FRANKFURT, Germany — Best-selling German
author Sarah Sprinz’s series of young adult books has received a boost from an
unlikely quarter: a community of literary enthusiasts on social media platform
TikTok.
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The
#BookTok trend has exploded in recent times,
with a growing number of readers posting reviews and engaging with writers,
while authors use it to promote their works.
To some, it seems counter-intuitive — a platform
known for short and often light-hearted videos is not the obvious place to
encourage an activity like reading that requires deep concentration.
But videos with the hashtag have racked up billions
of views, and helped to propel the popularity of some works, while bookshops
are rushing to set up stands where creators can film videos.
The trend “is super important for me”, Sprinz —
author of the hit Dunbridge Academy series, set in a boarding school in
Scotland — told AFP in an interview at the Frankfurt book fair.
“Personally for me, I believe it played a role (in
my success), because I have seen a lot of videos recommending my books,” the
author said.
The trend, which often sees creators post
emotionally charged reviews of books, has been particularly effective in
attracting a new audience of younger readers, said Sprinz.
“I think it is nice that through
TikTok, a
completely new, younger target audience is becoming aware of reading,” said the
26-year-old.
According to TikTok — which is owned by Chinese
company ByteDance — #BookTok has received more than 84 billion video views to
date on the platform, and successful genres include romance and fantasy.
“#BookTok has become the place for book
recommendations and discovery as well as for sharing reviews and tapping into
fan culture,” said Tobias Henning, general manager for TikTok Germany and
Central and Eastern Europe.
It is also “having a real world impact on book sales
globally”, he added.
One success credited to #BookTok is that of US
author Colleen Hoover’s novel “It Ends With Us”, which saw sales soar after it
gained traction in the community.
A typical review shows a woman sobbing as she reads
the novel, with music playing and a voiceover reading, “I’ve never cried for so
long after a book.”
With the clout of #BookTok growing, the annual
Frankfurt fair, the world’s biggest publishing event, has made TikTok a partner
for the first time.
Several creators and enthusiasts are also in
attendance.
“I mostly do (Tiktok) content about books, mostly
about novels, and I try to upload two videos a week,” TikTok user Sofia Reinbold,
who came to the fair after reading about it on the platform, told AFP.
The 17-year-old added she had received “feedback
from people who have bought books after watching my videos”.
For Sprinz, the #BookTok phenomenon is driven by the
fact that TikTok is a visual platform, allowing people to show how they feel
about a book.
And people being stuck at home during the
coronavirus pandemic may have accelerated the trend.
She also downplayed the suggestion there was somehow
a contradiction between spending more time on social media and trying to
promote literature, noting that people read in different ways nowadays,
including on e-books and smartphones.
But social media alone “cannot make a successful
book”, she said.
“TikTok and #BookTok are a kind of multiplier, and a
good opportunity to pass on recommendations for books.” But “there must be more
to it,” she said. “The book must of course be good.”
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