In Episode 162, Leigh Stein (author and journalist) joins me to jump into the world of BookTok, the bookish corner of TikTok. We talk about what early elements started this sensation, how creators and their content are different on this platform, and the main audience engaging with the app’s evolving algorithm. We also discuss the continuing gap in marketing and authentic social media content, and how we think publishers could address this issue. (Did we solve it?!) Plus, Leigh shares some great book recommendations!

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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Highlights

• Leigh kicks off our discussion by defining BookTok and tracing its rapid rise to phenomenon status.
• We talk about BookTok’s current and future trajectory.
• Leigh brings in some sales stats for the top BookTok authors.
• We talk about the way younger and younger readers are being drawn to the bookshelves.
• The appeal of BookTok versus Bookstagram as recommendation media versus social media.
• The percentage of Gen Z and Millennials that find their next book on BookTok.
• Addressing the bigger criticisms of TikTok.
• How the type of content on BookTok differs from the type of content on Bookstagram.
• The genres that perform the best on BookTok.
• We talk about the profound impact of BookTok on the publishing industry and how it’s reshaping traditional media coverage.
• The marketing risk of trying to find the balance between authenticity and effective promotion on BookTok.
• Leigh shares some awesome tips for authors trying to engage with the BookTok community.

Leigh’s Book Recommendations [39:59]

Two OLD Books She Loves

• Verity by Colleen Hoover | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:19]
• Vladimir by Julia May Jonas | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [41:51]
• Other Books Mentioned
  • It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover [40:36]
  • Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov [42:33]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• Y / N by Esther Yi | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:59]
• Big Swiss by Jen Beagin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:10]

One Book She DIDN’T Love

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:41]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

• Victim by Andrew Boryga (March 12, 2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:54]
• Other Books Mentioned
  • Yellowface by R. F. Kuang [50:09]
  • Self Care by Leigh Stein [50:45]

Last 5-Star Book Leigh Read

• Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:10]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller [4:49]
• The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan [5:02]
• Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh [21:54]
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin [23:26]
• Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner [23:36]
• Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry [23:54]
• A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers [24:50]
• City on Fire by Don Winslow [29:14]
• Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi [30:55]
• Emotional Labor by Rose Hackman [37:57]
• My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh [38:39]

Other Links

• LitHub | BookTok is Good, Actually: On the Undersung Joys of a Vast and Multifarious Platform by Leigh Stein
• YouTube | Simon & Schuster: How 2022’s Hottest Cover Was Created

About Leigh Stein

Website | Instagram | Substack | TikTok 

Leigh Stein is a writer interested in what the internet is doing to our identities, relationships, and politics. She is the author of five books, including the critically acclaimed satirical novel Self Care and the poetry collection What to Miss When. Her nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker online, and more. She was co-founder and executive director of Out of the Binders/BinderCon, a feminist literary nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the careers of women and gender variant writers.