Cold calling your favorite bookstore to get book recs

@bradsbooks

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SoundTikTok sound · original sound - bradsbooks

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+24.1K views over 10.2d · ~2.4K/day · 9 observations

Why it worked

The video leverages a relatable and engaging premise of seeking book recommendations from a bookstore. The creator's enthusiastic delivery and the genuine recommendations provided by the bookstore owner create a sense of authenticity and value for viewers interested in books.

Summary

The creator cold calls a bookstore called Talking Animals Books to get book recommendations. He asks for their favorite book, a book that got them into reading, and recommendations in different genres, specifically horror and fiction. The bookstore owner provides several recommendations, including "Song of Achilles," the Percy Jackson series, "The Lamb," "Child of God," and books by Andrew Holleran.

Structure

1Introduction and premise of cold calling a bookstore
2Asking for favorite book and getting "Song of Achilles" recommendation
3Asking for book that got them into reading and getting Percy Jackson series recommendation
4Asking for genre recommendations (horror and fiction)
5Receiving recommendations for "The Lamb" and "Child of God"
6Receiving recommendations for books by Andrew Holleran
7Concluding the call and thanking the bookstore

Product placement

Talking Animals Books (bookstore): ACTS - it is called to get book recommendations. Removing it would change the video's premise. Song of Achilles (book): ACTS - it is recommended as a favorite book and its plot is described. Removing it would change the video's content. Madeline Miller (author): ACTS - she is the author of "Song of Achilles", which is discussed. Removing her name would not change the video's content, but would remove context for the book. Percy Jackson series (book series): ACTS - it is recommended as a book that got the creator into reading. Removing it would change the video's content. Rick Riordan (author): ACTS - he is the author of the Percy Jackson series, which is discussed. Removing his name would not change the video's content, but would remove context for the book series. The Lamb (book): ACTS - it is recommended as a book in the horror genre and its plot is described. Removing it would change the video's content. Lucy Rose (author): ACTS - she is the author of "The Lamb", which is discussed. Removing her name would not change the video's content, but would remove context for the book. Child of God (book): ACTS - it is recommended as a favorite book by a recently discovered author and its plot is described. Removing it would change the video's content. Cormac McCarthy (author): ACTS - he is the author of "Child of God", which is discussed. Removing his name would not change the video's content, but would remove context for the book. Dancer from the Dance (book): ACTS - it is mentioned as a book by Andrew Holleran. Removing it would not change the video's content. Ground Zero (book): ACTS - it is mentioned as a book by Andrew Holleran and its plot is described. Removing it would not change the video's content. Andrew Holleran (author): ACTS - he is the author of "Dancer from the Dance" and "Ground Zero", which are discussed. Removing his name would not change the video's content, but would remove context for the books. Google Drive (platform): APPEARS - it hosts a spreadsheet of book recommendations. Removing it would not change the video's content.

Original caption

Cold calling a bookstore to get book recommendations! Thank you to Talking Animals Books (@Talking Animals Bookstore) out of Grapevine, Texas for a great conversation! Got some awesome recommendations 🔥 Books recommended: 🧈 Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 🧈 Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan 🧈 The Lamb by Lucy Rose 🧈 Child of God by Cormac McCarthy 🧈 Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran 🧈 Ground Zero by Andrew Holleran If you like the sound of one of these books, consider ordering from their website! And if you have a bookstore or library you'd like me to call, put it on the comments 🔥 Follow to keep up with the series! #BookTok #bookrecommendation #bookstore

More from @bradsbooks

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Transcript

Cold calling your favorite bookstore to get book recs. Today I'm gonna cold call your favorite bookstore to see what we should be reading. A lot of you requested this one, so you're welcome. It is Talking Animals out of Grapevine, Texas. I've heard a lot of really good things, so let's get him on the horn right now. Talking Animals Books, how can I help you? Yes, hey there. My name's Braden and I'm calling because I actually make videos about books and I was seeing if you just had a couple minutes to answer a couple quick questions for me. Uh, yeah. First question, it's an easy one. What's your favorite book? That is not an easy question. You know, I think I, I think I can confidently say "Song of Achilles" is the best book I've ever read. That's, that's gonna be my favorite, I think for a while. It's basically a retelling of the Iliad, but it's told from one of the more minor characters' perspectives. Uh, his name is Patroclus and he was, uh, Achilles' companion, uh, during the, the Trojan War. Book that got you into reading? Maybe know or recall the book that initially got you into reading? I think it was the Percy Jackson series. Nice, more Greek mythology. More Greek mythology. Yeah, checks out, that's really cool. Book recs in different genres? What are maybe a few that would come to mind in like different genres? For horror, I would do "The Lamb" by Lucy Rose. Kind of like a Hansel and Gretel story, but a witch is a mom and she has a very young daughter and they, the young daughter thinks that cannibalism is like normal because that's all she's ever known. Wow. Um, so it's her kind of like growing up and realizing that not everyone is, you know, eating people for fun, like her fiction. I would do, honestly, anything by Cormac McCarthy, but "Child of God" has been my favorite. The guy that was convicted of something that he didn't do and it followed him, his release after prison and he kind of just decides, like, oh yeah, I'll just be a terrible person. An author recently you just discovered them? Why did nobody tell me to read anything by them? Andrew Holleran. He mainly writes about men in the AIDS pandemic in the 80s and 70s. Finish the collection of essays by him called "Ground Zero." Really heartbreaking, but it's an important thing to read about. Totally. Thank you so much. Right on. Thank you. You take care.