Reading and Writing with BookTok

On Sunday morning at the Hilton Galleria 6, panel members Katharine E. Wibell, Jason Dorough, Emily Huffmann, and moderator Drew Baily discussed how TikTok has changed the publishing world and helped authors gain new audiences.

The rise of TikTok has changed the publishing industry and created a worldwide community for readers and writers. BookTok is a TikTok subculture where book lovers discuss the books they can’t stop talking about. On TikTok, #BookTok has over 61.9 billion views, with some individual videos reaching upwards of 100,000 likes, and helped authors sell 20 million printed books in 2021, according to BookScan. So far this year, those sales are up another 50 percent. NPD Books said that no other form of social media has ever had this kind of impact on sales.

Why is BookTok so popular? It offers a form of connection not just to another world through books, but it provides a platform where “you can pick up any book and still be able to connect with other people online as you’re reading it—so not only do you get to enjoy this book on your own, but you get to enjoy it with other like-minded people.”

The panelists all use BookTok and have had tremendous results gathering new followers and increasing sales.

Check out BookTok for your next addition to your TBR pile. It’s a great way to connect!

Author of the article

Award-winning author Amanda Faith may have been raised in Dayton, but her heart and home is in the South. With a lifelong love of teaching and writing, she had plenty of encouragement from teachers and friends along the way. Loving a good puzzle has always been a fascination, and writing gives her the outlet to put all the pieces together. Being adventurous and loving to try new things, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves in unusual situations. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how they interact, taking them on journeys they would never have normally experienced. Her current adventure working as a high school English professor turned Media Specialist, writing, and doing paranormal investigations doesn’t slow her down from having a great time with a plethora of hobbies. Her published credits include several short stories, poetry, several journal articles, her doctoral dissertation, and her award-winning book Strength of Spirit. With multiple degrees, she has a passion for learning and exploring new venues. She is a staff writer for The Daily Dragon at Dragon Con. Check out her new website (www.amandafaith.net) or on Instagram (@dramandafaith)