Books Forward is celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, and one of the ways we’re celebrating is by showcasing 25 people you should know in the book world. There are many unique roles in the book world, and the many kinds of people who play a part in the community we love.
Today, we’re getting to know Nadia Odunayo, founder and CEO of The StoryGraph. Stay up to date on other industry professionals by reading our Lit Happens blog throughout the year.
6 a.m.
Wake up, do 10 mins of meditation and my daily Duolingo (French and music) practice, before calling my dad. Start getting ready for my morning activity while doing a 30-minute Pimsleur (French) immersive speaking lesson.
6:30 a.m.
Quickly check for any messages from my co-founder of The StoryGraph Rob to make sure that nothing has gone amiss overnight. The coast is clear!
7 a.m.
Leave the house to go and play tennis with a friend. I workout most days, including lifting weights three times a week, running at least once a week, and an assortment of classes at my gym. I listen to podcasts — How I Built This is my fave — and read — currently reading Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins for the first time — during my commute.
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Tennis! It’s so great to get moving so early and I feel accomplished at 9 a.m. already, even though I’ve done no tangible work yet!
9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Travel home via the supermarket — Tesco in this case — to get some bits and bobs for lunch.
10 a.m. to noon
My proper StoryGraph morning check (normally done at about 7:30 a.m./8 a.m). This includes looking through emails, various analytics dashboards, and our Play Store and App Store reviews. I also catch up on personal messages and plan the rest of my day. This is normally done the night before, but I had a dinner the night before and wanted to get to bed ASAP when I got home. Finally, I catch up on StoryGraph social media platforms — Twitter, Threads, and Instagram — before starting on my coding for the day.
Noon to 1 p.m.
Lunch and reading. I tend to eat the same thing most days now that I have an air fryer: a steak salad! Helpful for my protein targets!
1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
StoryGraph coding. I’m currently working on some tooling for our volunteer librarians and the redesign of our profile page.
2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Reading with a coffee and some chocolate! Easter is coming up so I got some mini egg varieties!
3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Coding. It’s a very good day when I can get a three-hour coding block in!
6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Catch up personal messages and emails.
6:30 p.m. to 6:50 p.m.
Walk to a branch of my gym, listening to a podcast. I’m currently listening to an old How I Built This episode on the story of Groupon.
7:10 p.m. to 7:50 p.m.
Take a reformer pilates class. This year, I’m trying to make pilates and yoga a part of my routine, so I can work on my flexibility and mobility more!
8 p.m. to 8:20 p.m.
Walk home.
8:20 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Check in with my co-founder, Rob, who lives in California. Then squeeze in some more coding.
9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Do another round of social media checks, write down a highlight of the day (something I started this year! Today it was my morning tennis), and plan tomorrow.
10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
A quick flat tidy, including washing the dishes from earlier, shower, brush my teeth, and get into bed, all while listening to a fun dating podcast, U Up?
Nadia Odunayo is the founder and CEO of The StoryGraph, the app that helps you track your reading and choose which book to read next. She previously worked at Pivotal Labs as a software engineer and originally learned to code at Makers Academy in London. In her spare time she loves to take dance class and, naturally, read! Find her on X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.
Interested in what’s possible for your book sales and building readership? Check out our services, tell us your goals, and get a customized publicity campaign tailored just for you.
