Readers are obsessed with BookTok. Here’s why.
BookTok, TikTok’s far-reaching book community, is quickly gaining steam as one of the most influential spaces for the publishing industry. The Sum breaks down how big of an impact it’s had.
To Sum It Up
- Publishing houses are beginning to focus major parts of their marketing strategy on going viral on the app, completely changing the way books are promoted to readers.
- BookTokers like @aymansbooks and @kendra.reads are creating popular reader-centric spaces not found elsewhere on the internet.
The Background
- American readers bought over 825 million print books in 2021, compared to 757.9 million in 2020. That’s more than any year since record-keeping began in 2004.
- Experts credit the video-sharing app TikTok for much of this trend, as readers share recommendations, reactions, reviews, and commentary on their favorite books.
- Similar spaces like Bookstagram and BookTube are also responsible for the bump.
What’s Happening
- Because of BookTok, it’s not just newly released titles that are going viral. Books like Madeline Miller’s “The Song of Achilles” are becoming best sellers up to a decade after their initial publication.
- There are criticisms, however, around which books tend to see a bump in sales.
- Many authors from underrepresented backgrounds feel like their books don’t get as much attention from TikTok users, which creates an even more lopsided industry.
Why It Matters
- BookTok could completely change the way we experience book-buying, making it more social media-driven in the process.
- However, the problems with TikTok’s algorithm and users could mean that certain authors are prioritized more than others.
- Experts also are uneasy about relying on that algorithm to drive sales and hope readers still head to bookstores to pick up copies.
Sources
NBC News: TikTok is taking the book industry by storm, and retailers are taking notice
The New York Times: How TikTok Became a Best-Seller Machine
The World Economic Forum: This is how TikTok helped propel book sales to a bestselling year
READ MORE ABOUT THIS IN THE SUM
The Sum breaks down complex economic issues and how they impact your life in just a few minutes a day. Follow thesum.news on Instagram for the full story.
This story was originally published October 5, 2022 at 4:14 PM.
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