If you walk into any bookstore these days, chances are you’re going to see a big display focused on books recommended on TikTok. Even if you don’t use the platform that has pushed book sales to a degree never before seen in social media, you’ve probably still seen and heard about those books because of their increased popularity and the heightened discussion around them. And now publishers and authors alike want to capture some of that magic.
In late March, BookNet Canada presented a live webinar with five BookTok influencers from around the globe to talk about what makes TikTok different, what makes content successful, and tips for use. The full session is available on YouTube.
TikTok makes it easy to find your people at any stage. Azanta Thakur (@azantareads) said it’s a great social media app for finding your niche to start and interacting with the community through both videos and comments. Danielle Bernardin (@d.j.books) agreed and said that TikTok’s algorithm curates content to your own likes and interests and gives you the opportunity to reach more people, since the content you see does not depend on who you follow. That’s good news for authors and publishers, who don’t have to amass a big following to be visible. One thing that really helps is finding the right hashtags for your videos so that they’re shown to the most appropriate audience. But there can be a lot of trial and error, according to Kimberly Claire (@kims.library). “The ones you’ve used for a while don’t do what you want them to do,” she said, and so it’s necessary to experiment.
TikTok has a human element that isn’t found at big book clubs. So says Lu (@lluuuuuuu_), who is known for her romance recommendations on the platform. “I’ve seen Oprah recommend books, but I’ll be honest, I’ve never been inclined. It just didn’t feel personal.” Lu trusts her friends on TikTok more. “In time, you create bonds, and people begin to trust you and you trust them.” Arundhati (@irrelevantwaffle) echoed that sentiment. She said because you can see people’s faces and hear their voices on TikTok, it feels more personal than interactions elsewhere, like on Twitter. “It really feels like I’m meeting people,” and it’s easy to feel close to them.
Influencers on TikTok only recommend books they love. Lu says if you’re passionate about a book, it shows, and she only recommends a book she believes in. People trust her not to mislead them through her selections. Other panelists said the same and that they only recommend books they personally enjoy and feel strongly about. “It has to be a book I would choose to read anyway,” Arundhati said. Claire added that the videos where she fangirls over the authors do very well.
To be considered for a BookTok influencer review, it’s best to offer both print and electronic editions. The videos are much more impactful when the reviewer can hold up a physical copy of the book when talking about it. Lu said, “Having the book in your hand means, ‘Hey, I have read it!’” Also, it can also be a “seal of approval” if the book appears clearly tabbed or annotated in the video—demonstrating that, without a shadow of a doubt, she loved the book. “You need that teeny tiny element in your video to push people over the edge into ‘Yes, I’m buying this book,’” Lu said. But some reviewers read digital copies out of personal preference, even if they want the print copy for the video.
Tips for authors or publishers creating videos: Consistency came up as a key to success, in that people are quickly trained to come to you for a specific type of video or experience. Lu creates playlists of videos so people can watch one video after another with a particular focus. It’s not necessary to use an editing app outside of the tools in the TikTok app, but some influencers do use an app called Splice. Thakur says she doesn’t like to get too technical with her videos, “or else I won’t want to make them. It’s very key that I want to make them and I’m passionate about the video for me to keep wanting to post.”
Claire incorporates videos where she doesn’t talk but shows the cover; that’s enough, she said, to make her content accessible to a wider audience—especially since not everyone’s primary language is English. It’s also possible to add captions to videos, and that makes it easier for people to understand what’s being said.
Consider what else you can do to complement your TikTok presence. Bernardin encouraged making your content reach further by promoting your TikTok content on other platforms or finding other uses for it to increase your reach. “TikTok is such a specific kind of content,” she said (that is, one-minute videos, although TikTok recently increased the maximum length to 10 minutes), and not all of your ideas or content will necessarily work there. Instagram was most commonly cited as a good complement to TikTok activity, since there’s considerable overlap in use between the two platforms. Like BookTok, Bookstagram is a huge platform for books, especially for children’s, middle grade, and YA authors.
Warning: We’re going to reach a TikTok saturation point. TikTok usage has been growing exponentially, which is a good-news-bad-news situation. Bernardin said the good news is that you can find more people who like things you like and the platform will become ever more relevant. The bad news is that the growth makes it more difficult for people making content.
Bottom line: If you’re new to TikTok, the first step is to start an account and start scrolling through the feed so the algorithm can determine what you like and don’t like. As you get settled in, pay attention to what’s trending and post about what people are talking about. Arundhati said, “It’s fun to see a company follow the same trends we are. Being relatable can be super fun for a brand to do.” Thakur agreed and said TikTok is always evolving and it’s important to stay on top of trends, videos, and sounds. Even if you don’t post, just observing the trends can be beneficial for your overall marketing and promotion efforts.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
