Sometimes, you just love a book so much that you want to be able to show it off and tell the whole world about the book that captured your heart. And what better way to do that than to be able to wear jewellery inspired by your favourite book?
For a little over a year, Jemma has been creating very special earrings for book lovers, all of which are replicas of famous book covers. Jemma was kind enough to agree to an interview to tell us all about her small bookish business, the inspiration behind it, and her favourite books.
Can you introduce yourself and your business?
Hi, I'm Jemma! Book reader, earring-wearer, cat lover and owner of bookonahook. My two passions in life are reading and earrings - I'm never caught without earrings in or a book (or two...) on the go! In January 2021 I decided to join my two passions and create my miniature book earrings. After creating some for myself I wanted to share the love... and that's where bookonahook starts! In the beginning my miniatures were limited to only earrings but the business has grown massively since then and I now offer so many different options including pin badges, necklaces, and bookmarks! My handmade miniature books are the perfect gift for any book lover or author! I also take custom orders where you can choose ANY book you want; I love seeing all the different books customers choose!
How long have you been part of the book community for?
Other than a small blog I had back in the day I guess I'm still quite new to the book community. I get to talk to loads of amazing book lovers through my business which is so much fun! I love nothing more than talking to people about their favourite books and giving/receiving book recommendations - my TBR is HUGE thanks to the book community! I also get to talk to lots of amazing book lovers through the markets I attend too, I love when people come up to my market stand and talk about the books they're reading. Book lovers are some of the most kind and lovely people!
What made you want to start your own bookish business?
Truly, I just have a huge obsession with earrings and books and combined the two! When I first came up with the idea, I stayed up all night designing my logo and packaging and coming up with a name... and then it just kind of all happened! I have been so lucky with the success of my business, and I am so thankful for all the opportunities it has given me. I used to be a teacher full time and due to Covid (and all the fun that came with that!) I really wasn't enjoying it at all. After 2 years of hating going to work an opportunity to leave came up and I decided to not get another job and run my business full time! It was a very scary time, but it was the best decision I have ever made! I am so happy now, doing exactly what I want to do and loving 'going to work'! You don’t just create bookish items; your products also feature different musical artists, as well as musical theatre. Are they all items that reference your own passion? Another huge part of my life are musicals. One of my favourite things to do is go to the West End with my Mum! We both love a good musical, some of our favourites are Mamma Mia, Wicked and Matilda. I knew I had to incorporate musicals into my business, and I thought Playbills would be a good way to go as they match my brand. The Playbill collection is very popular, and I love seeing people wearing their mini playbills when they go to see the shows! Another thing I love about the miniature Playbills is that £3 of each order gets donated to the Theatre Support Fund and we have now raised over £300 for this amazing charity - which is pretty cool! I also added miniature vinyls to the shop soon after it opened, my best-selling vinyls are always Taylor Swift - I saw somewhere that book lovers and Taylor Swift fans are pretty much the same thing and I have to agree with that!
Is there anything you’ve learned from starting your own bookish business?
I guess the main thing I've learned is that running a business is HARD WORK! It seems all fun and games on the surface but as a small business owner you have to wear so many hats - I go from social media manager, to photographer, to designer and more, daily! I've learnt more skills from this job than any I've had in the past and it's all self-taught, which makes it that much more difficult! I love learning though and I'm having so much fun with it - every day is a learning day!
Along with bookish accessories, you also sell a book box. What is generally featured in those? How do they work? My book lovers gift boxes are a new addition to my shop, and I am so excited about them! They are the perfect way to wish a loved one happy birthday, to say thank you, get well soon, congratulations or to let someone know you're thinking of them! Each box features beautiful hardback editions of Puffin Classics, created in partnership with the world-famous V & A Museum with a stunning cover design adapted from their William Morris collection. The gift set also includes a handmade bookonahookco miniature replica of the book (earrings, a key ring, a necklace, a pin badge, or a metal bookmark.) There are also some other cute reading essentials inside too! At the moment you can choose from three gorgeous books, however the dream would be to include lots more options of books to choose from! What is your favourite product featured in your shop? My favourite product honestly changes all the time; my own collection of earrings shows this - I always have such a hard time choosing which ones to wear! I love all of the Puffin in Bloom books I do just because they're so pretty, my Little Women ones are a huge bestseller, so I get to make lots of those! You also can't beat a bit of Taylor Swift and I have all of her albums in my shop! As a book lover, what are the top three books you always recommend? My favourite book of all time and one I recommend to everyone is The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night Timeand I truly believe it's a book everyone should read at least once! My other recommendations change quite often, at the moment I would have to say The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - those are two that I love and have stuck with me recently!
If you want to take a lot at Jemma’s products, you can find them through her Instagram account and Etsy shop using the links below. It was such a pleasure to work with her. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookonahookco/?hl=fr Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/bookonahookco/ Blog Post by Juliette @a_spoonful_of_juliette All pictures belong to @bookonahookco
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