Hannah Brown discusses life after reality TV, new reading campaign

Hannah Brown's journey from Alabama pageant queen to Nashville-based bestselling author and podcaster included gaining nearly five million social media followers after her 2019 appearances on ABC's "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette" and "Dancing With The Stars."

Now Brown, 29, is partnering with national chain McAlister's Deli for a National Reading Month campaign.

Through the end of the month, guests can select Choose 2 menu combinations of a sandwich and side order inspired by Brown's preferred book genres — adventure, comedy, fantasy and romance. Those choices include the Jalapeno Turkey Crunch Sandwich and Spud Max — Brown's favorites.

McAlister's Rewards Club members can report what they're reading during the month and earn the chance to win $500 to host a book club event at McAlister's Deli.

Learning how to exist with 'millions of eyes' on her

Turning her large social media audience into a purpose-driven cohort isn't easy, but Brown's up to the task.

Brown tells The Tennessean that appearing on national television was initially daunting as a "small-town girl from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was suddenly recognizable worldwide."

"People aren't meant to operate in the world with millions of eyes on them," Brown says.

For Brown, maintaining her identity has proven difficult.

Six months after the "Dancing With The Stars" finale, Brown, like the rest of the world, was quarantined during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Instagram Live, Brown sang the lyrics of rapper Da Baby's hit single "Rockstar," which included a racial slur. After initially denying using the slur, Brown made two separate apologies.

'God Bless This Mess'

That moment ultimately helped lead to some of the opportunities of the the past few years of her life, including the 2021 release of her memoir "God Bless This Mess: Learning to Live and Love Through Life's Best (and Worst) Moments."

Being so unexpectedly public about her life and struggles allowed her to become an author — a childhood dream that she never expected could be realized.

"Going after my dreams while being supported by an interactive audience is a challenging but unique process," Brown says. "I'm grateful that, because of [everything I've endured], I'm a stronger person with a [more solid] foundation aligned with my heart's desires."

The book chronicles the various tumults she's experienced, which also include Brown turning down Tyler Cameron's proposal on "The Bachelorette" finale, getting engaged to winner Jed Wyatt, then calling off that engagement after learning that Wyatt allegedly had a girlfriend when he was on the program.

The book also covers her anxiety and body-image issues, which continue to be resolved with journaling and therapy.

"God Bless This Mess" was followed by the 2022 release of her self-help journal "God Bless This Messy Journal" and the 2023 launch of her SiriusXM lifestyle podcast "Better Tomorrow with Hannah Brown." On May 7, her debut romance novel "Mistakes We Never Made" will drop.

"Having fans and a team who are supportive [of my desires] and helping me learn how to be more thoughtful about growing past my dating life and romances into being an author and novelist is important," Brown says. "My fans will still receive what they have grown to love me for, but in newer ways."

As for her McAlister's campaign, Eventbrite notes that book club event listings on the platform grew 24% in the United States in 2023.

"Book clubs are moving away from someone's house to meet at different restaurants or as a way to try new places in a city and connect over a book," said Teri Coan, brand manager at Once Upon a Book Club, a monthly book subscription box company.

For Brown, the campaign just made sense.

"Even though I'm busy, I always make time for a good book and sandwich," she says.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Hannah Brown discusses life after reality TV, new reading campaign