TikTok is one of the most extensive, multi-faceted applications on the market right now solely because of its huge user base. There are niche communities for everyone to find their place, even if their place is on “Berries and Cream” TikTok (No shame— mine is too). One of the largest and most popular communities currently is BookTok where authors and readers alike combine to offer recommendations, reviews, and discussions surrounding trending novels. So, what happens when innovative authors combine the classic “Story Time” TikTok format with a book advertisement? Genius and lots of sales.
What creators have been doing is starting out with a captivating hook from a first person perspective and drawing the audience into the story as if it will be all tied up by the end of the 1-3 minute TikTok. This is usually related to dating troubles, a hugely relatable topic among the New Adult age range, and is only effective if paired with top notch acting ability. At the end of the video, they leave the story on a cliff hanger and confess that the video was a performance of a plotpoint from their new novel. If the audience is engaged enough they might just go purchase the book to find out the ending.
This has been extremely effective, as supported by the often frustrated but excited comments. People are rushing to support new authors like never before! With free advertising and a direct link to the author’s reader base, BookTok has proven to be a very useful marketing tool. So, to all you new writers out there, consider using BookTok to your advantage. If nothing else, it’s nice to be engaged in a new community.