TikTok's Book Club needs to find its audience

One month in, is the TikTok Book Club worth the hype?

Now one of the commanding forces in adult fiction, BookTok (the book community on TikTok) has helped authors sell 20 million printed books in 2021, according to NPD BookScan. So far this year, those sales are up another 50%.

Quick to profit from the growth of BookTok, last month TikTok launched a virtual space for the book community to discuss new titles together in the form of a club.

The first book to be discussed by the Book Club was Jane Austen’s Persuasion which from an outsider’s perspective may be an unusual choice when appealing to a predominantly teenage fanbase. However, like many classic authors on TikTok, Austen has a following on the app under the hashtag #AustenTok, with 20.8 million views. Austen was a safe choice to start with. However, it is refreshing to see that the Book Club is changing gear with September’s book: Bolu Babalola’s new release Honey and Spice. The club has quite rightly taken the opportunity to shine a spotlight on a lesser-known author; long may this continue.

One month in, there is clear potential for the Book Club to expand, yet it seems to be missing out on one fundamental: successfully attracting its audience

To attract BookTok’s predominantly Gen-Z demographic, five authors and influencers, titled "BookTok Laureates" have been tasked with leading the club. Through videos and end-of-month live events, the Laureates share their thoughts on the month’s title. This all sounds positive. However, BookTok creator Rachel Edmunds (@rachelsreadings), states: "I spend an insane amount of time on the BookTok side of TikTok, yet I think very few of my mutual creators have heard of this club".

The club is struggling to make itself visible against other BookTok videos. Edmunds states: "Searching for it on TikTok mostly yields results for hashtags of other book clubs that aren’t relevant." The last thing Gen-Z wants to be doing is trawling through irrelevant content. The club needs to adopt a user-friendly approach with stricter hashtag regulation.

Creators may also be hesitant to use the Book Club because until now they have led discussions on their own terms, building communities and founding their own book clubs. Edmunds continues: "I think viewers and creators were doing just fine on their own and all attempts I’ve seen in the last few years to create clubs have flopped". This Book Club, however, does not aim to remove the creative licences of creators; instead, it gives them a further platform to gain recognition. Once this has been realised, a community can be built.

If TikTok manages to attract a significant following, the Book Club’s prospects could be bright as TikTok strategist Louby Mcloughlin says: "The trend itself [BookTok] is so large and broad that I don’t think there is a risk that the club will detract from the authentic and organic charm of the phenomenon". She continues: "By harnessing and amplifying the infinite niches within publishing I think BookTok could expand into a myriad of ‘sub-clubs’ that further increase the size of the stage for authors and fans alike."

Given the breadth of BookTok’s audience, it is easy to observe the power the platform has over the book charts, perhaps now dwarfing book awards which have been on the decline this year. BookTok influencer Edmunds states: "Nowadays, it’s all about ‘hype’ and a lot of hype comes from social media". She continues: "I could tell you loads of books that are trending on BookTok, but I couldn’t tell you about many books that have won book awards". TikTok strategist Mcloughlin also notes the influence of the app, stating, "With a number of book awards closing down and given the budget that TikTok has it wouldn’t be surprising to

me if they perhaps stepped in to either fund current awards or more likely set up their own." The Book Club could be the first of many ventures into the book industry for TikTok.

Beyond creating communities on the app, the Book Club may help to encourage a much-needed revival of high street bookshops. Mcloughlin states: "It’s one example of many where the hive mind of TikTok’s billion users is starting to have a profound effect on different industries." The impact of BookTok is already reflected in the "rise in visits to book shops and it’s likely that the official book club will further amplify this trend at a crucial time for the struggling high street." Earlier this month, Waterstones took its first steps in setting up TikTok-related events with a BookTok Festival at its flagship shop in Piccadilly. Events like this may be bolstered by the Book Club which encourages young people into physical retail spaces.

One month in, there is clear potential for the Book Club to expand, yet it seems to be missing out on one fundamental: successfully attracting its audience. With improvements made to promotion, the club could have the influence to not only unite the book community but also provide opportunities for publishers and struggling bookshops. It just needs to make itself known.