Booktok reading culture – an honest review

In recent years, a new community called ‘BookTok’ has emerged on the social media platform TikTok, a community that has reshaped the publishing industry and sparked a huge increase in new readers. BookTok is more than just a trend: it is a path for more people to discover reading as a hobby, new books, and what literature has to offer.  

At its core, BookTok is a space where readers share their interest in various books through short-form content videos. The content ranges from honest book reviews to humorous skits about characters from the creator’s favourite books. Unlike traditional criticism, BookTok typically recommends books based on how big an emotional impact the book has caused, rather than more objective evaluations, such as how solid the book’s structure is.  

 In an age of short-form content depleting the attention span of consumers, BookTok is a great way to get people back into reading. The community further boosted global book sales by over 50% from 2021 to 2022, illustrating its vast impact on publishers and authors, especially for names like Colleen Hoover and Sarah J. Maas. 

…it makes good books seem ‘trendy’, but nothing is wrong with reading a trendy book as long as you’re actually enjoying it

Publishers have taken notice, closely monitoring the hashtag to identify emerging trends. Bookstores, both large chains such as Waterstones and independent shops, now feature dedicated #BookTok tables showcasing the titles currently captivating the TikTok audience. Waterstones has a ‘TikTok made me buy it’ section in most of its branches.  

The genres that typically get the spotlight on BookTok are romance and fantasy. This culture of reading often dismisses various great books that aren’t within these two categories. This begs the question: Does BookTok harm other genres? 

The Boar decided to interview readers from around the world to hear their opinions. The first interviewee, a reader from Sweden, said: “BookTok as a community is 50/50, like every community, there is the bad and the good. BookTok is no exception; part of it is wholesome and welcoming, filled with inspiration and suggestions of what to read, and a part of it is toxic, glorifying some things. Specifically, in the ‘dark romance’ genre.” 

 The next reader interviewed stated: “As someone who used BookTok to get my friends to start reading, it’s highly beneficial. It provides you with proper suggestions that don’t feel dull, which was the main barrier between my friends and reading. Some people may hate it because it makes good books seem ‘trendy’, but nothing is wrong with reading a trendy book as long as you’re actually enjoying it. All in all, it gives you books that emotionally capture your attention.” 

It is undeniable that BookTok has made a tremendous impact by paving the path for new readers

Lawand Irwani, a first-year student from the University of Kurdistan, shared annoyance with the platform: “First of all, BookTok is the library of TikTok, so it’s where people share very unnecessary controversies about books. The recommendations are acceptable, but I don’t like how often they spoil great books. On the verge of spoiling, but not quite there. BookTok doesn’t harm other genres, because people getting into BookTok aren’t people who were readers of other genres beforehand, but it’s still a shame that it doesn’t shed light on other genres as much.” 

 It is undeniable that BookTok has made a tremendous impact by paving the path for new readers through videos that provide guides for new readers or interest-specific book recommendations. This makes reading more accessible, giving ideas for new readers on where to start, rather than delving straight into books with complex narratives that may be recommended by traditional critics. 

 At the end of the day, people want to read books that entertain them and enable them to have a great time, even post-read, by conversing with others about the books that they have read. BookTok isn’t about recognising the beauty of a book but rather viewing books as a topic to gossip about, which can dismiss other great aspects of the book, such as the writing style of certain authors or literary analysis.  

 All in all, BookTok has enabled many people to start reading and has broadened the horizons of the reading community, although it has limited itself to only a few genres. The impact of BookTok on publishers, authors, and readers can be seen as a net positive: publishers can sell more books to people who are part of BookTok, authors can take inspiration from BookTok and gather new ideas, and existing readers will have a wider community to find like-minded people. 

In conclusion, BookTok isn’t perfect, but it is something that the publishing industry needed to sustain its life cycle.