Celebrate Black Authors
The Reading Chamber is a small bookstore, but we always have a few books that feature diverse characters and authors. Over the years, the young adult category has grown to include more characters with different backgrounds and ethnicities, but it can always use more. Every reader is different and they want to see themselves in these characters. Historically, Black authors only make up about 5% of the book industry. Black History Month is an excellent time to read these authors and encourage more books by them.
Valentine’s Day Sale
If you haven’t purchased a Valentine’s Day gift for your loved one yet, it’s not too late! All of our romance books as well as the romance category of Blind Date with a Book are currently on sale. If you’re not sure what your person will like, buy a gift card! Us book people always appreciate book themed gift cards and of course bookish merch like this bookmark. Check out some of the romance books below and purchase between now and Monday to get them before the holiday!
Differences in Editing
Working with an editor is life changing for a book project. Authors can only take their titles so far before they need an outside perspective to ask new questions and to help flush out plot lines. It can be confusing to figure out what type of editing you need, especially if this is your first book. Each genre is going to be slightly different on how editing works, so for this blog’s purpose we will be talking about fiction books.
Insight Into the Book Journal
When TikTok first came out, I got sucked into #booktok and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve found so many amazing recommendations and I’ve read more independently published books than ever! While book journals kept popping up on my feed, I never took the time to create a journal myself because I just wasn’t into reviewing books. I spent my days reviewing manuscripts for authors so the thought of sitting down to write out a book review for myself seemed extremely tiring. But then I saw people doing trackers for their books and I thought hey, that’s something I like to do! I love gathering data so I decided to try and find a journal where I could take down all my notes.
Self-Published Books in Stores
There are many different ways to publish a book, but the top three are traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing. My background is in all three as I worked for both traditional publishers and hybrid publishers, and I self published a novel when I was sixteen (don’t ask). With the rise of eBooks and social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, it’s been easier and easier for authors to connect directly with readers. Despite self-published books getting more of a following, bookstores are still hesitant to put those titles in their bookstore. Here are some reasons why:
Winter Reads
If you’re a mood reader like me, then you understand the need to have a cozy read January to March. You need something light and refreshing April and May, then a great summertime/beach read June to August before settling back into a cozy read September to November and a holiday read in December. Well for January, I have some great suggestions that are all found at the bookstore!
Favorite Books of 2024
2025 is officially here, which means it’s time for Goodreads’ reading challenge! Last year I planned for 60 books and ended up reading 67. I might be a bit ambitious, but I’m aiming for 70 books this year! Now, I normally read young adult books (obviously), but I did have a fair amount of adult reads this year and was surprised that I thoroughly enjoyed some of them. I’m sure 2025’s books will bring a mix of audiences and I’m very curious to see what titles end up being my favorites. I’d like to do a wrap-up of my favorite YA books below and you can find some of these on the bookstore’s website!
2024 Wrap Up
This year is almost at a close, which is absolutely wild to think about. If you told me at the beginning of this year that by the end of it I would own my own bookstore, I would’ve been shocked.
I started 2024 by working at the same job I had for almost six years in the hybrid publishing space. I loved parts of it like choosing which submissions we took on and helping authors achieve their dream of being published. But the past year was especially hard and it seemed like no matter what I did, my job kept getting harder. I was incredibly stressed, unhappy, and felt stuck. Between January and March I applied for a few new jobs, even got an offer, but decided to stick it out in my current position for a bit longer because…we were getting a puppy!
Last Minute Gift Ideas for a Book Lover
If you’re still shopping for a Christmas gift this late in the game…well, you have some limited options. Shipping something today won’t have it there by Christmas unless you pay exorbitant fees so you can’t do too much online shopping. But that’s okay! There are still some great options that readers will really enjoy. Whether it is making something yourself, or scouring the stores for that perfect find, here are three suggestions to give you a good start:
Gifts for Book Lovers Part 2
We’re down to 11 days until Christmas, which means there’s not a lot of time left to purchase gifts and have them shipped to make it in time for the holiday. If you’re still stuck on what to get someone who likes books or you need just one more present, here are some books that are perfect for young adult readers and adults alike and you can find them here at The Reading Chamber:
Gifts for Book Lovers Part 1
With only 18 days left until Christmas, it’s coming down to the wire to pick out gifts for friends and family. If you’re shopping for someone who loves books, it may be a bit daunting to find a title that fits the reader. YA books are a great gift for both teens and adults and here are some suggestions that you can find right here at The Reading Chamber for those specific book lovers:
Holiday Sales Are Here!
It’s the first holiday season for The Reading Chamber! I’ll admit, it was a little daunting trying to figure out what sales to offer and when. Some stores start before Black Friday and have deals all November long, but I knew I wanted to kick off holiday shopping with Black Friday as the first day. I decided to do a variety of different sales to appeal to different readers!
Something New I Learned
One of the things they don’t tell you when you start your own business is that you have to be a content creator to gain traction. Most of my day is now spent filming videos for TikTok and Instagram Reels, scheduling Facebook posts, and trying to figure out algorithms to reach the targeted audience. I of course expected to work on marketing and that it would take up a lot of my time, but I didn’t expect to be glued to my phone.
Publishing Pitfalls to Avoid
Last night I had the privilege of being the guest speaker for the Book Authors of Southeastern Pennsylvania group. These authors, both unpublished and published, were wonderful to chat with and I so enjoyed sharing the publishing knowledge I’ve accumulated over the last ten years. While I put together a full presentation, I thought I would highlight an area here that the authors found very helpful.
Books I’d Recommend This Week
This post is short because well…it’s a been a rough week.
The book community has always battled banned books. There’s banned books week, which took place in September this year and will take place in October next year (hopefully). And plenty of bookstores and libraries have banned book displays highlighting some of the most challenged titles such as To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, The Great Gatsby and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
October Wrap-up
Now that November is here, I can officially say the bookstore opened last month! It’s pretty surreal to think about and I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact I actually own a bookstore.
There were many things I learned within the last few weeks and still so much I don’t know. I had no idea how to track any analytics or how long a book might take to arrive once it’s ordered. I discovered that promoting an online store is hard, but that I’ve gotten a good response and I know I’m on the right track. I’m currently taking a masterclass on content creation with the hope of bringing more awareness to the website without paying for additional advertising and I’m earning an SEO certificate (if I ever find time to sit down and complete the course).
Honing My Sixth Sense for Great Books
I have a sixth sense when it comes to snuffing out story plots.
It’s true!
Most times when my husband and I sit down to watch a television show or a movie, I can predict exactly what will happen, even if it’s far-fetched. For instance, in Only Murders in the Building, I’ve been able to predict the murderer in the last few episodes of each season before they do the reveal. I can almost always tell when a character is pregnant and they haven’t announced it yet, and I know which characters are going to end up together from the beginning (think Nick and Jess).
Some might say that it’s lazy writing if I’m able to figure things out so easily, but it’s actually the opposite. I’ve studied creative writing and storytelling for over ten years at this point so my eye is trained for the formulas writers use and how to detect plot lines. This means I can tell if a book is going to be a good book within the first three chapters of reading it, which is a skill I use for choosing titles for the bookstore. It took time to hone this sixth sense so let’s start at the beginning:
Introducing The Reading Chamber
Welcome to The Reading Chamber’s blog! Now that the website has officially launched, it’s time for the blog to as well! Though you can read a bit about me (and Chandler) on the About page of the website, I wanted to go more in-depth about the bookstore’s background here.
My name is Jess Taylor. I grew up outside of Philadelphia, though I now live in Virginia with my husband and Chandler, our mini Bernedoodle. I have loved books since I was a baby. In fact, my first word was duck! It happened while my mom was reading me a farm book and ever since, I’ve absorbed books and stories like a sponge.