BookTok is a subcommunity on the app TikTok that focuses 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.[1] The community is cited with impacting the publishing industry and book sales.[2] The creators in this community are also known as BookTokers.[3]
Background
A large majority of content focuses on book reviews, book recommendations, book hauls and bookcase setups.[4][5] Some creators will concentrate on specific genres, BIPOC and LGBTQ authors,[1] 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] with a focus on young adult fiction, young adult fantasy, and romance.[1]
BookTok grew in popularity in 2020 during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Currently, several BookTok accounts 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.[7] In November 2023 it was reported that the #BookTok had been viewed over 200 billion times on TikTok with about 60 billion videos.[8]
In December 2021, a BookTok community member sent out dozens of packages to other users which contained a newly published book and a coded message to create intrigue around the new book.[9] The message was decoded within the month by a group of BookTokers called The Scooby Gang.[9] Melissa Blair, an Anishinaabei user, was revealed to be the author and the book sold about 4,000 copies in the weeks prior.[10][11] 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.[12]
Culture
BookTok has its own culture in the digital world with videos being reposted on Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms. There are multiple "subcultures" based on the kind of a books a user is interested in hearing or learning about. Some of these various subcultures on BookTok are romance, fantasy, and historical fiction.[13] BookTok features a variety of content geared towards these audiences such as reviews, book hauls, cosplays, or acting out various scenes.[14] In this digital space smaller groups are formed on outside servers such as discord and books are able to become more or less popular because of this platform. There are many articles that discuss how BookTok has changed reading for younger people and impacted the publishing landscape.[15][better source needed]
Impacts on Reading
The BookTok space had been linked to an increase in the desire to read outside of classrooms[16] as well as reacting/rating books emotionally rather than from a solely critical standpoint. Content creators post a variety of TikToks about the books they are reading, but they often revolve around reactions to entire books or specific scenes. Some of these videos showcase visceral reactions to books that inspire other BookTok users to read the book.[17]The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a popular example in which videos of creators crying over the ending rose in popularity on the app.[18] Frequently, part of the culture on BookTok is the discussion of how these books make readers feel.[17]
Another popular aspect of the community culture in BookTok is the open discussion and the idea that users are reading the books together.[16]
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.[19] 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 the science fantasy romance novel Ice Planet Barbarians.[20]
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] Some have praised the community for raising awareness of books that would not be as marketed as heavily, such as self-published authors.[8] Large publishers would also buy the rights to publish books by independent authors who gained popularity on the app.[21]The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake was self-published via Kindle in 2020 and became a viral "BookTok sensation." The fantasy novel was acquired by Tor Books and re-published with revisions in 2021.[22][23] There have also been cases of authors receiving publishing deals for unpublished works that went viral on the app, such as Alex Aster'sLightlark.[24]
Bookstores such as Barnes and Noble have noticed BookTok's ability to drive sales, and have incorporated into their stores.[25] 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.[26][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. Others argue that it can create an echo chamber about which books should be read.[27] The community may also be helping in a trend of more readers, with a growth in interest in reading and reading seen with the growth in the community and TikTok popularity.[8]
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:
