From BookTuber to Published Poet: An Interview with Katie Wismer
College student and “Booktuber” Katie Wismer has been in love with the written word from a young age. On a whim, she posted her poetry to Instagram and received an amazing response from her followers a couple of years ago. It was then that she knew she had something special on her hands and decided to self-publish her work. The result is her upcoming debut collection, The Sweetest Kind of Poison.
In this interview, we discuss the inspiration behind the poetry featured in The Sweetest Kind of Poison, her path to publication and what it’s taught her about the industry, writing and the literary world as a whole.
Thank you! I suppose I’m feeling a little bit of everything. Excited, of course. Anxious. A bit nervous. But they’re definitely good nerves.
You’ve talked briefly on your YouTube channel, Katesbookdate, about how you were inspired to publish this collection after posting some pieces on Instagram. Can you tell me a bit more about that?
So, I started posting some of the poems from this collection on my “Bookstagram” Instagram account before I even knew this was going to be a book. I hadn’t really been posting much on that account at the time, so I thought transitioning it into a poetry account would be something fun to do and give me something to post again. And then people ended up really liking it!
My followers doubled in like a month – the reaction was very surprising. People were leaving comments and sending DMs about how much they related to the poems and how much they meant to them – and I knew I had something special.
This wasn’t just about me. And if something as simple as sharing my poems managed to help another person in some way, well, that seemed like an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
What do you want people to take away from reading The Sweetest Kind of Poison?
I think everyone will take away something different depending on their own experiences. I guess I hope they’re inspired and they feel powerful. I want them to know that no matter how difficult a time they’re going through or how tough of a situation they’ve found themselves in, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
You posted your spoken word poem, are you okay? earlier this year to highlight the stigma that surrounds mental illness. How important was it for you to do that?
It was very intimidating, but I felt like it was important. Mental illness is something that’s affected the lives of so many people I know – myself included – and I think the more we talk about it; the more people will understand it and hopefully change the negative stigma.
Was it hard to share poetry that dealt so intimately with mental illness, relationships and abuse, or did you feel that it was cathartic?
Writing it was cathartic – sharing it was definitely nerve-wracking. I think anytime you share something that personal it’s difficult, but the second I saw all of the encouraging comments and how many people benefited and felt better hearing it and knowing they weren’t alone – it was definitely worth it.
You’re self-publishing The Sweetest Kind of Poison. What’s the process been like so far?
Very time-consuming but very rewarding! I’ve always liked a challenge and it’s been kind of cool figuring it all out as I go along.
What made you decide to self-publish versus approaching a traditional publisher or literary agent?
This book has always been a passion project, and I kind of wanted to keep that personal feel to it. Self-publishing gives you complete creative control over every step in the process, and it ended up being a fun project in it of itself.
I also knew trying to traditionally publish a poetry collection was going to be an uphill battle I wasn’t sure I wanted to fight, especially for a book so personal. I wanted to publish it in some capacity for the people who wanted to read it, but it’s always been a “just for fun” project.
How long did it take, from contacting your chosen publisher to where you’re at now, a month away from it being an actual book?
I started writing the book two years ago, and I started the publishing process about three months ago.
What has this process taught you about the publishing industry as a whole?
I knew very little about self-publishing before doing this, so I’ve learned there’s a lot more to it than you’d think! I’ve also realised how valuable all of the resources are that come with a big publishing house since you don’t have those when you’re self-publishing, and you have to figure it all out yourself. Things you don’t think about when writing the book – like typesetting, formatting, finding a cover designer, setting up pre-orders.
Given that you are a booktuber who spends a lot of time reviewing books, are you worried about how people will react to The Sweetest Kind of Poison?
Of course! No one wants a book they’ve poured their heart and soul into to get torn apart online! But at the same time, I think being a reviewer will be helpful just because I understand both sides.
Not everyone is going to like a book, and that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the book. It’s just a matter of taste. But I know it’ll resonate with the people it’s meant to resonate with, and I think that’s what’s most important.
You’ve said in videos that your poetry is more of a contemporary style than traditional. What is it about this style – as a writer as well as a reader – that appeals to you?
I think a lot of people are intimidated by traditional poetry, just because they don’t really understand it or connect with it. They hear poetry and automatically flash back to what they were forced to read in school.
Seeing this rise in contemporary poetry and the way it’s introduced so many new people to poetry – it’s amazing. It’s much more accessible and “beginner-friendly” (“gateway poetry,” if you will). When I started writing, it was also just the style of poetry that came naturally, so it felt like the most genuine way to write this book.
How has your channel, and the interactions you’ve had on social media, influenced your creativity?
Honestly, it probably hasn’t been the best influence. I think the bigger your audience grows, the more pressure you feel, and that can affect your creative process.
It’s no longer just about expressing creativity, you kind of unconsciously start to worry about how people will perceive something, how successful it will be, etc, and you start to create with those things in mind. So, the real challenge has just been trying to tune all of that out and focus on the task at hand.
I’m assuming you had a number of poems you didn’t include in The Sweetest Kind of Poison. Was it difficult to try and nail down a select few?
There were hundreds that didn’t make it! This book has gone through so many drafts and I kept taking poems out and then putting them back in. Then I’d move them around, and ultimately end up taking them back out again. It was quite the process.
What inspires you to write?
Lots of things! Other books, of course. But generally speaking, I find I’m inspired by art in any form.
Outside of poetry, what are your favourite genres (both to read and to write)?
I love psychological thrillers, horror, and pretty much all young adult genres. I’m definitely a mood reader (and writer) so it varies depending on the day!
On your channel, you mentioned how a lot of poets are self-published before their work is picked up by a mainstream publisher. Why do you think this is the case?
I think poetry is still an emerging market – kind of the way young adult was (and still is). You just don’t see a lot of mainstream publishers putting out poetry books, because they’re not sure they’ll be successful.
But then, after the books prove themselves by finding their own success through self-publishing, it’s less of a risk to take them on. I’m hoping that’ll change as poetry becomes more popular and the publishers realize that there is a market for these books.
Do you think there’s potential for movement with the success of organisations such as Button Poetry and writers like Rupi Kaur?
Absolutely! The amount of poetry books you see in book stores has blown up in recent years, and hopefully it keeps trending that way!
If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of writing advice, what would it be?
Don’t worry about what you think other people want to read. Just write what you want to write.
You’ve talked about writing a number of unpublished novels. How does the process of writing novels compare to writing poetry?
Honestly, they’re so different I’m not even sure I could compare them! I think poetry is more personal, because it’s not entirely rooted in fiction the way novels are. There’s also a lot more preparation that goes into writing a novel. Writing poetry seems to be more based on emotion and instinct, whereas I rely more on structure and logic when trying to write a novel.
You’ve spoken briefly about using Pintrest and other mediums to combat writer’s block. Do you have any specific examples you can share that influenced the work in The Sweetest Kind of Poison?
Music was a big one for Poison (I tend to shorten the title because it’s a bit of a mouthful). I have a Spotify playlist I made for it that ended up being over four hours long that I just listened to nonstop while I was writing it to keep me inspired and in the right headspace.
The reason I tend to use Pinterest is because I’m a big fan of photography, so I like to use the pictures I find on there to help brainstorm ideas. I had a creative writing class in college that used to have us use other forms of art (paintings, music, sculptures) to inspire our poems, and I always found those exercises to produce the best work – so I’ve sort of just modified that old assignment.
Given that your interactions on social media led to you publishing this collection, how important is it for authors to continue to maintain their social media presence in today’s digital age?
I think social media is an amazing resource for authors now, especially when it comes to marketing. No matter who you are, you’re going to have to market your own book. And some people might choose to do it in other ways, but I think there’s so much potential with social media. Not only in finding an audience for your work, but also getting feedback – like I did with those early poems.
What’s your favourite thing about vlogging?
The people I’ve met! I’ve made so many friends through my channel and met so many people that I probably never would have met otherwise, so I think that’s really cool. I also didn’t know much about cameras or video editing before, so figuring all of that out as I’ve gone along has been a fun challenge!
If you could invite three people from history (living or dead) to dinner, who would you invite and why?
If time travel is allowed I’ve always thought it would be interesting to meet younger versions of people I know now – like my parents when they were my age.
What are you reading now?
About a thousand books at once! I’m currently in the middle of Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes, Save the Date by Morgan Matson, and Bonfire by Krysten Ritter.
Do you have another project on the go? What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing a novel – but that’s still in very early stages! I’m also going into my final year at university!
How can people find out more about The Sweetest Kind of Poison, and where can they purchase a copy?
You can check out the Goodreads page, my website, and it’s available for pre-order on Amazon! After its release on August 12th, it’ll be available at most other online booksellers as well!
More from Jackie Smith