Book blogger spotlight: ReadLikeWildfire

16 August 2017 Books+Publishing

BookTuber Chami Rupasinghe experimented with different platforms before settling on YouTube. ‘Although YouTube does take quite a bit more effort to produce content for compared to other platforms like Twitter or Instagram, it’s where I can deliver the most about myself through my fashion, my personality and my video style,’ she says. Rupasinghe spoke to Books+Publishing for our ‘Book blogger spotlight’ series.

Describe your YouTube channel in under 50 words.

ReadLikeWildfire is a small little corner of the internet harbouring copious amounts of book hauls, discussions and ‘this book tore at my heart and now I’m on the floor rocking back and forth while sobbing’ kind of moments.

What makes your videos unique?

Me, of course! Let me know if you find anyone else by the name of Chami who produces skits, hauls and discussions, and spends the majority of her time crying about fictional characters. If you do, then we have a clone on our hands and we have to do something about that.

When and how did you get started?

The beginning of my YouTube channel was definitely not a smooth ride. I tried my hand at book blogging for several years before I found myself on the video side of the internet. I went back and forth between different styles of content, and while I was trying to figure out what was best for me, I started up a BookTube channel on the side. Little did I know that ReadLikeWildfire was the best representation of me that I could give. The rest is history!

How do you find out about new books?

The main way that I find out about new books is through the book Twitter community and publishing companies. As you would all know, there are so many books and such little time, and sometimes keeping up with every new release can be exhausting. Recently, I’ve been prioritising what I feel like reading and what keeps me interested, rather than new releases or popular books. But, of course, I’ve got my hawk eye set on some of the most anticipated releases that I’m dying to read. I suggest that the best way to find out about new books is by watching ‘Most anticipated releases’ posts on blogs or YouTube channels.

What audience do you reach?

I’m very lucky enough to have a lovely family of 17,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel. As for specifics, my audience is 95% female and 50% between the ages of 18-24. Another fact is that a lot of my audience also resides in US. It’s fantastic to have such a diverse group of people interacting with each other and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

What other book blogs and BookTubers do you regularly follow?

I have to mention her because she is one of my all-time favourite BookTubers: Francina Simone. She has such a refreshing, much-needed outlook on a lot of discussions that are happening in the book community. I could laugh for hours, cry for days and watch her for years and I don’t think I could ever get tired. She is definitely someone you should check out as soon as you can!

What has been your most popular video?

My Bookshelf Buying Process video has been the most popular to date. I guess there is just something about watching someone make a little home for their precious books by collecting a couple of chunks of wood and fashioning up a sense of purpose. Now, if you are wondering about any specifics, I guess you’ll just have to go and watch it for the answers!

What’s your favourite social media platform, and what recent trends in social media have you noticed in book blogging?

I mean, being a BookTuber and all, I would have to say YouTube. Although YouTube does take quite a bit more effort to produce content for compared to other platforms like Twitter or Instagram, it’s where I can deliver the most about myself through my fashion, my personality and my video style. Diverse reads has been one of the most significant trends that I’ve noticed across all the different book community platforms, and honestly, I love it.

What are you reading now?

I’m currently reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas in preparation for her events at Melbourne Writers Festival. There has been nothing but love for this novel so I can’t wait to finish it and meet the great Angie Thomas herself. I hope I can keep my fangirling to a minimum, but no guarantees!

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