How TikTok is Fueling a New Chapter for Printed Books

Some of you might already be familiar with "#BookTok." For those of you who aren't, BookTok is a trend on TikTok where book influencers share reviews of books, countdown lists, blind date with a book unwrapping videos, and more. Essentially, it's anything and everything dedicated to the love of books. It usually features the influencer in front of an impressively full bookshelf (or shelves), sometimes color-coded and always illustrative of their love and admiration for the printed pastime.

I am an avid consumer of BookTok content. I trust certain influencers. And others ... not so much. For the influencers I trust, I have gone to my local bookstore just to buy a book because they gave a glowing review.

And I'm not alone. There are legions of "Bookfluencers" on the platform. 

In fact, BookTok is so popular and influential that TikTok is now capitalizing on it.

One of my personal favorite BookTok accounts is creator @booksaresick, who only began reading during the pandemic years and has quickly amassed nearly 230,000 followers.

Moving Into Print

The New York Times recently reported that after BookTok's success, TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, began publishing digital books last year through its imprint, 8th Note Press.

Now, the imprint has partnered with New York City-based independent publishing company Zando to publish printed novels in a variety of genres, to be available on shelves in retail stores in 2025. One of the driving factors in its decision to move to print is the apparent desire to have a physical book in hand when talking about it on social media.

The article notes:

The new joint imprint plans to release 10 to 15 books a year, with the first titles arriving in early 2025. It will focus on genres that have proven popular with millennial and Gen Z readers — mostly romance, romantasy and young adult fiction.

The article continues by explaining that 8th Note will try to acquire books that align with the "trends and conversations" happening online.

So, does that mean the imprint will utilize the popular social media platform to market its books? It seems so. It will tap into the power of influencer outreach as part of its "extensive online marketing plans" as mentioned by the New York Times.

Beyond TikTok

I find it incredibly interesting that TikTok is investing in printed products. Just six years ago, Axios (among other news channels) reported that Barnes & Noble had "fallen" to Amazon. It cited that the company was not only consolidating its stores but was also considering selling itself.

Skip to 2024, and it was announced that Barnes & Noble would open 58 stores this year alone — the most openings in a single year since at least 2009, Fast Company reported.

One of the reasons for the brick-and-mortar bookstore's resurgence, according to the article? BookTok.

I have seen it in person. I frequent Barnes & Noble and local bookstores, and the amount of young people I see perusing the shelves blows me away. I haven't done my own research to ask if they've been personally influenced by social media, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

I'm interested to see where this trend goes and if more digital-only brands move into print (such as The Onion, which relaunched a monthly printed edition after more than a decade as a digital-only brand).