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Ways on Joining The TikTok Book Club
From fandoms to forums, the advent of social media has launched a plethora of virtual spaces where users are free to share interests and interact with each other. The rise of trends such as BookTok has revolutionized the publishing industry, helping it to see revenue increases like never before. Acclaimed publishing house Simon & Schuster reported that the YA market has increased by almost half with this success being attributed to TikTok. Netinfluencer uncovers everything you need to know about the new TikTok Book Club and how you can access its content.
What Is the TikTok Book Club?
In July 2022, TikTok announced the launch of TikTok Book Club, a virtual and communal accompaniment to the growing trend seen on the platform. This new space is intended to bring book lovers closer together and offer them prompts to delve deeper into the literature that is discussed.
TikTok Book Club will also host its own hub within the app, using hashtags and announcements to draw new readers in. The club will highlight those who are using the hashtag and encourage a sense of healthy discussion within the comment section and beyond.
Alongside this content, the platform has announced the release of five BookTok Laureates. These are popular literary influencers who have made their mark by sharing their love of reading and fiction. At the end of every month, these individuals will host an extensive live stream where they will discuss the chosen book at length and receive reviews from other readers.
How to Access the Content
The TikTok Book Club is said to infiltrate all areas of the platform, making it a very versatile concept. Users can find the relevant content under the BookTok hashtag, offering a diverse array of influencers for them to discover.
There is also a unique hub that is home to a majority of the Laureates’ content. Here, you will see each influencer give a detailed account of the chosen book as well as offer nuanced criticism of the work described. These influencers are also partaking in viral trends that help give more information about the novels.
Audiences will also be asked to register for the monthly live streams. These are completely free to watch but require users to state their interest in the content so they can be notified when the stream begins. These streams can often be found in the hosts’ bio or in the BookTok Hub.
Which Books Will Be Discussed?
TikTok has not yet released a full schedule for the TikTok Book Club, instead, the chosen novels will be announced on a monthly basis. The first book is Jane Austen’s Persuasion, which was originally published in 1817.
BookTok has also led to an increased interest in 19th-century literature, creating the popular #AustenTok, which has accumulated around 16.2 million views. Persuasion was recently adapted for Netflix with a stunning cast such as Dakota Johnson and Cosmo Jarvis. As such, the combination of streaming services and social media has given this archaic novel a new lease on life.
Audiences will have about four weeks to read each book with an assortment of content being released onto the BookTok Hub every week.
BookTok Laureates
Li.reading
Alicia, better known as Li.reading is one of five BookTok Laureates. Like other people with this award, she has been recognized for her achievements in literature, particularly educating her fan base of 102.8K followers. This influencer showcases various hauls of her most recent book purchases, allowing her audience to gain inspiration from her growing library. As part of the TikTok Book Club, Li.reading has been sharing her honest annotations of Persuasion, highlighting her true feelings towards the novel as she reads it. Alicia is also active on The StoryGraph, a platform that allows readers to share their top-rated pieces as well as their future reading goals.
@li.reading And you can watch me attempt to read these page-long sentences aloud on sunday. #BookClub#booktok#books#bookclub#persuasion#janeausten#austentok#annotations#annotatingbooks#classics#lireading ♬ original sound – Alicia (Li)🌙
Jack Edwards
Charmingly known as TikTok’s resident librarian, Jack Edwards has been a key staple of BookTok since the beginning. Edwards often indulges in popular trends and sounds on the app to give his opinion on a range of books in a quirky and entertaining way. He is also sharing his favorite quotes from this month’s novel with his 296.4K followers to emphasize that Austen’s work is still relevant to modern-day readers. This influencer also creates long-form content for YouTube, consistently offering constructive criticism of the world’s most iconic books for his 1.06 million subscribers.
@jack_edwards I hope it doesn’t require much Persuasion to get you to join the #TikTokBookClub !!!! the first book we’re reading is this Jane Austen classic!! #austentok #booktok ♬ original sound – MARLEE😈
Sarel Madzebra
With her enthusiastic personality and vivacious antics, Sarel Madzebra offers digestible book reviews for her 701.7K followers. She gives an honest opinion on Persuasion, detailing its strengths and weaknesses throughout. Madzebra also performs live book readings for her audience, mimicking voices and putting her own twist on each book. This influencer is also known for her hilarious Love Island debriefs, giving an energetic account of all of the must-see moments on the show. She also creates content for Instagram where she shares her appearance at premieres and other professional milestones.
@cocosarel Mini book review! How far along are you in persuasion? Join me in my live book reading (I’ll even do every character voice!) #booktok #cocosarel #persuasion #janeausten #austentok #letsread ♬ original sound – Sarel Madzebra
Ben Mercer
Ben Mercer is an acclaimed author best known for his titles Fringes and Our Race. Aside from being a popular writer, Mercer was once a professional rugby player, sharing his memories in many of his works. On TikTok, this influencer shares a variety of BookTok content including live readings, book reviews, as well as his professional life in the field. His thoughts on Persuasion are documented throughout his content, sharing how his native city of Bath is expressed throughout the novel. Mercer often engages with his 54K followers by answering their questions and dueting their content, creating a sense of community on his platform.
@bcemercer how are you finding Persuasion so far? #booktok #tiktokbookclub #janeausten #persuasion #austentok #books #bathuk #cityofbath ♬ Quietly Yours – Birdy
Eden Reid
Eden Reid produces an assortment of BookTok content, sharing her thoughts on a variety of novels until she reaches her goal of 100 books. She has offered commentary on The Chase by Elle Kennedy as well as Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover, providing key insight into both plot and character development. Her work in the TikTok Book Club has led her to create live readings of the novel and give her thoughts on the developments within the contemporary romance genre. Alongside having 98K followers on TikTok, Reid also shares annotations of her novels on Instagram where she has an additional 1586 followers.
@edenvictorria Reply to @kamerynreads #uglylove #collenhoover #bookreview #booktok ♬ original sound – Eden Reid
The TikTok Book Club highlights the platform’s shift into better community-building practices. The combination of an influencer’s content with their audience’s opinions indicates that content creators are able to see great success and profitable opportunities within their respective niches. To learn more about building a consistent audience on social media, visit our website.
