It seems like every day brings news of another studio entering the microdrama space.
One of the more interesting newcomers is Rommi, a micromovie studio targeting the romance community. For its first rom-com microdrama, Drive Me Mad, Rommi teamed up with Bookish Media, a media and production company founded by Morgann Book and Thomas Johnston. Bookish Media focuses on all things books, including its weekly podcast, Off the Shelf: The Bookish Club.
Book has built a substantial social media following, with 2.6 million followers on TikTok, 144,000 on Instagram, and 1.2 million on YouTube. She’s also frequently involved in studio publicity for major book adaptations, including Off Campus and My Life with the Walter Boys.
BookTok creators like Morgann have had a significant impact on the literary world, becoming an increasingly important part of book marketing and promotional campaigns.
Drive Me Mad is based on an original idea by popular romance author Ali Rosen, whose work includes Unlikely Story. The project brings together a combination of complementary skill sets, from romance publishing to social media and screen production. For those interested in the business side, it was also a SAG production.
I recently spoke with Morgann about Drive Me Mad and the future of Bookish Media, along with her wide range of other projects.
The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Rick Ellis: As an older guy, I’ve had to reinvent myself a lot, and that’s one of the fascinating things about your story. You started out at 16 in a very different place from where you are now. Were those changes driven by getting older and wanting to try different things, or by feeling that something was getting tired and you needed to move on? Did you worry that you’d become the person making Dairy Queen videos and people would wonder, “What the hell is this about now?”
Morgann Book: It was a little bit of both. I’m a very shy, introverted person. When I posted my first video, it went viral.
I never set out to be on social media, decorate cakes, or talk about books. That first video went viral, and I woke up the next day with 40,000 followers. I took it day by day.
I had a lot of viral success in the beginning because of Dairy Queen. Then I slowly realized there were other things I wanted to talk about. I fell in love with social media, creating videos, and storytelling. I tested out BookTok.
The running joke is that my last name is legally Book. I’ve always been a huge reader, and BookTok was starting to take off in 2021. I gave it a go with a couple of videos.
I found some success and discovered a real passion. I slowly shifted the account from Dairy Queen to books because I wasn’t working at Dairy Queen as much, and I knew that was going to be the future.
Once I started university, I didn’t have time to work there anymore. There were other things I loved talking about, like books. Then the account evolved from books into launching a media company because I knew I didn’t want to be an influencer forever. I wanted to create a more stable career for myself.
So that was my timeline.
Ellis: On the face of it, books don’t seem like something that would translate to social media. But as you said, it’s been huge and has had a major influence on what people buy.
Some books become huge successes strictly because people see them on social media. But I’ve seen you talk about how many of the books you discuss aren’t necessarily hits or books other people might be interested in. You’re following your own interests: “I think this is an interesting book. I want to talk to this person. I want to talk about the book.”
Morgann Book: Everyone knows the popular books out there these days, and I’m reading them, too. But when I find one that no one else is talking about, I think, “This could be really good for these types of readers,” or I find that it’s an incredible story. That’s what I’m going after.
If I read a really popular book and it changes my life, I’m still going to talk about it. But I love giving new authors, indie authors, self-published authors, and Canadian authors a chance to have their moment because there are so many incredible undiscovered books out there.
Ellis: From an author’s standpoint, there are so few places to get promotion. Traditional legacy newspapers don’t have book reviewers anymore, and most magazines don’t exist anymore. I know from author friends that getting the word out, particularly ahead of the publication date so there can be preorders, is huge.
Morgann Book: It really is. Every time I talk to an author about it, some are really game. They understand social media, they’re comfortable in front of a camera, and they excel at it. Other authors, and I’d say the majority, can be quite shy. They’re nervous about putting themselves on social media, not about marketing their books.
It’s tough because certain publishers, especially smaller ones, don’t have a huge marketing budget for particular titles. With the rise of social media, some of these authors have had to start marketing their own books. As shy as they might be, I think it teaches them a lot and allows them to connect with their readership.
Ellis: Earlier, you mentioned that you hadn’t set out to be an influencer. That wasn’t something you wanted to do. We’re far enough into the influencer era that we can see its challenges. There’s a lot of burnout, with people hitting a wall and thinking, “I’m tired of influencing. I feel like I’m on a hamster wheel.”
I’m wondering how you navigate that, especially since you’re taking on something else on top of everything you’re already doing.
Morgann Book: It’s very common to experience burnout. I always say that influencing, overall, is an incredibly lucky job. We’re privileged to do what we do, and I make sure I don’t forget that every day.
I’ve hit burnout. I don’t find influencing difficult, but I think burnout happens because we don’t stop working.
You always feel like you’re on. I live in a relatively small town, and I’ll get recognized at the bookstore. Even when I’m not sitting down emailing, there’s a chance people are going to see me. I have to be honest about that.
It’s not a negative thing, but because the business is yourself, you put a lot of pressure on yourself as a creator. One way I navigate that is by putting time limits on my phone. I don’t go on social media after 9 p.m. or before 9 a.m. That gives me a 12-hour window when I can get some space from my workplace and connect with my friends. And 12 hours is still a long time to technically be on social media, so I’ve set time limits.
I’ve made a lot of friends in the industry, and chatting with them about work and things unrelated to work can be really helpful. Having that circle around you matters because it can be very isolating to film videos at home in your room. That’s how I’ve tackled it.
I’ve also stopped sharing everything online. That’s been super important to me. There was a point when I’d share when my family and I went on vacation. Now, that’s something I want to keep to myself. I don’t need to put everything online anymore.
Ellis: Although I saw you mention recently that you were moving out of your parents’ house.
Morgann Book: (laughs) Well, I shared that update about a week after it was finalized. When it comes to my family and me going on vacation, I think, “I don’t know who that benefits.” It’s just something happening in my life. But moving out for the first time is something I feel a lot of people can relate to or learn from.
That video was about setting up a series: “Hey, I’m moving out of my parents’ house for the first time. I’ve never done this. Give me your advice, and come with me as I figure this out.”
Ellis: I want to make sure we talk about the show, since that’s technically the reason we’re doing this. You obviously had some ideas about what the experience would be like before you started. How closely did reality match your expectations?
Morgann Book: I’d say it was quite close. I’ve been lucky enough as a creator to visit a bunch of film sets over the last couple of years, usually just for a day or two.
So I understand what it’s like to be on set. I know that when they call “Action,” you don’t move a muscle or speak.
I knew how a set flowed. I also knew that when Maggie and Jamie, the founders of Rommi, reached out to me last year, they were very clear that they were romance fans. They said they understood the landscape of vertical series and the microdrama slate, and they wanted to do something different. They wanted to make something for romance readers.
That was my expectation going in, and that’s what we achieved on set. Every decision, from the script development process through production and post-production, came down to this question: How does this benefit romance readers? What do romance readers want?
That was super fun for me because Gen Z, which is my generation, will be consuming this series.
The one thing I didn’t realize was how quickly things would move on set. We used many of the same locations for different scenes. We didn’t have massive movie budgets, unlimited time, or lots of actors. We had two main actors and a couple of supporting characters.
Everything moves very quickly, so it’s helpful when every actor knows their lines, the crew knows what they’re doing, and the cameras are set up. Every minute is important, just as it is on other film sets.
I think being a producer on this project really allowed me to feel that.
Ellis: From what little I’ve seen, it seems like a more traditional approach to romance. Looking at some of your Instagram posts, I remember one where you were watching a movie and crying because it had moved you. So you obviously have a romantic side.
That’s different from a lot of the microdramas out there. Many of them claim to be romance, but it’s really just, “Here, let me rip my shirt off. Cut. Okay.” There’s not much romance; it’s more sexually oriented. It sounds like you’re taking a different approach.
Morgann Book: We really are. Historically, vertical series have relied on sex appeal, massive cliffhangers, or taboo topics. That’s okay; those exist for an audience that wants to watch them.
I’ve watched the occasional vertical series in the past because some stand out for their good actors and scriptwriting. But our goal from the beginning was to do something very different. We wanted to appeal to romance fans.
I think you can still include certain elements found in other vertical series. We have a scene where you see the main character’s abs when he comes out of the bathroom and says he doesn’t have pajamas. But we approach it in a safe, comfortable, romantic way.
We also use romance tropes: a road-trip romance, forced proximity, a secret identity, and the one-bed trope.
Leveraging those tropes was another way we wanted to do things differently, both in the series itself and in how we marketed it.
We also work closely with authors. Drive Me Mad isn’t an adaptation; it’s an original concept by romance author Ali Rosen. The idea came from her notes app, which made it really special to develop with her.
I think collaborating with a romance author has so many benefits. They understand romance and know who’s going to be consuming the series.
Ellis: On a personal level, what’s it like to have an audience that knows you and is familiar with a particular side of you, then move into an area where people might have heard of you but don’t necessarily follow everything you do?
They don’t have all the backstory that your established fans have. What’s it like to reinvent yourself while reframing your image for new people?
Morgann Book: It’s super fun. I have a lot of respect for my friends who are influencers, but I think that when people are only influencers, aren’t in school anymore, and don’t have another job, they can become a little unrealistic to follow. I include myself in that. I like to follow people who have other things going on.
It’s been super fun to take my audience along and meet new people on this journey, going from cake decorating to being a romance reader and now a producer.
My experience has been great. There’s been so much support since my business partner and I launched Bookish Media about two years ago.
This is our first big scripted project, so it’s been great to have people come along for the ride and show them what it’s like to make a movie, in a sense. Older generations of producers, or even producers working today, don’t necessarily show the inner workings of being on set. I’m very lucky to have a social media following that lets me share that.
Ellis: You mentioned earlier that you don’t necessarily consider yourself an outgoing person. What scares you at this point? You’ve done a lot of things that other people would be afraid to do. Is there still something that scares you, that you’re not looking forward to or don’t want to do right now?
Morgann Book: That’s a really great question. I’m still not entirely comfortable with public speaking. I used to be scared to go to new meetings, host a podcast, or meet new people.
But when you do something enough times, it becomes second nature. I used to feel nauseated before meeting someone new. Now I’m kind of excited, and I don’t have that same anxiety.
But if I had to give a presentation in front of a large group of people, I’d still be scared. When I was in school, I hated doing that. I don’t think I’ve grown out of it. I’ve participated in panels and conversations and moderated big events, but actually giving a presentation is something that would still scare me.
Ellis: What do you have planned for the future of the vertical side of your business? I’m sure you’re talking with your partners about future plans and things you’d like to do. Where do you see things in a year?
Morgann Book: Just the vertical side?
Rick Ellis: The vertical side, but also you more broadly.
Morgann Book: Expanding Bookish Media’s slate to include other adaptations is probably the number-one goal, and that’s where I see it going.
We have the book club and the podcast. It’s super fun to build those relationships and then consider whether we want to adapt a book that was featured on the podcast or included in the club. We’re not exclusively tied to vertical series at Bookish Media.
We partnered with Rommi to produce Drive Me Mad as a vertical series. It just launched last Wednesday, and it’s doing incredibly well on Instagram. We’re super proud of it.
It’s very reassuring for the future. This is our first big project and the first time I’ve been on set for that long as a producer, so it’s super rewarding to see people really like it.
We’re currently in the process of adapting an actual book for a vertical series. We’re in the scripting phase, so that’s coming up in the near future.
It was super fun that Drive Me Mad was an original concept. This next project is an actual book, so that’s exciting, too.
We’re looking at which lines readers love and which ones the author loves, and deciding what we want to bring into the adaptation. That’s what the future looks like. The podcast will continue, and we’ll keep growing our slate of adaptations.
Ellis: One last question, and then I’ll let you go. I write a lot about television, which is a problem in one sense because everything TV-related becomes a potential story in my mind. It sort of ruins the enjoyment of the medium.
I’m wondering how you handle that with books. As you said, you love reading, but at some point, everything you read becomes, “Can I talk about this? Can I write about that?” Does that ruin the enjoyment of sitting down with a book and just reading it?
Morgann Book: I try to balance it. I read a lot for work, whether it’s for the book club, the podcast, an adaptation, or something else that comes along.
There’s no strict formula, but if I read four books for work, I’ll pick up something fun for the fifth book, and then the cycle continues. I’m very fortunate to have a job that allows me to read day in and day out.
The fun isn’t always quite what it used to be because sometimes there are time constraints: I have to read this book by tonight, by Friday, or by a particular deadline. But the act of reading itself hasn’t lost its spark.
It’s definitely different, but it hasn’t lost its fun aspect. I try to mix things up with a fun book and a work book.