BookTok

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BookTok is a subcommunity on the app TikTok, focused on books and literature. Creators make videos reviewing, discussing, and joking about the books they read. These books range in genre, but many creators tend to focus on young adult fiction, young adult fantasy, and romance novels. There are also parts of the community dedicated to talking about LGBT literature, as well as books written by people of color.[1] The community cited with impacting the publishing industry and book sales.[2]

The creators in this community are also known as BookTokers.[3]

Background[]

Videos posted by creators range in content, with a large majority focusing on book reviews, book recommendations, book hauls and bookcase setups.[4][5] Some creators will concentrate on specific genres, BIPOC and LGBTQ authors, or even publicizing their own works through their posts, while others post tributes and recommendations for books published years prior.[3] The Booktok creators are predominantly teenagers and young women.[6]

BookTok as a community was formed in 2020, after a video posted by TikTok user @caitsbooks gained popularity.[7] This inspired more creators to begin posting and gain a following, including multiple accounts run by publishing companies. That summer, multiple viral BookTok videos led to even further growth in the community.[2] This boost in the community led to an increase in popularity in BookTokers, and many of them now have hundreds of thousands of followers.[5] By 2021, publishers began to reach out to popular creators to collaborate with them to promote specific titles or offer free books.[8]

In December 2021, a BookTok community member sent out dozens of packages to other users which contained their newly published book and a coded message to create intrigue in the new book. The message was decoded within the month and an Anishinaabei female user was found to be the author, with about 4,000 copies sold in the weeks prior.[9][10] Other authors who post content using the BookTok tag, have noticed that books sell more, and they can stay connected or specifically target potential buyers through the hashtag and other specific ones that apply to their books.[11]

Some popular BookTokers include: Jaysen Headley (@ezeekat),[12] Ayman Chaudhary (@aymansbooks),[2] Selene Velez(@moongirlreads_),[2] Cait Jacobs (@caitsbooks),[7] Pauline Juan (@thebooksiveloved),[2] Mireille and Elodie Lee (@alifeofliterature),[2] Abby Parker (@abbysbooks).[12]

Impact on sales and publishing[]

TikTok videos of people recommending books led to a significant increase in sales. Several books found their way onto The New York Times Bestseller list due to BookTok videos.[2] In some cases, the books that received this boost in sales were nearly a decade old, while other books gained popularity ahead of their release.[13] Books can become popular on the app due to either a genuine love for them by the readers, or due to shock and jokes about the subject matter, as seen with Ice Planet Barbarians.[14]

Both authors and publishers began to notice the increase in sales due to BookTok. Authors began to make their own BookTok accounts, while publishers made accounts for their company and sponsored popular BookTokers to promote their titles.[2] Large publishers would also buy the rights to publish books by independent authors who gained popularity on the app.[15]

Bookstores such as Barnes and Noble have noticed BookTok's ability to drive sales, and have incorporated into their stores.[16] Many Barnes and Noble stores have BookTok displays, featuring popular books on the app, and the company also has a section of their site dedicated to these books.[17][4] Many retailers view BookTok as an organic marketing method, as readers find what is trending through the posts and want to read the books in order to engage with the community.[3] Some members of the community agree with the organic feel of marketing within the community as it gives the readers more control over what books are popular, but others argue that it can at times create an echo chamber about which books should be popular.[18]

Popular BookTok Books[]

"BookTok Books" are the books discussed most frequently on the platform, and often have had a large increase in sales due to it. These books include:

References[]

  1. ^ "BookTok boon is changing the publishing world". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harris, Elizabeth A. (2020-03-20). "How Crying on TikTok Sells Books". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  3. ^ a b c Hue, Angelina (September 18, 2021). "TikTok is turning decade-old books into bestsellers for the first time as it inspires a reading renaissance". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  4. ^ a b Culoso, Ava (2021-09-30). "The Next Literary Frontier: The Rise of BookTok". The Hoya. Archived from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  5. ^ a b "The rise of BookTok: meet the teen influencers pushing books up the charts". the Guardian. 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  6. ^ Stewart, Sophia (September 3, 2021). "How TikTok Makes Backlist Books into Bestsellers". PublishersWeekly.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  7. ^ a b c "TikTok fuels new surge in teen reading habits". The Suffolk Times. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  8. ^ Zarroli, Jim (December 26, 2021). "'BookTok' is a new force driving book sales and publishing deals". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  9. ^ Papineau, Chelsea (2021-12-16). "Booktok mystery solved, author identity revealed". Northern Ontario. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  10. ^ Sleightholm, Brent (December 21, 2021). "New book explores what 'colonialism would look like in a fantasy world'". SooToday.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  11. ^ Singer, Jessica (August 29, 2021). "BookTok's novel approach to books is helping Canadian authors, retailers attract new audiences". CBC. Archived from the original on 2021-08-29. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Editors, She Reads (2021-04-22). "10 Bookish TikTok accounts to follow in 2021". She Reads. Retrieved 2021-10-02. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ a b c "TikTok is taking the book industry by storm, and retailers are taking notice". NBC News. 2021-07-05. Archived from the original on 2021-07-05. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  14. ^ a b AJ Willingham. "How sexy blue aliens invaded Amazon's bestseller lists". CNN. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  15. ^ Bussel, Rachel Kramer. "Viral Science Fiction Romance 'Ice Planet Barbarians' By Ruby Dixon To Get Print Edition In November". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  16. ^ a b "How TikTok Makes Backlist Books into Bestsellers". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  17. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "The Most Popular TikTok Books #BookTok". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  18. ^ Franklin, Maddy (September 11, 2021). "The rise of BookTok and Bookstagram: UGA readers find community on social media". The Red and Black. Archived from the original on 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  19. ^ Helm, Jake (2021-03-31). "BookTok: the TikTok trend sending old books up bestseller lists". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  20. ^ Olito, Frank. "15 books everyone must read in their lifetime, according to TikTok". Insider. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
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