BookTok Made Me Do It

For the sales and spicy romance of it all.

BookTok 101

There was a war of words recently online around a certain article in LitHub “BookTok is Good, Actually: On the Undersung Joys of a Vast and Multifarious Platform”, as writer Leigh Stein wondered why more book people don’t embrace the publishing juggernaut. There were very strong opinions for and against from the community, and as a writer and author myself, I immediately went to investigate further. While I would certainly love an agent and book deal (call me), I have successfully self-published after doing a deep dive on all of the possibilities around it, especially controlling royalties, and as someone who has worked in marketing forever, understanding the promotion and community building of it all. Of course, there are more resources than ever, to support many fellow authors to do the same, particularly in the romance genre (but more on that later), and with social media being regularly used as promotion along with newsletters & email lists, TikTok’s #BookTok community has exploded in terms of influence and sales.

It is so large in fact, that many brick & mortar stores often have dedicated tables set up with “BookTok Favorite” signs given the popularity - and you will find said recommendations from everyone including passionate readers and bookstore owners. The hashtag #BookTok has nearly 100 billion views on TikTok, with videos from the community of book lovers include book hauls, reviews, bookcase setups, and recommendations, that has driven millions in book sales. In last year’s NYTimes article “How TikTok Became a Best-Seller Machine”, they explore how BookTok went from being a novelty to becoming an anchor in the publishing industry and a dominant driver of fiction sales, by supercharging something that’s always been essential to selling a book: word of mouth and emotional resonance. Another anomaly in the surge in book sales is the amount of backlisted books gaining popularity years after their initial release. Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles went viral years after their publication in 2017 and 2011, respectively. Both likewise landed on the bestseller list years after being published, a feat that is largely unheard of in traditional publishing. It is essentially helping a lagging publishing industry when it needs this the most - so what’s the problem?

While publishers are embracing it, some authors and critics feel it can be detrimental to “good” fiction writing, with literary criticism, marketing, and education now be at the mercy of the TikTok algorithm. I think this is an overreach, as there are many different audiences and promotional methods to reach them - not to mention that the very community of TikTok encourage opinions and sharing - so to the LitHub article writers point that “you can find a hundred videos from creators telling you it’s overhyped—and recommending something else to read instead.” Many in the BookTok community were quick to call out what they saw as “snobbery” by some writers complaining about the types of books being shared, but ultimately there is room for everyone, which leads me to…

Romance, Spice, and Everything Nice

I have read my share of romance books (and watched a crazy amount of romantic comedies), and that particular genre of writing is big business (apparently over a quarter of books sales), which has driven more ebooks, self-publishing, community writing websites (ie. Wattpad), and fan-fiction stories than ever. What I wasn’t fully prepared for on #BookTok was the sheer amount of “spicy” romance books, pre-dominantly written by women, for the female gaze. All I can say is that the pure joy that is women comparing notes, obsessing over favorite characters, and generally finding new crushes with every book, is something I can get behind. When you can’t find it in life - write about it. And many (many) people are, judging by ample amount of these books on KindleUnlimited, and the smash success of several self-published authors building businesses, or fan-fiction making it’s way to the box office. Give the people what they want - and if romance books were good enough for iconic feminist author Bell Hooks (who famously loved reading Harlequin Romances for more than 20 years), then it is good enough for all of us.

In particular, the crossover of #BookTok to accounts by everyone from male personalities to sports franchises (especially #HockeyTok, where there is a crazy amount of spicy books dedicated to romance with hockey players), who lean into the flirty nature of fitting a “type” and therefore create content towards the community (and to huge views), has become a fun, inside joke where attractiveness is rewarded with a tag and call for BookTok to check it out. For this, I must give a special shout out to social media managers everywhere, who know full well how to play to this while filming segments of their sports teams, and stay on top of every trend to give the people what they want - even though they have to explain a million things to their team who is miles behind them given the speed of the medium. Bless you, and thank you for your service (especially the excellent teams of HockeyTok, like the Seattle Kraken and Boston Bruins.)

So listen - TikTok is one medium of many. And despite some pressing legal matters, it has been one I have come to really enjoy and value. I have worked in media, communications and marketing long enough to see an enormous about of platform and promotional methodology change, based on how we all interact, read, and shift in consumer psychology. And when it comes to books, there is room for everyone, and you can read what you want. And if people want escapism - and who doesn’t - who are you, as a fellow storyteller to moan about it? Keep writing, keep creating, and find a way you feel best at finding your people.

*P.S. I am currently working on a new novel, and my children’s travel book is available on Amazon

*PPS. My Tiktok on the Hockey x Romance crossover

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