BookTok has passion—and enormous marketing power
Old-fashioned critics might not approve. But why should BookTok’s stars care?
A YOUNG WOMAN holds up a book and smiles. “This is day one of me reading ‘The Song of Achilles’,” she says. The video jumps forward. “And this”, she moans, her face stained with tears, “is me finishing it.” Another clip, entitled “Books that will make you SOB”, offers written notes on how assorted stories got readers to cry, such as “I can’t think about it without bawling” and “ended up crying sm [so much] i had to change my shirt”. This is BookTok, as the literary wing of the app TikTok is known. Imagine the emotional pitch of a Victorian melodrama, add music, and you have the general idea.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Word of mouth”
From the November 6th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Culture
History podcasts are booming
Why listening to stories about the past are a present pastime
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is revolting, but popular
The film has had the highest-grossing opening of an R-rated film
Slow down: longer races offer fans more than sprints do
Middle- and long-distance races have a drama that short ones cannot match
We enjoyed reading these books on holiday. You might, too
A selection of titles chosen by The Economist’s journalists
A moving memoir probes the contradictions of modern China
Edward Wong narrates his father’s journey from servant of the party to escapee
Few writers have seen America more clearly than James Baldwin
A century after his birth, Baldwin remains one of the country’s most important authors