Who would have thought that an online platform like TikTok could give a boost to literature and affect book sales figures?
In a new virtual phenomenon, thousands of young people around the world started sharing their favorite books on the social networking platform “Tik Tok” using the hashtag #BookTok. The hashtag has been widely shared, reaching over 84 billion times. This hashtag appeared on the social networking site “Tik Tok” in late 2020, according to the German channel “DW”.
Tik Tok users are mostly from the late 1990s or 2000s generation. The application was famous for its dance videos and funny clips, and was widely known throughout the year.
Publishing houses turn to “Tik Tok”
Instead of classic summaries of novels and books, a number of TikTok users are shooting short creative videos, most of which are no longer than 60 seconds. Through these short videos, users present a summary of what they’ve read in the past month, discuss novels and books or take part in challenges, such as a book reading challenge, in just one day.
Many users have organized their bookshelves by color and beautiful book front, which is a buying criterion for them. This may seem superficial at first, but now it has an impact on sales numbers and bestseller lists in the market. This is because of the recommendations and TikTok algorithm that creates widespread buzz around certain books and novels.
Fantasy books, thrillers and romance novels aimed at teenagers and young adults are especially successful on the site, which American writer Colin Hoover has perfected, as her novels clearly strike a chord with young readers: suspense, drama and great emotions. Many fans film themselves crying while reading Hoover’s books.
#BookTok is not only a promising platform for well-known authors, it also provides an opportunity for unknown writers.
This global phenomenon has reached the marketing departments of publishing houses, and some of them have become dependent on cooperation with well-known influencers.
On the other hand, publishers entered the world of “Tik Tok”, hoping to reach a wider audience of readers.
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