Cover Reveal: Dear Reader: An Immersive Literary Journey Through Taylor Swift’s Lyrics with Guided Journal Prompts and Swiftie Easter Eggs by Viktoria Capek

Hey all, Sam here.

I already shared this over on my Instagram and Threads, but I’m also going to post it here because I can add even more information in a blog post than I can do with a social post where I want it to cross-post. Today I have the pleasure of participating in a cover reveal for Watkins Publishing for this really cool Taylor Swift literary journal, which is just a really cool concept.

I have been listening to Taylor Swift pretty much since the beginning (although the first of her CDs that I owned was Fearless). While currently Folkore (and Evermore) are my favorites—because those albums were on repeat for MONTHS during the pandemic—I have enjoyed all the different eras of this musical journey.

So, I’m not going to waste any more time on the intro….here’s the cover:

Dive into the literary world of Taylor Swift like never before. Between the pages of this interactive journal you will meet iconic characters of classic literature, soak up the magic of folklore and fairytales, delve into the imagery of tortured poets, and so much more.
Welcome to Taylor’s cosy library and lose yourself in the pages of ancient and modern literary classics. Organized into ten themes, Dear Reader explores the influence of Wuthering Heights running through songs like Enchanted and ivy, or the inspiration of The Picture of Dorian Gray in mirrorball and Anti-Hero. The perfect gift for book lovers and proud Swifties, Dear Reader will teach you to read between the lyrics and draw parallels between classic works of literature and Taylor’s discography. Features include:
● SWIFT PREP – quick questions to focus your mind on the chapter’s literary themes – from Romanticism to the Gothic.
● SWIFTSNOTES – riveting rundowns of classic books, from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to The Great Gatsby.
● LYRICATURE – side-by-side comparisons of key ideas in both Taylor’s songs and popular works of
literature.
● MUSIC VIDEO MUSE – deep dives into Taylor’s music videos and their storytelling, from Love Story to Bejewelled.
● TAYLOR TALKBACK – journalling prompts to further dig into the easter eggs you have uncovered. A source of endless inspiration, Dear Reader unites the worlds of storytelling and songwriting like never before, in a journal to treasure and return to time and again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dear Reader is based on Viktoria Capek’s viral, sold-out, course which started as a proposed idea in a small bookshop in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then grew into a community of people from across the US and beyond! Communications and Development Manager at non-profit The Venture Center, Viktoria’s day job focuses on
economic and entrepreneurial growth with an emphasis on inclusivity for women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. She has over 215k followers on TikTok, where she speaks about her experiences as a public-facing queer woman in the South. She holds a master’s degree in Arts Journalism from the University of Southern California and has received a National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award. Viktoria has also managed media for the Athena Film Festival in New York City, a women’s leadership-centric event and founded “Hairpins,” a bi-monthly event for queer women in Arkansas.

---

This book will be out on September 9, 2025, and honestly I’m looking forward to it. As a holder of a BA in English Literature and a Master’s of Library and Information Science, as well as a bit of a Swiftie, this book seems to merge a couple of my interests into one.

I’m sure I’ll have more about this book in a few more months, but that’s all from me for right now. Thank you so much for stopping by today. Feel free to let me know your favorite Taylor Swift album in the comments, because that would be fun to chat about. And I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.