Why YouTuber Meghan Rienks Decided to Return to Vlogging

Hi Megan.

Hello.

I'm very excited to talk to you about your new book, You're Not Special.

I'm excited to um, virtually be there to talk about it.

Right. What are you what are you doing like to countdown the days till the book is released? Anything special or?

Oh, like feeling like I'm constantly going to have diarrhea. Um, being very nervous. There's nothing any really anything in particular, except obviously posting on social. It was cool because yesterday we've got like a private Facebook group for um, our podcast. My podcast called Don't Blame Me, which is like an advice podcast, and one of the girls in the group ended up getting her book yesterday because some retailers like ship it out early. So it doesn't, obviously it doesn't come out until May 5th, but she ended up getting it, I forget what's today? She got April 28th. And I was like, oh my god! So that was really cool. So it's been cool to like get the book. Yeah, who's like not on my team, who's like my manager, who has to be like, oh, it's great. And I was like, oh my gosh, it's so exciting though. I'm so excited.

Oh my gosh. And for you grew up on social media. Your whole life has been basically, people feel what you feel and know every emotion you go through. Since you kind of now wrote about it, will people see a different side of you in the book that they haven't seen online?

Yeah, I think so. I think the thing that's crazy about it is like it's like almost, maybe I don't even know how what the final word count or not word count, page count is, but it is like almost 300 pages. And there I don't talk about the stuff that I talk about in the book online. And I think I'm so open online that I think people are going to be surprised that like, wait, I feel like you don't feel like someone who's really closed off and doesn't talk about stuff. You feel really open and vulnerable. So the fact that the book is that, but more and it doesn't overlap any stories, and I recorded the audiobook a couple weeks ago and one of my best friends, who's also the producer of my podcast, she was the director of the audiobook, and she was like, so we work together, we're friends, we work on this podcast together, we're super vulnerable, she's like, I didn't know a single one of the stories that was in this. And she's like, and even she was like, and she knows she was with my boyfriend before we started dating, and so she's like, I even knew how you guys got together, but I didn't know like this whole extended version of the story. So it was cool to like someone who I'm close with was like, oh wow, this is still like, you know, big and different for me too, which is cool.

So is your has your boyfriend and your like your family read it?

Nobody's read it, except for my team. I think my best friend has read a couple chapters. Again, the stuff that I wanted her clarification, because she's like a huge, she's literally the only person whose real name is in the book, and she's like a huge majority of all of my like friend experiences and everything she's there for all of it. So she's read a huge chunk of it. Um, actually, maybe not even a huge chunk, probably like three or four chapters. And then my boyfriend has read the chapter that he's in and then part of the other one. But I don't even know if he read the whole chapter, or if he just like skimmed it. But there's a fun fact, which I don't even think I've said before, that um, he writes two little sections in the book. So like I say something from my perspective, and then there's like this little part where like he tells the same thing from his.

I would love that.

Yeah, and it was that was probably the hardest thing to do for the audiobook because my stuff sounds like me. Like I would originally had wanted a co-author, because I was like writing a book is really hard, which it was really hard, but my publishers were like, nobody sounds like you, you can't have a co-author, like it's going to be bad. And I was like, fine. So then and he's like such a, I don't know, I talk like a millennial, it's like lots of Hilary Duff references. And he's such like an intellectual. So I was reading his part for the audiobook and I was like, so then I actually made him read it, because I was like, dude, I can't pronounce half of these words. Like I don't know who you're trying to like flex on, like vocabulary wise. So like I can't it's not me because I Like, this is so hard. But yeah, it's fun.

All of a sudden there's going to be like in the audiobook just a deep man's voice that looks like, what the heck?

I literally I'm like, and now to my boyfriend Matt to tell his part. So I don't know if that's going to make it into the final audiobook, but I hope it does, because I definitely am stumbling over

Yeah.

and the words.

And you said that your best friend's name is actually in the book.

Yeah, only one, I think so there's I think probably 10 names in total, between five and 10 of people's real names. And the it's everyone who has like flattering stories about them. Um, nothing really involving, like, you know, illegal stuff when you're 15, 16. And then my best friend, who I got like her approval for everything, and also everyone on the internet knows that she's my best friend, and has been my best friend forever. I was like, here's the thing, dude, like I could change your name, but like everybody knows. Yeah, and so the other people I had to ask if it was like, and not even you don't necessarily have to ask, you just have to give a heads up to be polite. And so if you want to use a real name, anyone who you feel comfortable asking for a heads up, so it was like a lot of guys that I like made out with one time in high school or that like were really cute in high school and I was giving them like, oh, I should have gone out with you when you asked me. So it's like it's cool props. And so I had to like ask all these guys and they were like, oh my god, I'm so excited, I'm going to buy your book, like thank you so much! I'm like, so that was funny. And then I think one of my best friends, my one of my other like guy best friends, he's in it, but I felt bad, because I was talking to him recently and he was like, so like, am I like in your book a lot? I was like, I love you, dude, but like we didn't, like there was nothing really crazy or like debauchery that happened regarding all of this stuff. So yeah, it's I it was a weird thing to ask people.

Are you afraid of anybody reading it?

Oh my god. I'm terrified. I am like, low key, pretty stoked that I don't have to go on a book tour now. And I just get to stay inside because I'm like, I would be so afraid of like the people that I don't, like I don't know where they end up, we're not friends on Facebook, like, just like bad situations and having them show up. So I'm pretty relieved with that. But yeah, I'm I'm so nervous. Obviously, I'm nervous for my family to read it. That's probably like the one that's most like. But I'm definitely I think the absolute, more than that, probably people from college. And like low key, I think the one that I'm most worried about is like the guy who dumped me when I was in college. And like, it's really not even that big of a deal in the whole book, but I don't know why I am so, I feel so weird about it. And then my high school boyfriend. I don't know why, like, I don't know why, like there are so many

It's the feelings. When you get into feelings, it's like me like posting a picture like and like the guy that I used to talk to likes it. I'm like, what does he think of it?

Oh my god. It's like, did he like look at it? Did he double tap? Did he like what was he doing? Like, and it's like you haven't talked to him in two years. You liked him in like, you guys aren't anything anymore, but I still care about how he feels. That's literally how I feel. And like my high school boyfriend is still like friends with some of my like now high school friends that we're still like my hometown friends and all of that stuff. And I'm like, oh my god, if I go back to our tiny little town of like 5,000 people and I like see you, which I will, like this is so

Your, he's going to be like, can you sign?

Yeah.

my copy of the book?

No, but it's wild, because his new girlfriend looks almost identical to how I looked in high school, which was a specific look. Like the glasses, the curly hair, it was a whole thing. So I'm like, you have a type.

about the book, how have you been keeping busy, you know, during self isolation and everything like that.

Puzzles. Turns out I love puzzles more than anything in the entire world. I am addicted. I did one, I literally can show you. It's like, right over here, this one is

You did a puzzle, I like it.

It's 2,000 pieces. It was my first puzzle I've ever done. 2,000 pieces. I was staying up until like three, four AM every single night. My boyfriend like he got an Xbox and I got puzzles, and I am more addicted to puzzles than he is to Xbox.

Like he's like, you need to go to bed. And I'm like, I can't. I need to finish this. It's one more piece. There's one more piece I need to find. But the worst part is that there are two pieces that are missing. And I have looked underneath the table, I have looked on the I've looked literally everywhere, and it has been completed for over two weeks, and today is the day that I was like I have to because I got new ones. I was like, I'm it's said it was without those pieces, but I think that's probably how and then I recently started vlogging again, which I think is, I don't know, it feels, I didn't really think about it being super full circle until um, someone like at like made a comment saying like, oh, you had mentioned a couple, I think probably like last year or two years ago that you're pretty like much done with vlogging and it like left a bad taste in your mouth. And you just like had a not great experience. And it's weird because I talk about that in the book and the book is now coming out and now I'm like, oh, and I'm feeling more comfortable and okay vlogging again. And I was like, oh, it kind of just feels like, I don't know, you put all your feelings in a bottle and you like set it out to sea and I was like, oh, it does kind of feel like I'm starting over again and that people are going to like know why I had like an issue with vlogging before. And so I think, yeah, that's been the other. And working out from inside, you know, I got a weighted hula hoop. It's a good time. Really nothing else. It's not much else to do. There's not. It's like if someone had told me like six months ago, or like had told you six months ago, like you'd be locked up in your apartment doing puzzles, your book's going to come out and your boyfriend's going to buy an Xbox. You like, yeah. During a pandemic. Oh, and I would spend like two hours debating if we should get a Peloton bike, when I spent so much time like making fun of that commercial. I was like, whoa, oh, how the tables have turned. We didn't get one though. You have one?

No, we didn't get one.

My best friend. Oh, you didn't get one. My best friend is getting, she's getting one, I think it's getting delivered this week. And I was like, oh my god, tell me all about it. I'm so jealous. But I also like, I don't know how I would get into spinning at home, because I like that it's dark when you go to like a spin class and it's a whole vibe. And I just think like me, am I just going to like turn off all the lights in a room and just like ride a bike. Like it feels weird.

Well, full disclosure, I was the girl that ordered the Peloton during the pandemic.

Is it great, though?

It's amazing. And I turn off all the lights and shut the shades.

Oh my god! Okay, so it's not weird. It's not weird if that's how you do it. It's not weird at all. It's amazing. It literally I've never sweat more from a workout in my entire life. Is there anything else about your book or anything like that you're more than welcome to.

Yeah. in general, but Yeah, it comes out uh, May 5th, it's called You're Not Special. You can get it digital ebook if you're not wanting to wait for delayed shipping. We also did an audiobook, it's available literally everywhere. All the links that I have on my socials are all domestic links, and so I've been trying to collect as many from like different countries. So if anybody has links to my book in a different country and you want to send it to me, I will post it on Instagram. Otherwise, if you are not located in the US, just Google your country, wherever you are, and then the book name and you can find it. But I'm really nervous. And if anybody reads it, hopefully people read it. Uh, don't tell me if you don't like it. Just lie to me. Or say nothing at all because my ego cannot take it.

Noted. Noted. Well, I'm Megan, thank you so much for talking to us and.

Thank you.

I can't wait I'm ordering it, I'm going to order it on Amazon. Like you know. You got me with the You're Not Special. I was like, okay, give me the book.

Amazing. Thank you so much for having me.