Aspiring readers are being led astray on social media apps—namely TikTok—when they are in search of a fun new read. Enter: BookTok. BookTok is a slice of the TikTok community that focuses on sharing book reviews and recommendations. While some believe that BookTok is a positive influence on readers and viewers, it actually has a negative impact on the consumers of the content and the publishing industry. 

During and following the COVID-19 pandemic, BookTok is a haven where bored home-goers could peruse the virtual library for their next read, eventually amassing over 200 billion views as of October 2024. 

The rise of “BookTok” has led to many viewers trusting the words of their favorite influencers and buying whatever titles spill from their scripted mouths. Mediocre books are therefore being pushed into the algorithm, and by extension, the bookstores. 

TikTok’s population of influencers who read, dubbing themselves “bookish” content creators—“bookish” being a word first used in the mid 1500’s to describe a person who is given to reading—has paved a way for what started out as a handful of book lovers who occasionally posted public videos about current reads. However, with the rise of these influencers’ popularity, there came an equally powerful torrent of books being pushed into the spotlight. 

The easy filming, editing and posting process of TikTok has given way to people being able to share their book reviews with little to no effort or videography experience. Because of this uncomplicated way to share opinions and recommendations, book reviews are pumped out at the speed of light. What this eventually led to, however, was the age old dilemma: quantity over quality. 

According to Julie Gray, a writer and developmental editor, “We had no idea what we were doing but figured #booktok could help us sell more copies… Today, we have almost half a million followers.” 

Her book’s main character, Gidon, became a TikTok sensation. “With a platform like ours, maybe now a literary agent would be interested in the book.” BookTok allowed Gray to push her book into the spotlight, securing her many more copies of her book than she could have imagined. 

A successful story about an underdog author making a breakthrough on social media is inspiring—but what about the books that seem cheap, lazy and vying for the attention of easily satisfied readers?

Bring in: tropes. Tropes can be simply defined as familiar archetypes, plot devices, or recurring themes used in many modern books. To some, they are cozy comforting, as their familiarity creates a sense of security in a new read. To others, they are lazy, trite and exhausted. 

According to Trisha Jehn Loehr, Author Accelerator certified book coach, “Overused tropes plopped into a story without something transforming or fresh leads to predictable stories.” When books use the same themes over and over again, readers tend to get bored, ascribing the tropes to “lazy writing.” Think about how many books or even movies you could conjure up just by hearing the popular theme “enemies to lovers” or “chosen one.” 

This is where BookTok has infiltrated the publishing industry. When one influencer latches onto a book, all of their followers will. When one trope-filled book becomes a TikTok sensation, more books get pumped full of more tropes. 

When authors realize that tropes and popular themes will kick their engagement into high gear, they lean on them more and more. Publishers see this with dollar signs in their eyes and make a beeline for the book, already predicting the profit from the work that is eerily similar to one they published a week ago. 

According to Audrey Bolin, journalist for Trill Mag, “Some people even believe authors are now just writing books for a cash grab. Some have even gone so far to say social media has turned the publishing industry into ‘fast fashion.’” 

The faster the author pumps out a book chock full of tropes, the quicker the numbers in their bank account go up. “Books without substantial plot and character development are taking the reins in the literary sphere.” Bolin said. 

What started out as a harmless community on TikTok has quickly become a leviathan of influence on the publishing industry. It may sound negligible, but mediocre, trope-filled, enemies-to-lovers, fated princess fantasy books taking the spotlight of fleshed out, meaningful, impactful works causes these stories to go unread and unheard. Despite its seemingly positive impact, BookTok has had a negative impact on aspiring readers and the publishing industry.