We were lucky to catch up with Désirée Worrall-Bélanger recently and have shared our conversation below.

Désirée, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Taking a risk is the best thing I’ve ever done.

I’d always wanted to start my own business, but I knew there were so many risks that came with it, so I pushed it off year after year. When Covid struck, however, I knew I needed to get back into my creative side somehow so I wouldn’t fall down into a dangerous spiral. That’s how RainyDaysLibrary began.

I designed a logo, got some supplies and told myself “screw it, I’m opening an Etsy shop. I don’t have much to lose.” It all began with a few books taken off my bookshelves, turning them into blind dates with a book, but it grew into one of the biggest blessings of my life. I started posting on TikTok to get some more exposure, and within a week I had a video go viral. Since then, RainyDaysLibrary has grown, shed its leaves, and bloomed once again. I went from being a small business owner selling blind dates with a book and bookmarks, to making the decision to shut that business down and take on another opportunity it had brought me – becoming a content creator.

Since RainyDaysLibrary became more of a social media platform than a “business,” I’ve had countless opportunities that I could only ever dream as a child. I met amazing people, made friends I genuinely cannot see myself living without now, and even landed my dream job (outside of content creating). But the biggest blessing out of all of this? I was able to make a difference in people’s lives.

The amount of DMs I’ve gotten over the years of people telling me that my content brings them joy and comfort, that I helped get them back into reading – or even start annotating! – it results in a feeling I can’t quite put into words. I’m so grateful I took the risk, and I would do it all over again without hesitation.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I typically introduce myself as a bookish and lifestyle content creator, but that’s not how it all started. As I mentioned in my previous entry, RainyDaysLibrary was once a small business on Etsy selling Blind Dates with a Book. After going viral on TikTok a few times, my business picked up, and so did my personal presence on social media. Certainly, people kept coming back to my platforms to see me pack orders, new products I was launching, restocks etc., but they also came for me as a person. They would ask for book recommendations, more lifestyle content, bookshelves tour, and so on and so forth.

In October 2021, just a few months after I launched, I added annotating products to my shop. I created an annotating bookmark, and things just took off for a second time. From that point onwards, I became known for my annotating products as well as my annotating content on social media. I think that’s really when I realized that I could become a content creator “for real.”

Not long after, I signed a deal with a talent agency, which brought me so much knowledge and that I’m very grateful for. However, I made the decision to part ways (this year, in fact) since I wanted to spend some time by myself to rebrand my account.

When I switched from posting business content (order packing videos and such) to strictly bookish and lifestyle content, I didn’t have much of a chance to make it into a gradual switch. I was in my second/third year of university then, and my schedule was so overpacked that content creating was starting to become something I didn’t look forward to as much, so I just made the switch quickly and made videos here and there.

Now that I’m graduating in a few weeks, though, I want to make a bit of a “come back” and start creating again. I’m blessed to have the best community in the world. They’ve all been incredibly supportive as I take my time focusing on my studies, which means I haven’t been able to post nearly as much as I used to. Even so, they’re all waiting for me to come back when I can, and I’m very eager to do so.

As for the type of products/services I offer, for my followers I offer a vast array of things. Of course, there’s the content I make on social media – bookstore vlogs, book hauls, book recommendations, study vlogs, study lives, a day in my life, cook with me, read with me, the list goes on. I also have a a membership available on Bindery – sort of like a bookish patreon! There are two tiers available at the moment – the free tier and the $5/month tier – where each tier has specific benefits. Again, once I graduate, I’ll be spending much more time on these, and I can’t wait! A few benefits that come with subscribing to my Bindery are: access to a private Discord, access to premium/special content, annotating systems, etc.

For the services I offer on the “business” side of social media: I’ve worked with multiple publishers on promotional campaigns for books, I’ve done presentations for literary organizations (something I absolutely love doing and shocks me to this day – I was never much of a public speaker, but I guess that can change), I’ve also worked with apps from different categories (like mental wellness, studying, and books), and have quite a liking to desk set ups and have worked with brands that make products in that category.

As for what sets me apart, I do think my always staying genuine is a big one. I personally strongly dislike being anything but genuine, and my content creating schedule will reflect that. If there’s a day where I don’t fully feel like myself, or am in a bad mood, you will NEVER see me in front of a camera. I strongly believe that our moods can manage to seep through the screen, even if watchers won’t realize it, I think that subconsciously they could. So, that’s why when I create any sort of video it’s incredibly important to me that I’m in a decent mood and that I just stay myself. Showing my true personality on social media, I think, is part of why so many people have been able to connect/relate to me.

That said, I take my work very seriously, even when I see it as “having fun.” I value quality content, and won’t recommend something if I don’t truly believe in it or have at least tested it out for a few days/weeks before recommending. I’m picky with who I work with, and always try to align my collaborations with brands whom I believe in or have purchased from/used before, as well as making sure they share similar values with mine.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I’ve mentioned this before, but making a difference is easily the most rewarding aspect of all of this. Whether it be bringing someone comfort during a hard time, inspiring people to pick up a book, or start annotating, or even start that small business they’d been thinking about/start a social media account, I still can’t believe I have that type of influence, and trust me when I say that I do not take that slightly.

Making an impact is something that’s often at the core of “life’s purpose.” We live in such a huge world, so what can we do to make our life significant? The answer to that question is different for everyone, and will most definitely change as we continue to grow. For me, though, one of the many answers to that question (because yes, I do have more than one) is that I want to be remembered, even if it’s only by a handful of people. I was lucky enough to build a presence on social media, so all the videos I’ve made, the interviews I’ve taken, etc. will remain present in the world in one way or another. I’ll be able to share this with my kids in the future, and they with their own children. I’m incredibly proud that I’ve made that tiny impact on the world, because it’s truly all I needed (MORE than what I needed, in all honesty.)

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When I first started my social media accounts, I wasn’t quite thinking about the numbers, which I think is a mentality that it incredibly important to maintain in some way or another. I would post consistently, yes, but I wouldn’t force myself in any way. I would look at current trends and adapt those to my style, or my “brand,” and just have fun with it.

As my platforms grew, however, I started to realize that I needed to take those number just a bit more seriously. I strongly recommend using a planner or even Notion (my holy grail) to brainstorm content ideas, keep track of ongoing events, even schedule time to record and edit content. The older we get, the more responsibilities that can pile up on our plates, so it’s important to finds what ways work for us when organizing and planning out what we tackle first.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/rainydayslibrary
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rainydayslibrary/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/d%C3%A9sir%C3%A9e-worrall-b%C3%A9langer-b7493b26a/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCniEL7cYHlbi60nOeMrZ6zg
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rainydayslibrary

Image Credits
Desiree Worrall-Belanger