Enemies to lovers.
Slow-burn.
Forced proximity.
If you are at all familiar with these terms, you likely have encountered BookTok in some capacity. An online movement of book lovers, BookTok is a community on TikTok dedicated to reviewing and recommending books. From book hauls to reading challenges to literary hot takes, BookTok is the go-to platform to observe the latest book trends. The short-form video style of Tiktok has created a way to discuss novels in a way that engages a younger audience, inspiring a new generation of readers. With over 78 million posts created under the #BookTok, this once niche group has expanded to include millions of readers worldwide.
Given its surge in popularity, BookTok has become an invaluable platform for many authors to promote their recent publications. Where book promotion formerly consisted of book tours and convention appearances, the organic and unfiltered format of Tiktoks allows authors to connect with readers on a much larger scale. As a result of its widespread reach, many novels have gone viral overnight. For instance, Rachel Reid’s “Heated Rivalry” became the number one best-selling romance novel in the United States after clips of the TV show began to circulate in the BookTok community. This allowed the “Game Changers” fanbase to expand beyond a relatively niche fanbase into mainstream media. Another example of a novel skyrocketing to fame after going viral on BookTok, the notoriety “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” allowed the author Taylor Jenkins Reid to establish a fanbase and pave the way for success for success with her future projects, such as “Daisy Jones and the Six” and “Malibu Rising.”
Though BookTok can serve as a springboard for authors to launch their careers, the community does have certain drawbacks. One notable limitation regarding the books recommended by BookTokers is that they tend to prioritize tropes over originality. Rather than draw attention to novels with unique premises or dynamic writing styles, many BookTokers promote novels that recycle the same plot points. For example, fake dating and friends-to-lovers are two extremely prevalent tropes that consistently gain traction within BookTok. As a result, many of the books lauded on BookTok follow similar beats and lack substance outside of the specific scenes that BookTokers praise. For instance, Lauren Robert’s “Powerless,” a novel popularized by BookTok, bears many striking similarities to Victoria Aveyard’s book, “Red Queen” another popular book on TikTok. In these stories, the social hierarchies inhabited by the protagonists are divided by those possessing supernatural powers and those without. Both novels feature a female protagonist plucked from humble origins by winning a high-stakes competition and ultimately join a rebellion to overthrow a tyrannical monarch. This serves as an example of BookTok circulating novels that align with literary trends as opposed to narratives that explore original premises.
While BookTok bears its fair share of ups and downs, ultimately it has resurrected a passion for reading within a younger generation. Though the novels on BookTok tend to fall victim to played-out conventions, there are many great authors who have risen to prominence as a result of the platform BookTok created.