Every book Jeff Kinney recommended on podcasts

Jeff Kinney is an author and creator best known for writing children's literature, specifically the widely popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series. During multiple appearances on Freakonomics Radio, Kinney discussed his creative process and the various influences that shaped his career as a writer and cartoonist. When talking about the development of his famous series, Kinney mentioned that he was reading J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter at the time he was writing Wimpy Kid. He used Harry Potter to contrast his own main character's lack of heroism with Harry's aspirational and heroic nature. Furthermore, Kinney discussed how seeing another published web comic titled Mom's Cancer by Brian Fies provided a crucial turning point for his own career. He explained how encountering the book and speaking with an editor at a convention helped him figure out the practical steps needed to get his own web comic published in book form. Through these reflections on Freakonomics Radio, Kinney provided valuable insights into how reading other influential works and discovering peer creators can directly impact the creation of enduring and successful literary franchises.