We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carmen Alvarez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Carmen, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
As someone who spent the majority of her life in a financial services job and was then compelled by her love of books to transition to a creative job a freelance book content creator, I can 100% tell you that I am so much happier with this switch to a more more creative endeavor. Is the money not as consistent? Absolutely. Am I SO much happier professionally? ABSOLUTELY.
I spent so long in a “regular” job, at a desk, doing networking events, working late nights and weekends when we were busy and the workload is marginally the same as a creative, except I’m incredibly fulfilled by what I’m doing professionally and the impact my work may have on publishing.
There are difficult days, days where I doubt myself and my abilities, but I don’t think that lends itself exclusively to a creative job. We all have insecurities and feel down sometimes. But when I look at the past year and a half of my life versus the many years before it, I feel invigorated and revived to continue to do this work.
Carmen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I began my journey as a bookish content creator, as many do, as a hobby. My best friend and I wanted a place to publicly discuss our love of the Shatter Me series. That was 9 1/2 years ago. Tomesandtextiles evolved from the original project when my best friend didn’t have as much time to dedicate to the channel, so I began posting my own thoughts and reviews. Latinx books were almost an afterthought, but thanks to the Lee and Low Diversity surveys as well as We Need Diverse Books studies on children’s book character diversity highlighted tremendous shortfalls in traditional publishing when it comes to BIPOC characters, I began to see disparities. In particular, only about 6% of traditionally published books are written by Latinx authors when Latinx population represents around 20% of the US population (this shortfall exists across all BIPOC identities, as well as for disabled and LGBTQIA+ representation).
I had been working through some things with my Latinx identity, so these reports instigated a journey of discovering Latinx literature, as a result, and the rest, you can say, is history.
As a book influencer, I provide book recommendations, reviews, themed book lists, as well as discuss Latinx representation in publishing. I help my followers read beyond the best seller list to find the best in Latinx literature releasing today. I combine my love of books with my love of vintage clothing and accessories, so will also do aesthetic pictures and videos featuring both. If you’re in a reading slump, I’m always there with advice and recommendations. I’m here to encourage EVERYONE on their reading journey.
In addition, I have a Discord Book Club that my Patreon subscribers can join. There, we discuss our monthly selection and pretty regularly get to be in conversation with the authors themselves on a private book club Zoom chat after we’ve finished reading the book. This sort of accessibility is wonderful, especially when you’ve found your new favorite book.
As a Floridian, I’m also involved in the work of fighting book bans. If you’re worried or looking for more resources, encouragement, etc. to fight book bans in your area, my channel provides the resources.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to get my followers to read beyond the best seller’s list and get more Latinx books into the hands of those that want to read them.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I get asked this question a lot and I feel that, honestly, there is no right answer. Social media coaches will sell you a package to make you post more at certain times, but by being your authentic self, you will find your true community that’s committed to the same values you are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tomesandtextiles.com/ (under construction)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomesandtextiles/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568067124843&sk=about
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-alvarez-274a9b237
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9uZ-cnZGz6oQl_CKG15Xag
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tomesandtextiles?lang=en
https://www.threads.net/@tomesandtextiles
Image Credits
I’m the photographer and copyright holder of the images