If you could have told me five years ago that starting a blog would lead to my face being splashed on the front page of The Times, I wouldn’t have believed you. I was a shy and anxious twelve year old who had been devastated by the loss of her grandfather only a few months before. Books were my refuge, and so talking about books online felt like something that had been made for me. It was an escape and a place to express myself, and I never thought anything would come of it. I never expected to get any views on my posts, never expected to make the friends I have through blogging. Back then, blogging was a relatively new thing: there were no expectations whatsoever. It was simply a hobby.
Skip forward to now and things have taken a turn for the crazy. When I was contacted by The Times to feature in an article on booktube (the part of the YouTube community that talks about books, if you didn’t know), I thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase our corner of the Internet, which most definitely isn’t as well-known as other areas of YouTube. There are so many passionate and creative people making videos on booktube, and so it was great to get a space where booktube was celebrated for the amazing platform it is.
Last Monday, a photographer (Gareth Iwan Jones) and makeup artist (Neusa Neves) came to my house to take photos for the article – it was such a surreal experience! I don’t think I’ve ever had my hair brushed so much in my life, and my eyeliner is never going to look that good again, but it was so worth it. It was strange to have to pose, and I don’t think I’ve ever changed outfits so much, but I was so happy with the results and glad that I looked like myself.
The article also features Jen, Simon and Sanne, who it was an honour to be featured with. I’ve watched Jen and Simon’s videos since they first started making them, and Sanne has been my favourite booktuber for a very long time so I felt very humbled to be on the same page as them.
Would I have written some of the things about me if I was writing the article myself? Maybe not. I was scared about letting someone else write about me because I know how I perceive myself, but this might not line up with how other people perceive me; it’s difficult handing over control to somebody else because I’m so used to having full control — I write my own blog posts, I edit my own videos, I do all of my social media. It was scary, but I was pleased that James Marriott did such a good job.
I would like to thank everyone for being so supportive. Your messages and love across social media have meant the world, and I’ve tried my hardest to respond to them all but I’m sorry if I’ve missed any! Friday was such an overwhelming day and I’m still trying to catch up with everything.
Whether you watch my videos or not, it’s absolutely amazing to have booktube featured in a national newspaper and get the recognition it deserves.
It really was an incredible experience!
You can read the full article here — you need to sign up to read it, but after that it is completely free to do so.
7 Comments
Bee
14 August, 2017 at 5:39 pmTwitter: MaddieandBee
While I thought it was wonderful that you got to be a part of this, the things they chose to focus on where definitely…interesting. I loved reading your side of the story, as it were, because this is obviously a big moment!
While there’s still more to say about the fact they chose to focus on the teenager as the reader of classics and the adult as the reader of YA (as if being an adult means you can be more critical of YA or something?) I think the part that bothers me the most about this whole article, which has absolutely nothing to do with booktube and more about the media’s perception of vlogging in the first place, is the part where they can use a tagline like ‘the Zoella of books’ to sell more papers because Zoella’s brand name is on the front page and that’s going to get more people interested, but then in the article proceed to bash her! It’s completely hypocritical.
It’s also completely ludicrous that they would talk about her vlogging in the context of a book article, because she also has a Book Club that’s widely successful and promotes YA fiction. So ???
Of course, I’m not meaning to take away how important this article is in general to booktubing, or to promoting your content, you know Maddie and I love your videos!
Lucy Powrie
15 August, 2017 at 4:06 pmYes, I thought the same thing as you, Bee!
I would have liked if they’d mentioned my association with YA at least once — it was something I talked about in my interview, and how I talk about both to encourage YA readers to read classics and vice versa. But I’m trying to view the article as a “fictional LucyTheReader” being written about — they try to put the most interesting spin on a story, even if this doesn’t represent exactly who I am.
I am a huge fan of Zoe’s and I would defend her to the death, so the anti-Zoella twist was most definitely something I was against. I wish traditional media wouldn’t drag her down so much! She is an incredible role model to me and so many other women, and I do wish that other people would see that.
Definitely not taking away from the importance. Healthy criticism is always a good thing! Thank you, Bee!
Lucy Powrie recently posted…Meet the BookTubers: Being in The Times
Catriona
14 August, 2017 at 7:48 pmTwitter: Fabbookfiend
It’s so cool to hear your reaction to the article. I got my mum to buy me a copy so I can read it when I land back in England at the end of the month. I’ve been watching all your videos forever so it was great to see you all in the spotlight like this!
Lucy Powrie
15 August, 2017 at 4:07 pmThat’s dedication! Hope you like it when you read it, Catriona!
Lucy Powrie recently posted…Meet the BookTubers: Being in The Times
Tasya
15 August, 2017 at 12:18 pmTwitter: lithuntress
Congratulations Lucy! I haven’t read the article yet, but being featured is always awesome 😀 I also love Sanne’s booktube, I need to check out the others 😀
Tasya recently posted…The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King // Grisha trilogy vibe?
Lucy Powrie
15 August, 2017 at 4:08 pmThank you, Tasya!
The other booktubers are amazing. I love all of their videos! Definitely worth checking out!
Lucy Powrie recently posted…Meet the BookTubers: Being in The Times
September TBR & A Catch Up - Queen of Contemporary
30 August, 2017 at 5:01 pm[…] You can fill out my booktube survey here so that I know what videos you’d like to see for the rest of the year and gather your feedback. You can also read my blog post about being in The Times here. […]