Why Reese’s Book Club is betting big on ‘micro-communities’

On an August weeknight, a group of no more than 100 people—primarily women—occupied a small, astroturf-covered slice of Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s west side. Reclined on beach chairs or scrawling book recommendations on a floor-length mirror with purple marker, the group debated the merits of audiobooks versus hardbacks, writing to curated playlists, and of course, which book-to-screen adaptations reign supreme. This is STORYFest, an event series from Reese Witherspoon’s book club in partnership with Apple Books and Apple TV. Combining author Q&As, book-themed activations, and screenings of recent adaptations, the free events tap into the growing cultural and economic influence of readers both online and offline. “People can consume content anywhere. What is increasingly scarce is a reason to come together to consume that content,” Hello Sunshine chief revenue officer Jessica Jones Studholme, tells Fast Company. “We are not trying to be an events company by any stretch, but we’re using these live experiences to make our storytelling ecosystem feel more participatory.” And making the events free isn’t a marketing strategy. “It is very intentionally rooted in audience growth, and t…