Dani Fankhauser
Dani Fankhauser is an author, content manager, and creator of ReadThisNext, an app for fiction lovers. Her writing has appeared in Fortune, The Billfold, Mashable, PopSugar, and NY Mag’s The Cut. Shameless is her first book.
Q: Do you feel that your journalism degrees have helped you in your career, or that you've learned more through self-teaching?
A: When it comes to higher education, which can be very expensive, it's important to think of it holistically. Perhaps I could have gotten the same jobs just based on skill alone, but because of the reputation of my school and the network of fellow students and professors, I had a much easier time getting roles I was excited about. For me, the degree was worth it.
That said, I'm a lifelong learner and the journalism industry was going through a crisis when I got my degree, so I pivoted my career several times. Nearly every role I've had was a job I hadn't donebefore, but knew my skills could translate.
Q: I know that you started your career with work in journalism for several different major publications. What was one major takeaway from your time writing in that environment?
A: I worked for Mashable for two years while it was growing rapidly. It was an exciting time and I was surrounded by a team of highly creative, highly driven peers, and I learned so much. I joke that it was a crash course in writing headlines. We'd turn around in our chairs to workshop a headline as a group before a story was published.
That dedication to excellence stuck with me -- it's always better to bring in multiple points of view to get to the best possible answer, whether it's a headline or a go-to-market plan.
Q: What made you transition from journalism to creating ReadThisNext...and how hard was making that switch?
A: Starting any new project begins with "why." I loved reading and browsing bookstores and libraries when I was growing up, and as I saw technology and mobile apps take off, I felt like there should be a serendipitous browsing experience for books that was online.
When I dug into it, the initiative peeled open like an onion. Before I knew it, I had taught myself programming and worked on ReadThisNext on nights and weekends alongside my full-time job for four years. The mobile app was funded on Kickstarter and eventually featured in the App Store, along with coverage in places like 7x7 and the Washington Post.
ReadThisNext continues to grow every day. The community regularly shares what they're reading. It's so fulfilling to see people discovering and sharing about books they love. A core piece of the philosophy was to create ways for authors to engage with readers, and we haven't delved into that yet.
There also isn't a strong business model - affiliate fees for books are very small so you really have to sell a high volume of books to make an app like this profitable. That's a big reason there isn't a lot of innovation in the book discovery space.
Q: What advice do you have for writers who are nervous about diving into new projects (be it a new tool, writing a book, pitching major publications)? You've done a lot of this--would love your insight.
A: I absolutely love the philosophy in the book The War of Art. There is this idea of Resistance, which prevents you from going after big ideas. When you put it in these terms, you take the power away from the fear, and that's what you need to make progress. We are all capable of so much, and the only thing stopping us is our fear.
