Digital-only publisher 8th Note Press was established last year by TikTok’s parent company, Byte Dance, to launch an opportunistic book publishing program driven by #BookTok trends. Book Riot notes, “The initial announcement caused a lot of chatter and concern. Would the social media giant, which has admitted that it manipulates what goes viral, put its thumb on the scale to turn its titles into #BookTok hits? We can’t know what TikTok has tried, but the results so far have not borne out publishing’s fears; none of 8th Note Press’s titles has become a #BookTok sensation.”
That may explain why 8th Note Press has announced a partnership with Zando to expand into print books in early 2025. Genres include romance, romantasy, and YA titles, with a focus on Millennial and Gen Z readers. Some titles will be completely new, and others will be print versions of existing ebooks.
8th Notes’ head of editorial told the New York Times, “Physical books are still overwhelmingly the most popular format.” Indeed, they are.
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.
