in third person or second person, right, like you are that character, you're walking their walk, you're living their life, you're experiencing their interaction. And in real life, you don't necessarily get that dual perspective. I love dual POVs, but which is my preference in books, but you are living in both of those shoes, and I find it very interesting when I can step because I've been reading some romances here lately where I'm like, This really sounds like it's from a male POV. Like, how are they nailing it and hitting it out the park? Because, like, as a woman, I'm reading this, and I'm like, That can't be the case, but you have to step outside yourself and be vulnerable in these spaces. So I don't want to say I know sometimes I get into my own, like, even in romance. No, because of romance, I read romance. I'm happy to read romance, and I think it teaches you a lot about interacting and being in touch with your emotions.
Alesia Galati:Ah, that's so good. It's not just even in romance. It's because of romance mic drop, yeah, oh, Lisa, this has been so much fun. If people are like, wait, I kind of want to check out BookTube, and I want to check out Lisa's stuff. Where can they find you? Get to know you hang out with you. Yes,
Lisa @BabeInLibrary:please check me in any social media platform so on all of them, I'm at Bateman library, so please come over to my booktube. Check out my Bookstagram. I am on storygraph and on Goodreads. By. DMS are open. I'm not on book talk, but if you all make a compelling argument I made, dip my toe in the water. Do not hold me to it. Alesia, do not hold me to it. I am already doing enough, but find me on any social media platforms at Damon library, I would be so happy to chat with you. My DMS are always open.
Alesia Galati:Thank you so much, Lisa, this was so much fun.
Unknown:You.
