Every avid reader fantasizes at some point about what their life would be like if their job revolved around books. Even from a young age, many readers daydream about how books can be a part of their everyday life. Today, the opportunities for a bookish career are brighter than ever, with something for everyone. Maybe you feel completely comfortable talking about your latest favorite book in front of the camera, but what if you’d rather craft a written review instead? Some readers love to think about creating their own characters and stories, but others want to stick behind the scenes. This quiz will help you find your ideal bookish career. Be honest, have fun, and share your results in a comment!
(1). What is your bookish fashion accessory?
- Notebooks, journals, and pens scattered everywhere.
- A laptop or tablet bookmarked with your favorite bookish sites (like Book Riot, Bustle, Epic Reads, The New York Times Book Review, and The Millions).
- Your smartphone and all its reading and social media apps.
- Cardigans to keep you warm when you get so lost in a book you forget you’re cold.
(2). Which one of these college classes would you most like to take?
- “Fiction Writing Workshop”
- “Literary Theory and Criticism”
- “Communications and Social Media in Today’s Book World”
- “History of the Book”
(3). What do you do when you’ve finished a book you didn’t love?
- Think about how you would have written it differently.
- Articulate your thoughts on the book’s strengths and weaknesses in a Goodreads review.
- Talk about it on social media with fellow book lovers.
- Research books that are similar but have a better reputation.
(4). How do you pick out a book to give to a friend for their birthday?
- You give them your favorite book by your favorite author.
- Look through your last five and four star ratings for something they might like.
- Gift the novel that’s got everyone talking so they can be up to date on the book world.
- Wander through the stacks of the library and pick out a book that looks interesting.
(5). Do you ever judge a book by its cover?
- No way. Authors rarely have a say on their cover. It’s the writing inside that matters.
- Not really, but a gorgeous cover can certainly set high expectations for the book to match.
- Absolutely! Dissecting the cover is part of the fun.
- You’ve seen some ugly covers before, but you’re able to convince someone to give a book a try anyway.
(6). What is your bookish guilty pleasure?
- Stalking your favorite authors on social media to try and pick up some of their writing wisdom.
- Ranting away about a book that annoyed you—or gushing about why you loved a new favorite.
- Justifying your growing book buying habit as “market research.”
- Checking out tons and tons of books from the library—even if you know you won’t read them all.
(7). When you’re stressed out, what nerdy, bookish activity helps you unwind?
- Channeling your feelings into a journal entry, poem, or story.
- Reading Goodreads reviews and maybe writing one of your own.
- Binging through some bookish vlogs or podcasts in your queue.
- Re-arranging your bookshelves.
ANSWERS
If you got mostly A’s… Your bookish career is Author!
You love reading, but you love diving in and writing your own stories even more. You have a constant urge to create and never go long without coming up with ideas for novels, poems, and short stories. What you love most about reading is how it inspires you and pushes you to write your own work. You have some quirky traits, like testing a sentence or phrase out loud or talking about your characters as if they are real. Writing can be isolating, but fortunately writers can find lots of support online, through spaces like the National Novel Writing Month community, fan fiction forums, online writing workshops, and spaces like Wattpad.
If you got mostly B’s… Your bookish career is Book Critic!
Book critics have notoriously high standards and, if they are influential enough, can destroy—or elevate—the career of an author or the reputation of a book. Yet life for born book critics can be difficult. Not everyone feels comfortable voicing their misgivings about a book, and many readers don’t wish to say anything bad at all. It’s up to the book critic to be the objective and impartial voice, though it is sometimes hard to hold back rather than sink your teeth into a critical review. Today, book critics aren’t limited to the New York Times Book Review. Many readers visit Goodreads first to get an idea of a book’s rating and merits. Try publishing your reviews on Goodreads and getting active in the reviewer community and seek out places to review like Kirkus Reviews, Indie Reader, and Shelf Awareness.
If you got mostly C’s… Your bookish career is Book Blogger, Vlogger, or Podcaster!
You think one of the best things to happen to books is the online community of fellow readers. Being connected to other book fans online through a blog, vlog, or podcast is a great fit for you. You love sharing your thoughts on books and reading with others, and the dialogue about that happens on social media so it’s a great way to participate in the bookish world through promoting authors, books, genres, and movements. To go professional, research how to create affiliate partnerships, such as through Amazon Affiliates, and seek potential advertisers. Search ways to monetize your blog and turn your reading passion into your profession.
If you got mostly D’s… Your bookish career is Librarian!
While we’ve all heard the idea that libraries are old fashioned thanks to ebooks, today’s librarians know that’s just not true. The library profession is a great bookish career for readers who like to help people find their next favorite book (known as “reader’s advisory”), to create innovative displays that promote notable books or themes, lead book discussion groups, and fight censorship and banned books. Readers who are fans of YA can even find a potential career designing YA and teen-centered programs and events as a youth services, teen, or young adult librarian. And even if you’re not a totally bubbly, outgoing extrovert, librarians can also work behind the scenes in cataloging, digital libraries, and archives. For even more great bookish career ideas, check out this awesome article.
What bookish career did you get? Leave a comment below!
