BookTok is a hashtag where passionate readers share all about their favorite books on social media platform TikTok. Members of BookTok tag videos of themselves, often in the bookstore aisles, raving about their favorite books. Many of the videos on BookTok have gone viral with millions of views, thus creating a whole new class of influencers that have made bestsellers out of books and series.This trend is taking the publishing industry by storm, and now, the publishers want to cash in on in.
Two years after its conception, BookTok has been directly linked to increasing print sales across the United States, leaving publishers wanting to utilize BookTok’s unique energy and brand for new book releases. “Nothing else engages readers like #BookTok—it brings books to life in a whole new way,” said Alyssa Castaneda, Head of Social, Penguin Random House U.S.(TikTok.com)
As reported by Yahoo news, Penguin Random House announced in September a collaboration with TikTok which allows users to link books directly in the app. The new BookTok feature brings together in one central location the publisher’s information on a book, as well as the BookTok videos which talk about it. The goal was of extending the community of BookTok’s impact. A spokesperson for TikTok, Isaac Bess told Rolling Stone that the link idea was created with the goal to extend the impact of BookTok’s reach and “to take book discovery and content creation to the next level.”
But there’s a problem; only books published by Penguin Random House can be linked through the app, and many creators are concerned this inherent bias will lead to less exposure for less known writers, as well as less income for BookTok. This new feature arrives right as the BookTok community is engaged in a larger conversation regarding how creators are compensated. “While many BookTok influencers qualify for TikTok’s creator fund — an internal pay scheme based on followers and combined weekly views – some in the community are calling for payouts from the publishing companies themselves.” (Rollingstone.com)
As reported by Rollingstone, TikTok creator Haley Thomas shared that Random House’s attempt to get involved is making her and other TikTokers resistant to using the new app. Thomas shared that they are “actively concerned” about how publishing companies may attempt to use BookTok creators without offering fair compensation.“Initially, I thought this new [feature] could have some utility,” Thomas says “But then it felt scummy, like, not only is this giant trying to gobble up every other publisher, but now they want BookTok?”
There’s another issue as well, the concern over integrity and creators not wanting to sell out. BookTok creators rarely feature sponsored posts, and are usually just passionate readers who want to share their love for books. The attraction to many of these creators is that they offer honest reviewing which is not tainted by sponsorship.
It seems that Pengiun Random House is very aware of this factor, and that was one of the main draws for the collaboration with TikTok in the first place. In the TikTok announcement, Castaneda went on to share “#BookTok validates that word of mouth is still the most powerful force for our industry. People want to know how a book will make them feel, and TikTok values authenticity more than any other platform. We are so excited to have the opportunity to partner with TikTok to make the best parts of the platform—discovery and community—even stronger.” (TikTok.com)
Maya Bonner, another BookTok creator shared in her interview with Rollingstone, “I understand the attraction. From a business standpoint, as a publisher, how could you say no to BookTok? It’s been such a driving force in the changes in publishing and in revenue over the past couple years and I understand that. But I have no interest in engaging in that with them. I don’t need to support them. They’ll have enough money without me.”
An avid book reader and proud library card holder, Angela is new to the world of e-Readers. She has a background in education, emergency response, fitness, loves to be in nature, traveling and exploring. With an honours science degree in anthropology, Angela also studied writing after graduation. She has contributed work to The London Free Press, The Gazette, The Londoner, Best Version Media, Lifeliner, and Citymedia.ca.
