HarperVoyager launches publishing’s first TikTok creator house

HarperVoyager is launching publishing’s first TikTok creator house with eight top BookTok influencers in Hay-on-Wye this weekend.  

Creator houses are physical spaces where creators and influencers come together to collaborate and create content for social media. HarperVoyager will be partnering with digital influencer agency Rocket to organise its creator house, which it says will be the first influencer activity of its kind in publishing.  

Influencers attending the creator house will take part in special themed events over the weekend and will create content for the newly launched HarperVoyager TikTok channel. Saara El-Arifi, author of The Final Strife, will lead a quiz designed around her debut, while Juno Dawson, author of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, will host a tarot card reading.  

Natasha Bardon, publishing director at HarperVoyager, said: “HarperVoyager has always looked to lead the market and establish a community around its publishing. TikTok is an exciting opportunity to provide fresh access to our brilliant authors, deliver behind-the-scenes content and authentically appeal to a market-changing platform. The rise of platforms such as BookTok, AuthorTok and Bookstagram as a means to extend our reach and appeal to impassioned and creative new readers is incredibly exciting, particularly as we launch our new YA SFF imprint.” 

The new YA imprint, Magpie Books, will launch in 2023. It will be led by Bardon with editor Vicky Leech Mateos commissioning across both HarperVoyager and the new list. It will be based in the HarperFiction division and run by the HarperVoyager team as a parallel imprint. 

Georgia Henry, senior campaign manager at Rocket, added: “We’re thrilled to be working with HarperVoyager on the first ever BookTok creator house. As early innovators in BookTok we are always looking for the next exciting move. We find TikTok influencers, when used right, can cause an exponential growth in both sales and brand equity. Marrying this activity with the launch of HarperVoyager’s channel is a fresh approach for both the publisher and creators. We look forward to taking our relationship with this community to the next level.”