Connection with readers is what authors should be striving for. This authentic connection can help you sell your book and grow your reader base. Since 2020, Booktok has become a powerhouse marketing tool for authors and publishers.
Why?
Booktok gives readers a way to connect with the authors they love the most (Lorenz, 2023). Debut authors and those with older novels often forgotten, such as Colleen Hoover, have found success in the community on Tiktok.
Check out Colleen Hoover as she announces the cast of her upcoming movie It Ends with Us.
What’s the story?
TikTok saw its rise during the pandemic as a way for people to have contact with the world. This contact grew into communities of common interests as a way for mutual bonding. BookTok arose out of the need for reader communities. BookTok is a space for readers to find book recommendations and have discussions. When the community first formed, readers made connections with smaller authors, forming authentic friendships and communities. This gave smaller authors the chance at a large reader base. When Colleen Hoover found Booktok, she began utilizing it to discuss her backlisted novel It Ends with Us, which then sold like gangbuster. It Ends with Us was published in 2016, long before it became a bestseller. Colleen Hoover’s success made the publishing world take notice. Since then, publishing houses, agents, and authors have been utilizing the Booktok community to drive book sales (O’Sullivan, 2022).
Should you throw your hat in the Booktok community?
That depends on your readership and where they reside on TikTok. It also depends on your comfort level with investing the time and energy in making short form video. There are many social media platforms for you to utilize. If you don’t love TikTok, that will show. TikTok loves authenticity, so make sure you are being your authentic self. Here are some questions for you to think about:
- Do you have the time to post consistently?
- Is your potential readership on the app?
- Are you ready to work on community building? (Scott, 2022)
Take a look at this TikTok showcasing the top eight most viewed authors on the platform.
An activity for you:
Take some time and imagine your potential readers.
- Who are your they?
- Where are they on social media?
- What are their hobbies?
- Where do they live?
Draw them or find photos of what you think they look like online. Write a small biography. After you have imagined them, think to yourself, can I connect with them on TikTok? Facebook? Instagram? What’s the best platform to reach them? (Stein, 2023)
Going Forward:
- Go where you readers are.
- Go where you are comfortable.
- When you get there create a community.
Visit my TikTok channel here:
Sign up for my presentation on Booktok at the Writer’s Workout Conference.
“This free, virtual conference is designed to help you make the most of your time with short videos and live chats with presenters around the world. These authors, editors, and industry professionals are donating their time to help you be a better writer.”
SIGN UP HERE
Here’s a sample of my presentation for the Writers Workout Conference Conference in March:
References:
Lorenz, S. (2023, February 1). How authors can benefit from BookTok. The Book Publicist (Westwind Communications). https://book-publicist.com/how-authors-can-benefit-from-booktok/
O’Sullivan, J. (2022, October 14). YA authors talk #BookTok: Boon or burden? Publishers Weekly. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/90616-ya-authors-talk-booktok-boon-or-burden.html
Scott, M. (2022). Online reader communities [Master’s Thesis, Appalachian State University]. https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Scott_Madeline_December_2022_Thesis.pdf
Stein, L. (2023, February). BookTok is good, actually: On the undersung joys of a vast and multifarious platform. Literary Hub. https://lithub.com/booktok-is-good-actually-on-the-undersung-joys-of-a-vast-and-multifarious-platform/
About Abigail Wild:
Abigail is a 2023 Pushcart Prize nominee for the first chapter of her novel, More Than One Way to Breathe. Her first book, The Art of Drowning, was an Amazon Best Seller in its category. She’s also acted as a ghost writer, business writer, and has produced eleven literary anthologies, with three more in production.
Abigail owns Wild Ink Publishing LLC, where she helps aspiring authors achieve their first publishing credit. She is also a literary judge for the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge, and a past literary judge for the Ink & Insights Literary Contest. She gives contest authors feedback to help them make their writing shine.
An educator at heart, she teaches for the SNHU MFA program and is the director of the Young Writers Workshop at Messiah University. Abigail has put her creative spirit to use as a novelist, editor, writing coach, and ghostwriter.
Where to find Abigail Wild:
Founder / Creative Director
Author Under Contract /
Artist-in-Residence
Managing Partner /
Creative Director
Messiah University
Director
Wild Ink Publishing 