Daily Inspiration: Meet Hannah Gabel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Gabel.

Hannah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started Bookmarkparty – a book blog and social community – at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. What started as a little Instagram account to share book reviews and recommendations with friends and family has turned into a passion project that continues to grow… one I’ve found so much joy in creating.

With nearly 20,000 followers on Instagram, the app has allowed me to connect with some of my favorite authors and publishers as well as book lovers around the world. Little did I know when I started my account, there is a whole community of literary creators on Instagram (a space unofficially named “Bookstagram”).

I’ve always loved reading (I read 107 books last year) and I have a background in graphic design, so starting to create and share content around literature was a natural fit for me. When I started out, I think I was hoping to simply gain enough of a following to warrant receiving free books from publishers – as buying books is not particularly cheap. While receiving books ahead of their publication date to review and share with my audience has certainly served as a major perk (rarely a day goes by without “bookmail”), engaging with my community of readers has proved to be the most rewarding part for me. I’ve learned about so many incredible authors, important social issues and creators that never would have landed on my radar prior to immersing myself into this literary community.

The next step in my Bookmarkparty journey is the launch of my ecommerce shop – which features a collection of different products displaying my hand-drawn literary-themed art. From coffee mugs and art prints to puzzles and bags, I’m hoping these products will bring joy to fellow book lovers and help further promote books that have inspired, entertained and educated me. The mugs are currently available on my website, Bookmarkparty.com, and additional items will be available for purchase in the coming months.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Creating a social community or a following on social media is no easy task. It takes dedication and persistence as well as endless trial and error. When I first started out, I struggled to feel confident expressing my opinions…. because why should anyone care what I think about a particular book? It took time for me to find my voice and effectively establish myself as “an expert” in my niche – one that people trust and value.

While many literary content creators focus on one or two specific genres (for instance, fantasy and sci-fi or romance and women’s fiction), my recommendations are far more eclectic. While I love a good thriller, I also love an informative non-fiction book as well as a twisty sci-fi adventure or a literary fiction novel with lyrical prose. While this broad approach made it a bit more difficult to gain traction in the beginning, I think it’s ultimately led me to stand-out and connect with readers of all different kinds.

One of my favorite things about reading is the ability to inhabit another person’s perspective on life – whether through fiction or nonfiction – especially when a character or author has completely different life experiences, cultural heritage and/or identity than do I. I genuinely believe that if more people were avid readers, the world would be a much more compassionate place. It’s easy to feel afraid of the unknown… afraid of people or places that are different from what you know and understand. However, reading enables us to travel through books – to different countries, time periods and communities. And when we experience things for ourselves (even through words on a page), it’s difficult not to feel more open-minded and compassionate towards people and places that once felt foreign and unrelatable.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My blog mainly consists of book reviews and book recommendations across genres. Whether you love romance novels, thrillers, educational non-fiction, historical fiction, sci-fi or memoirs, I have a recommendation for you.

One of the most popular series I created is a “Liked This? Read That” compilation, where I pair up books with similar plots, themes and/or characters. For example, if you enjoyed “Gone Girl,” I recommend you read “The Woman in the Window.”

I also try to stay attuned to social issues and current events so I can share books and resources to educate my audience on important topics.

Finally, I love creating digital art featuring books I’ve read and loved. I typically post a hand-drawn monthly wrap up featuring the book spines of all the books I finished that month. To create these graphics, I use Procreate, an IPad and Apple Pencil. I also love Canva as an easy tool to create title images for posts with more than one slide.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have so much gratitude for all the incredible authors, publishers and fellow readers that have shared their time and attention with me. I’ve also found so much inspiration from other book bloggers and content creators.

Contact Info:

• Email: hannahlgabel@gmail.com
• Website: bookmarkparty.com
• Instagram: @bookmarkparty

Image Credits
All photos taken on my iPhone by friends and family. The bookstack graphic is a digital illustration I created (this particular drawing was for my January Wrap Up).