BookTok

About

BookTok refers to an informal subcommunity of TikTok focused on recommending and discussing books, usually from contemporary authors, and usually in the young adult, fantasy, and romance genres. In some cases, this has led to dramatic sales of once little-known novels. The subcommunity has also seen a significant amount of controversy, as the romance side of BookTok has been accused of engaging in improper behavior and sexual harassment in some instances.

History

While there is not a fixed date on the formation of BookTok, several sources have traced its ascent into an established subculture to the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic. ^[1][2] TikToker and blogger CaitsBooks wrote they began seeing "BookTok" creators begin going viral in April of 2020, citing the accounts @ya.books, @abbysbooks, @ezeekat, and @entangledteen.^[3]

In 2021, The New York Times^[1] identified an August 8th, 2020 TikTok by @moongirlreads_ as the reason the novel The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller grew popular. The TikTok recommends it as a book that will make readers sob, and gained over 1.1 million likes in three years (shown below).

The growing popularity of BookTok led publishers to tailor the release of certain books to influencers on the platform in the hope of increasing sales.^[4] Bookstores also began featuring popular BookTok recommendations on shelves.^[5] Of note, Colleen Hoover has been cited as an example of an author who has become popular thanks in part to BookTok.

Online Presence

BookTok has grown immensely in the 2020s. As of December 2023, the #BookTok tag has over 200 billion views on the platform.^[6] However, in addition to the positive impacts BookTok has had on the publishing industry, it has also been the subject of myriad controversies, particularly stemming from romance novel fans in the subcommunity.

Seattle Kraken Controversy

Seattle Kraken BookTok Controversy refers to sexual harassment accusations levied at fans of romance novels on TikTok in mid-2023. They are accused of making sexual and predatory comments about players on the NHL's Seattle Kraken team, particularly forward Alex Wennberg, after hockey-themed romance novels became popularized on the app. Initially, the Kraken seemed to embrace the unusual attention their team was receiving, but after Wennberg's wife spoke out against it, they deleted videos engaging with "BookTok." This led some on the platform to complain that the team had pandered to them for clout, while one user, Kierra Lewis, has become the "face" of BookTok's backlash, as one of her comments was singled out by Wennberg's wife.

BikeTok Controversy

BookTok BikeTok Controversy refers to a TikTok trend where the "BookTok" and the BikeTok subcultures began to make videos about each other as far back as September 2023. In November 2023, the trend became embroiled in controversy after thousands of BookTokers flooded the comments of a 16-year-old bike enthusiast, with many of them giving him reading suggestions that were inappropriate for his age. The BookTok-BikeTok crossover then came to be discussed on X, with many people admonishing BookTokers for only reading smut, and for preying on unknowing minors.

Videos about BookTok and BikeTok escalated in November, with a notable instance being 16-year-old TikToker and biking enthusiast @jesze.bee being inundated by BookTok women, who began recommending smut to him after he showed off his collection of Young Adult novels on November 9th, gathering over 800,000 viewed and 90,000 likes (seen below, left).

On November 22nd, TikToker @grapiedeltaco posted a video recounting everything that led up to a 16-year-old boy being recommended erotic novels, admonishing "thousands" of "grown-ass" women for interacting with a minor in inappropriate ways. The video gathered over 300,000 plays and 70,000 likes in two weeks (seen below, right).

Search Interest

External References