The online book community and its influence on the publishing industry

Posted on

05/05/2024

Sammy

Abstract

This paper analyses the online book community through social media platforms TikTok and Instagram including how people are brought together and what determines a sense of belonging. We will also look at the influence of the online book community on the publishing industry – how sales, book design and promotion, have been impacted. Several authors and books as well as recorded results from publishing houses are provided as examples to further support the changes seen in the publishing industry in recent years.

Introduction

Madeleine Miller’s epic Iliad love story “The Song of Achilles” had an initial print run in 2012 of 20,000 copies but then ten years later in 2022, sold 2 million copies (Harris, 2022). In 2022, six of the top ten places for the NPD BookScan bestseller list (print) were taken by Colleen Hoover with her book “It Ends With Us” selling over 1 million copies in Britain alone despite the book originally being published in 2016 (Coleman, 2022; The Economist, 2023). But why the sudden increase in sales of these two back-catalogued romance novels? The online book community have widely been attributed to this influence on sales with their activities on BookTok and Bookstagram (The Economist, 2023; Harris, 2022; Kaplan, 2022). These are just two example titles out of many that have been influenced by this online community (Coleman, 2022; Kaplan, 2022).

This paper is going to determine what is the online book community, how TikTok and Instagram are used by the book community, and the influence the book community has had on the publishing industry.

Defining community

Bruckman (2022, pp. 10-12) begins describing community as “a category of associations of groups of people” but further dissects this to suggest communities consist of members who provide connection and emotional support to each other. Berry and Linder (2022, p. 1) define community as a space where members have a “feeling of membership” and belonging whether that be physically (“in real life”) or virtually (online), while Hampton (2016, p. 107) describes community as a space where members physically venture and interact. Elaborating on this “feeling of membership” as outlined by Berry and Linder (2022, p. 1), four specific feelings are attributed to being felt for a sense of belonging within a community including; “membership, influence, fulfilment of needs and shared emotional connection” (McMillan & Chavis as cited by Berry & Linder, 2022, pp. 1-4).

On a surface level, we can examine the four aforementioned feelings of belonging against social media accounts that appear to be a part of the book community (McMillan & Chavis as cited by Berry & Linder, 2022, pp. 1-4). The Instagram account @whatsdesreading shows the bookish musings of Destiny Sidwell who describes herself as “just a girl who buys too many books… reading IS my hobby!… where i talk endlessly about books some more” (Sidwell, 2024). This bio alone gives the impression to someone viewing this profile that Sidwell likes to read and talk about books, leading to the assumption that Sidwell feels a sense of belonging and membership within a community with fellow readers and book lovers (perhaps including but not limited to Sidwell’s 116 000 Instagram followers) (McMillan & Chavis as cited by Berry & Linder, 2022, pp. 1-4). In a post from the 25^th of September 2023, Sidwell shows her aesthetically tabbed copies of the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” (ACOTAR) series by Sarah J. Maas (Sidwell, 2024). Comments from viewers include “taking this as my sign to finally start reading this series” (@evelynnanth__), “I’m waiting for this YouTube video like my life depends on it” (@manuseaofbooks), and “I just finished reading ACOSF [A Court of Silver Flames] and omg i can’t wait!!! i already want to reread the series” (@ericka97), are just a small selection of excited responses to this post showing the influence and impact of Sidwell’s posts on other members of the community (McMillan & Chavis as cited by Berry & Linder, 2022, pp. 1-4). It could also be argued that these and many of the other 83 comments on this post portray a fulfilment of needs and a shared emotional connection not only for viewers of the content but for Sidwell too (McMillan & Chavis as cited by Berry & Linder, 2022, pp. 1-4). Where the shared fulfilment could be linked to reading or rereading this series and the shared emotional connection could either be to the content within the ACOTAR series or the excitement for Sidwell’s extended content on YouTube regarding this book series (McMillan & Chavis as cited by Berry & Linder, 2022, pp. 1-4).

For previous generations, if you wanted to talk to a group of fellow readers with similar reading tastes you would join a book club where participants would read and gather each month to discuss a mutually agreed upon book. That’s if you knew of any keen fellow readers, otherwise, you would join your local library’s book club where you obviously needed to like Literary Fiction because they would be the only books that would be read and discussed. The old book club created a sense of belonging if you were a particular kind of reader but what if you wanted to read romance (and not just heterosexual romance), fantasy, middlegrade or horror novels? Also, if you were under the age of twenty, reading was not considered “cool”, so you definitely weren’t talking to anyone about books. Now enter the online book community, connecting readers all around the world with varying reading tastes to find their fellow readers (Wiederhold, 2022, p. 157). The online book community spans social media platforms TikTok and Instagram (among others) with BookTok and Bookstagram being two of their respective sub-communities.

BookTok

Content shared on TikTok are typically videos varying from 15 seconds to 3 minutes with those shared as a part of the BookTok community having a focus on books and reading, while occasionally using hyperbolic titles or subject matter to catch viewers’ attention (Wiederhold, 2022, p. 157). Book reviews on BookTok differ from your stereotypical analytical book review and typically focus on the emotional havoc (or otherwise) the book or author caused (Wiederhold, 2022, p. 157). In @georgialovestoread’s TikTok captioned “Books to make you cry” upon playing asks the viewer if they “want books that will make you cry so violently that you’ll become a puddle on the floor” and proceeds to provide three emotionally charged book recommendations including One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan, and Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren. This TikTok alone currently has 184 comments from other fellow online book community members either acknowledging they would like to add these books to their TBR (to be read) piles, others agreeing or disagreeing with the three mentioned books and others offering up their own suggestions aligning with the theme. It is interesting to note that one of the books (Archer’s Voice) appears on Dymocks’ Bestseller webpage (Dymocks, n.d.-a). It is also interesting to note that Dymocks also has a whole portion on their website dedicated to the “Biggest Books on BookTok” where viewers can find recommendations based on certain tropes (another style of book recommendation-based TikTok content) followed by genres and other categories (Dymocks, n.d.-b). Categorising books as seen on BookTok is not limited to online spaces, with bookstores having stickers labelling or even whole tables showcasing popular books on BookTok (Jessica Maddox & Gill, 2023).

Bookstagram

Bookstagram is considered to be BookTok’s more “aesthetic cousin” with content posted including book flat lays, selfies with a book/s, bookshelves (#shelfies) or book settings and landscapes Australia Business News, n.d.; Jessica Maddox & Gill, 2023). Content posted typically follows a creator’s specific aesthetic where if you visit the creator’s profile you may notice a theme in colours and style of content (Jessica Maddox & Gill, 2023; Thomas, 2021, pp. 2-3). Thomas (2021) goes as far as to comment that photos posted on Bookstagram evoke “the sensual”. An example of this aesthetically themed feed can be viewed on @laurasreadingtime where the photos featured have all been darkened and given a sepia, chocolate filter to give a “dark academia” aesthetic (Laura, 2024). Any text written directly on the post is in a font to look as though a typewriter was used, continuing the academia theme. Similar community commentary can be found in the individual Bookstagram post comments to those mentioned earlier with BookTok content – those adding to their TBR, those recommending to the creator, those commenting on their like or dislike for the shared book or book-related content and then with others commenting on the aesthetic look of the photo is also common on Bookstagram.

Effects on the publishing industry

It would be naïve to assume that this attention and hype around books would have little to no effect on the publishing industry (Wiederhold, 2022, p. 158). Book covers, for example, are an area that publishers are looking to social media for trends noting that “prettier” and more “aesthetic” covers are being shared – there is a trend on BookTok and Bookstagram showcasing beautiful books (Australia Business News, n.d.).

You can already see how this has been impacted in real life with romance books. Previously, romance books would have a cover with some stereotypical, aesthetically pleasing male dressed in very little, maybe a damsel in distress hanging from his arms, or the classic couple sitting on a faded beach shot. Today, the trend for romance novels is slightly less cringe, and instead of featuring real people are now illustrated. An example of this is Ali Hazelwood’s (2021) “The Love Hypothesis”. Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren (Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) (2018) was originally published with an orange cover having ripped paper backdropping the words of the title. In 2023, the book was republished featuring a bright illustrated cover that fits in better with this trend that similar romance novels have adopted.

Book ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy) is another way the publishing industry is trying to work with the hype of social media, where they send popular creators books before their official release date (Australia Business News, n.d.; Wiederhold, 2022, p. 158). Depending on their agreement, the creator can then share with their viewers the book with the hopes of contributing to the hype surrounding the release (Wiederhold, 2022, p. 158).

Sarah J. Maas (as well as the aforementioned Madeleine Miller and Colleen Hoover) is another of the many authors who have benefitted from their books being discussed on social media. Fans of Sarah J. Maas’ books are a sub-community in themselves with the #acotar hashtag relating to her “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series, having over 8.5 billion views on TikTok alone (McCluskey, 2024). Maas’ body of work reportedly had a 79% increase in sales within the first half of 2023, with some of these books being originally published as early as 2012 (McCluskey, 2024). The ACOTAR series is also being developed into a television show with Hulu (McCluskey, 2024). Bloomsbury published all three of Maas’ popular series and has noticed increased sales across the board reportedly recording a rise in profits of 220% compared to previous years (Wiederhold, 2022, p. 158). Bloomsbury Chief Executive Nigel Newton told The Guardian “Her books have a huge audience which continue to grow, backed by major Bloomsbury promotional campaigns… particularly through TikTok and Instagram channels” highlighting the value that just one publishing house places on the online book community (Simpson, 2024).

Conclusion

Berry and Linder (2022) define community to be a space where members have a feeling of belonging and consider “membership, influence, fulfilment of needs and shared emotional connection” to be four specific feelings contributing to members having a sense of belonging. This sense of belonging can be felt in a physical community or an online community such as the online book community on TikTok (BookTok) and Instagram (Bookstagram) (among others) as explored in this paper. Through examples provided we can see evidence of members feeling these four aforementioned feelings of belonging through sharing book-related content, commenting on book-related content where discussion with the creator is encouraged, and generating excitement for titles based on emotion, topics covered or aesthetics (Berry & Linder, 2022; Australia Business News, n.d.). The online book community while giving a sense of belonging to its members is also impacting and contributing to developments in the publishing industry including an increase in book sales, reinvigorating cover design and creating opportunities for creators to receive Advanced Reader Copies (Australia Business News, n.d.; Wiederhold, 2022). The book community has changed from the library book club of days past, and it will be interesting as technology and social media continue to advance how the book community will adapt in the future.

References

Berry, S., & Linder, K. E. (2022). Creating Inclusive Online Communities : Practices That Support and Engage Diverse Students (1st ed.). Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Bruckman, A. S. (2022). Should You Believe Wikipedia? : Online Communities and the Construction of Knowledge. Cambridge University Press.

Coleman, T. (2022). #BookTok: Is TikTok changing the publishing industry? The Week US. https://theweek.com/feature/briefing/1018899/booktok-is-tiktok-changing-the-publishing-industry

Dymocks. (n.d.-a). Bestsellers. https://www.dymocks.com.au/books/recommend-bestsellers/page-3/?npp=96

Dymocks. (n.d.-b). The Biggest Books on BookTok.

Georgia. (2024). georgialovestoread. https://www.tiktok.com/@georgialovestoread

Hampton, K. N. (2016). Persistent and pervasive community: new communication technologies and the future of community. American Behavioral Scientish, 60(1), 101-124.

Harris, E. A. (2022). How TikTok Became a Best-Seller Machine. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/01/books/tiktok-books-booktok.html

Hazelwood, A. (2021). The Love Hypothesis. Berkley Books.

How Instagram is changing the book marketing game. (n.d.). Australia Business News. https://australiabusinessnews.com.au/instagram-changing-book-marketing-game

Jessica Maddox, & Gill, F. (2023). Assembling “Sides” of TikTok: Examining Community, Culture, and Interface through a BookTok Case Study. Social Meida + Society, 1-12.

Kaplan, A. (2022). How TikTok Helped Fuel The Best-Selling Year For Print Books. Forbes.https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/01/28/how-tiktok-helped-fuel-the-best-selling-year-for-print-books/?sh=576d1d367c3a

Laura. (2024). laurasreadingtime. https://www.instagram.com/laurasreadingtime/

Lauren, C. (2018). Love and Other Words. Gallery Books.

McCluskey, M. (2024). How Sarah J. Maas Built a Sprawling Fantasy Multiverse. TIME Magazine. https://time.com/6590247/sarah-j-maas-interview-house-of-flame-and-shadow/

Sidwell, D. (2024). whatsdesreading. https://www.instagram.com/whatsdesreading/

Simpson, J. (2024). TikTokers help drive Sarah J Maas ‘romantasy’ boom for Bloomsbury. The Guardian.

Thomas, B. (2021). The #bookstagram: distributed reading in the social media age. Language sciences (Oxford), 84, 101358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2021.101358

TikTok is changing the way books are recommended and sold. (2023). The Economist. https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/09/21/tiktok-is-changing-the-way-books-are-recommended-and-sold

Wiederhold, B. K. (2022). BookTok Made Me Do It: The Evolution of Reading. Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking, 25(3).

Communities and Social Media

#BookTok, #Communities, #OnlineCommunities, #SMCN2024, #Socialmedia, #TikTok, bookpublishing, bookstagram, Instagram

Comments

26 responses to “The online book community and its influence on the publishing industry”

Samantha Hearn

06/05/2024

Hi Sammy,

As someone studying professional writing and publishing, I was very interested in your paper!

I really liked your perspective on community and your definition made me think about how I view my own ‘community’ presence within online book spaces. It’s so exciting to complete a book and then see a Bookstagram or BookTok post agreeing that they ‘also loved the book’ you just read. But it’s also interesting to read the comments and see the agreeance and dislike from other readers too. These communities aid as a reminder that reading, and its genres are subjective and that it’s okay to like or dislike a loved book/series.

As for the publishing world, I agree that reading communities have played a very impactful role. How do you feel about big fan-based books being adapted for film or TV due to their popularity online? I guess the true question is book or movie?

Thankyou for providing some wonderful insight in this topic!
If you have the time, I have also attached my paper below. It’s very similar to your topic (more Booktok specific) and I’d love your insight.
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/csm/3603/has-tiktoks-booktok-become-an-impactful-tool-in-connecting-gen-z-with-a-passion-for-reading/

Thankyou in advance,
Samantha

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1. Sammy
  
  06/05/2024
  
  Hi Samantha,
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to read and provide feedback on my paper, I really appreciate it!
  
  Absolutely! I feel so lost once I finish a book / series and just don’t know how to continue life without the characters around me so it is great to be able to jump on to Bookstagram / BookTok / BookTube and immerse in that world again! Do you feel the same?
  
  Well as someone who works in a library I feel have a role in society to say that the “book is always better” (which often it is), but I do also have a soft spot for many of the adaptations, it allows the immersion in the world to continue! I must admit every year or so I do a Twilight, Hunger Games and Divergent rewatch but can’t imagine doing a reread of any of these anytime soon – due to time as opposed to enjoyment or lack thereof the literature itself! How about yourself – book or movie, or actually even TV show these days?
  
  I’d love to check out your paper!
  
  Thanks again,
  Sammy
  
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  1. Samantha Hearn
    
    07/05/2024
    
    Hi Sammy,
    
    I completely agree feeling lost after reading such a good book or series! And same, love it when the book communities come to the rescue.
    
    What a wonderful idea in having a yearly book-adaption rewatch – I agree, as much as I love to read, sometimes being able to watch the film or the TV series is just as enjoyable. I’m also a ‘book is better’ fan, but can be swayed if the adaption does the book justice!
    
    Thankyou for checking out my paper, I appreciate it!
    All the best,
    Samantha
    
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    1. Samantha Hearn
      
      07/05/2024
      
      Oh, I forgot to ask – any adaptions you’ve absolutely loved or hated!?
      
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      1. Sammy
        
        08/05/2024
        
        Hi Samantha!
        
        Oooh do you have any favourite adaptations?
        
        I must admit it depends whether I am in a more dystopian/fantasy mood or period-piece mood! In the last couple of weeks I watched Netflix’s take on Jane Austen’s Persuasion which I really enjoyed! However, I know many a Jane Austen fan (some may say purists) did not enjoy the adaptation so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I just actually watched the latest Percy Jackson adaptation on Disney+ and loved that too! I feel like a Divergent rewatch may be on the horizon – I have never consumed this much television but I am on maternity leave at the moment so there is always something on!
        
        I’d love to hear any of your favourites!
        
        Lovely chatting to you,
        Sammy
      2. Samantha Hearn
        
        10/05/2024
        
        Hi Sammy,
        
        Hmmm… I enjoyed the ‘Me Before You’ adaption and the first and third movie adaptions of ‘The Maze Runner’ trilogy (very much disliked the second movie) – otherwise I must say I’ve gone blank!
        
        Love that you’ve got some time on your hand for movie/TV watching – getting to scout out some good/bad adaptions. I think it’s tough as the books will always be ‘right’ and more detailed, so when it gets transformed into film and TV readers have a high expectations.
        
        I’ve heard about the new Percy Jackson, I haven’t read the books but the show looks good – will add it to the list.
        Enjoy maternity leave!
        
        Kindest regards,
        Samantha
El Ashcroft

07/05/2024

Hi Sammy

Interesting read, I’ve never heard of BookTok or Bookstagram.

It is clear from your paper that these two communities are influencing the publishing industry. They have clearly influenced the visual aspect of books, do you think that eventually they might end up having an effect on the content of books?

It is interesting that bookstores such as Dymocks highlight the books loved by these communities in their stores. It shows that they have reach beyond just the publishing industry.

Do you think it will eventually get to the stage where authors might approach these communities directly rather than go down the traditional “getting a publisher” route?

Out of interest, do the communities only discuss hard copy books or do they also discuss eBooks?

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1. Sammy
  
  08/05/2024
  
  Hi El
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment, I really appreciate it! In terms of influencing the content in books, that is a really interesting question – it wouldn’t surprise me if that is already happening. These days authors are able to get pretty instantaneous feedback from readers directly but they can also see through social media what is trending so and could leverage that. I know some authors have started incorporating a lot of pop culture in to their books for example some authors will include a Taylor Swift playlist of songs they recommend that go hand in hand with the content of the book.
  
  I don’t know why I didn’t think to discuss this in my paper but Amazon makes it really for authors to publish without going through a traditional publisher – it is called Kindle Direct Publishing. An author just uploads their manuscript to the portal and after a handful of questions can churn out a paperback, hardback or eBook (or all three). I don’t know how this affects whether they can / can’t go with a traditional publisher later on down the track.
  
  Hard copies are popular because the community can talk about the pretty (or not) cover – this is popular on Instagram in particular. When you branch out though particularly on Youtube (BookTube) eBooks get lots of love! So do Audiobooks. There is this whole realm of Kindle / eReader related content too.
  
  I hope that was helpful!
  
  Do you have a preference to eBooks or hard copies?
  
  Thank you so much,
  Sammy
  
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Audrey Singleton-Howe

07/05/2024

Hi Sammi,

Thank you for sharing your paper! I found it incredibly informative, especially your discussion of Bookstagram. As it is the one book platform I’m less familiar with, so it was interesting to learn more about its role within the online book community.

I couldn’t help but laugh at your comment about the stereotypical romance book covers, but it’s fascinating to see how trends in cover design have evolved over time.

Your point about the shift towards illustrated covers in romance novels is interesting. While these covers may be less cringe-inducing, I’ve heard some concerns about their potential impact, particularly on younger readers. With their playful designs, these covers often attract young girls who assume the books are YA, when really many of these books contain explicit themes that may not be appropriate for their age.

Have you come across any discussions within the community about this issue, and do you think publishers should consider this when designing covers?

Thanks!
Audrey

I have attached my paper below if you get the chance, it is also on book-based online communities. I’d love to hear your thoughts
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/csm/3878/the-power-of-booktok-and-booktube-in-cultivating-community/

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1. Sammy
  
  08/05/2024
  
  Hi Audrey!
  
  I have actually been meaning to read and comment on your paper, so thank you so much for sharing it here too!
  
  That is a really interesting thing to consider and must admit I never thought of that. I actually work in a library at a girls school so I feel like that should have crossed my mind. From what I have witnessed at school, I haven’t yet noticed an increase in students requesting books with the illustrated covers – they are still favouring anything by Colleen Hoover, but I must admit it hasn’t been something I have thought to look out for.
  
  I didn’t see this commented on in any of my readings and I don’t actually know where I sit on this to be honest. Perhaps if this style of cover design were to continue they may need to include specific content warnings. I need to ponder this a little bit more I think!
  
  Do you have any thoughts on this? I’d love to hear them if you do!
  
  Thanks,
  Sammy
  
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  1. Audrey Singleton-Howe
    
    09/05/2024
    
    Hey Sammy,
    
    Thanks so much for your response! I really appreciate your perspective, particularly your insight regarding students’ reading preferences, considering your position at a library.
    
    Most of the discussions I see expressing concern about these covers is on TikTok, with one prominent example being the book Icebreaker by Hannah Grace.
    
    This is a link to a TikTok that showcases this (I also recommend looking through a handful of the comments as many of them also pinpoint this an issue with book cover):
    https://www.tiktok.com/@theunmotivatedreader/video/7330010403839167774?_r=1&_t=8mCEP95ccwj
    
    I’ve noticed that while some books include content warnings, there doesn’t seem to be a universal ‘explicit content’ warning for books, unlike in music where such warnings are clearly identifiable. My opinion is that it would be beneficial to introduce some sort of symbol or label, perhaps located on the back cover, to clearly indicate the content of a book.
    
    I would love to hear any additional thoughts you have, particularly in relation to the video I attached.
    
    Thank you!
    Audrey
    
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    1. Sammy
      
      09/05/2024
      
      Hi Audrey,
      
      Oh, that is really interesting! Thank you so much for sharing that TikTok. I definitely think parents should show interest and have some idea of what their children are reading. From what I have seen through my work, I don’t believe the cover is solely attributed to children wanting to read these books though and think the popularity on social media is a huge proponent – I remember a few years some of our year 6 students reading Girl on the Train and Woman in the Window when they were popular. Last year another year 6 student asked me for Red, White and Royal Blue, Heartstopper, and Good Girls Guide to Murder. Actually a lot of the year 6 students were interested in Alison Osman’s books which I assume is due to her writing about more diverse relationships and content. I know this is a tiny pool of evidence but I just thought it an interesting insight to show that I think popularity on social media had a little bit more of an impact opposed to cover design. In the TikTok I can completely appreciate how Icebreaker looks cutesy and unassuming.
      
      This I need to ponder further but I have also been told by my Library Mentor that when a child is reading they bring to that reading their context of the outside world so if they don’t have context of particular content they are more likely to still not understand it and skim passed it whereas if a child has been exposed to similar content (perhaps film) they are more likely to understand what they are reading about. I would need to do further reading on that though because I am not sure if I am 100% convinced of that.
      
      All that being said, I completely agree with the TikTok suggesting that parents need to be involved with their child’s reading – they totally do! There is so much research that shows a wealth of benefits for this including building stronger relationships between parent and child. For example that 10 year old reading Icebreaker, if they had an understanding or partial understanding of the explicit content included then that is a really good discussion area for the parent to discuss with them in a judgement free space. I should say I haven’t read Icebreaker so I have no idea what the content is.
      
      Sorry I am so passionate about children reading I went on a bit of a tangent.
      
      I think a symbol of some sort is a great idea and also somewhere inside of specific content / trigger warnings would be essential. I think potentially some Dark Romance novels do list the trigger warnings… possibly? Would be a good standard to set.
      
      This has been a great chat, thank you so much!
      
      Speak to you soon,
      Sammy
      
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Magdalena Stefanoska

07/05/2024

– Hi Sammy

I found this very interesting to read and gain more information on as I’ve heard a little bit about BookTok and Bookstagram. Many people have shown interest into this publishing industry.

My interest also revolves around how does the online book community compare to its traditional book clubs when it comes down to the reading preferences? Which genres or certain populations are underrepresented in the online book community?

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1. Sammy
  
  08/05/2024
  
  Hi Magdalena
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to read my paper!
  
  I suppose I can only compare to the Book Club I went to, and from I have heard from others where Literary Fiction was the main type of book read at the time whereas I preferred Fantasy or Middlegrade books, so I was a little lost there.
  I think I have seen evidence of a vast array of genres represented across the online book community with Contemporary Romance, Fantasy and Classics sub-communities being more popular. I think slowly creators are trying to feature a more diverse range of authors and illustrators with some definitely being more consistent than others. I follow a lot of Australian Middlegrade authors, publishers, book reviewers, etc. and I have seen a lot of accounts consistently highlighting the marvellous works of First Nations authors and illustrators.
  
  I hope that helps,
  Sammy
  
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Haoyu Wang

07/05/2024

Hello, Sammy,
I love the examples you use in your article, such as the revival of Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles and Colleen Hoover’s work, that illustrate the tangible impact social media can have on book sales. In addition, the exploration of how to foster emotional connection and a sense of belonging online provides valuable insights into the psychological and community aspects of BookTok and Bookstagram. Given the rapid evolution of social media trends, how will the online book community adapt or transform over the next decade to maintain its impact on the publishing industry and literary culture?
In addition, I wrote an article about social media promoting cultural diversity, if you are interested, you are welcome to read it and leave a comment.
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/onsc/3418/social-media-and…ltural-diversity/

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1. Sammy
  
  08/05/2024
  
  Hi Haoyu!
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to give me some feedback, I really appreciate it!
  
  I think while there are so many different book related content creators, a lot of the content you see is a lot of the same sort of stuff – same authors, same books just being cycled around – which is wonderful for these authors but what about all the other marvellous authors out there yet to be discovered and promoted. I think there needs to be a focus on sharing a diverse range of authors – 6 of the top 10 spots on the New York Times Bestseller right now are held by Caucasian Women. This is definitely something to be celebrated but we can also see that there is room for different voices too.
  
  Thank you so much for sharing I will do my best to check out your paper too!
  
  Thank you,
  Sammy
  
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Faisal Al Zubaidi

08/05/2024

Hi Sammy,

It’s pretty interesting to see how the introduction of social media and its community building potential revolutionised book communities. It almost seems like many people loved books back before social media but were too afraid to speak about it in fears of being uncool and lame. At times, social media can truly be a life changing instrument which has the power to combat naivety and ignorance. Do you think that cancel culture applies within Booktok and Bookstagram or is every book taken with a grain of salt?

If you have any free time, please check out my paper! It’s about the negative psychological effects of social media overuse on Gen Zs. The link is https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/csm/3447/social-media-the-subtle-pandemic/

Thank you!

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1. Sammy
  
  09/05/2024
  
  Hi Faisal,
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my paper and providing feedback, I really appreciate it! If I have some spare time I will do my best to check out your paper too!
  
  While I think cancel culture may have been too strong a term, I do believe the online book community in the past has been very persuasive in deeming when a book or series is no longer “it”. For example Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight went through a harsh phase (mores on Booktube) where everyone was unkind and it was almost cool to dislike the series. Sometimes I think online content creators user hyperbolic language to create click-bait-y content and this was perhaps an example of that. From what I have noticed at least across the online book community accounts that I follow, there is more space for content creators to honestly share what they love despite others considering it “cringeworthy”.
  
  Now that I think about it a bit deeper J. K. Rowling is probably someone who has come considerably close to being cancelled but not just by the book community. I think for a lot of people this also brings about the question can you separate the art from the artist?
  
  Thanks so much for the question, it was really interesting to unpack that (at least in my head) a little!
  
  Take care,
  Sammy
  
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Jessiedyer

09/05/2024

Hi Sammy!

As a fellow reader, I really enjoyed your article and the interesting perspectives you have about the online communities and how it creates a sense of belonging amongst readers! I personally Use booktok as a means of further dissecting a book once I’ve finished it, and I’ve always felt it’s a safe space for to me go! I wrote an article with the similar perspective of online communities through apps like Instagram, I’d love if you checked it out!

https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/onsc/3395/ootd-instagrams-influence-on-creative-diversity-and-fashion-agenda/#comment-4000

I’m wondering, what are you reading at the moment?

Jess

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1. Sammy
  
  09/05/2024
  
  Hi Jess,
  
  I really appreciate you taking the time to read my paper, thank you! If I have some extra time I will do my very best to head over and check yours out too.
  
  That’s really lovely that you feel BookTok is a safe space – it is so nice to hear real life positive perspectives of Social Media, sometimes we can be quick to share the negative more. May I ask what you have recently read? Have you found any books that you have read recently to have more satisfying TikTok content than others?
  
  I normally read Fantasy-Romance so I recently read Powerless by Lauren Roberts but have now deviated from the norm and am trying some non-fiction – I am trying Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford. Do you have a favourite genre?
  
  Great to chat, take care!
  Sammy
  
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Jarryds

09/05/2024

This is a great article on the recent explosion of the booktok community and how it has been able to go global with the aid of social media, especially booktok! I hadn’t noticed the booktok recommendations in physical stores yet but will definitely keep an eye out for it next time

I really liked the way you touched on how publishers are looking to social media for trends to incorporate in new book cover designs. I am interested to see if you think the booktok community is strong enough to warrant a publisher redesigning current series that do not have matching aesthetics and size throughout the series based on how important the ‘shelfie’ and aesthetics of books are to this online community?

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1. Sammy
  
  09/05/2024
  
  Hi Jarryds,
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to offer feedback, I really appreciate it! I definitely think publishers are starting to realise the importance of shelfies and aesthetics specifically on Instagram. I must admit this is less from my readings and more what I have witnessed recently as book community consumer.
  
  Christina Lauren is an author (well two actually but I digress) who has recently switched from realistic looking covers to the more colourful illustrated covers that are widely featured across any Romance-Readers Bookstagram. Alice Oseman is another author whose catalogue of works has been updated to have bright illustrated covers. It will be interesting to see what other trends outside of these bright, illustrated covers that we will see in the future.
  
  Take care,
  Sammy
  
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Sapphire Stanic

10/05/2024

Hi Sammy,

Thank you for this interesting paper!

The discussion on the effects of the online book community on the publishing industry is well-supported with examples and data, illustrating how social media trends impact book sales, cover design, and promotional strategies, I found this to be very interesting. The paper effectively highlights the evolving nature of the publishing industry in response to digital communities.

One question I have is; Given the rapid evolution of social media platforms and online communities, how do you envision the future of the online book community, and what potential challenges do you foresee for its continued growth and influence on the publishing industry?

Overall an amazing paper Amy! Looking forward to hearing your perspective!

My paper is also on a similar topic, feel free to check it out and provide any feedback 🙂
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/csm/4282/unrealistic-beauty-standards-cyberbullying-and-misinformation-on-tiktok-and-their-effects-on-user-mental-health/

Sapphire

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1. Sammy
  
  10/05/2024
  
  Hi Sapphire
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to read my paper, I really appreciate it! I will do my best to have a look at your paper this afternoon before the close of the conference.
  
  I think if we look at the relatively immediate future (basically anything pre-extended realities being the norm), I think there is a real opportunity to give a more diverse range of content creators more favourability within the algorithm to be promoted more frequently. I can only base this off what I witness in my feed where I am recommended a lot of the same type of people – I am so pleased that the community is so big that there’re so many of these accounts but rarely am I recommended accounts outside of this. There are definitely other content creators from varying backgrounds and parts of the world discussing similar books to my interests but I have to really dig to be able to find them. I think it is important to have diverse voices because they may have a different perspective on a book compared to what I do that is so beneficial for me to learn about but they also may have recommendations that are Fantasy for example, that embrace and share other cultures better.
  
  I think another area opportunity would be the voices we don’t get to hear of because they are not able to afford the phone or device to connect them to the community. I think there are so many voices we miss out on hearing from because of this barrier.
  
  Thanks so much Sapphire!
  
  All the best with your studies,
  Sammy
  
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Mylene Biquette

10/05/2024

Hello Sammy!

I enjoyed reading your paper- it is interesting to explore communities being formed around a common interest for books, and how this is impacting the publishing industry.

Recently I was also thinking about the trend of promoting secondhand books on Instagram and the aesthetic associated with this. It would be interesting to explore the sub-communities formed around these types of books 🙂

Anyway, your paper is very interesting, and I enjoyed reading it 🙂

Best,
Mylene

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1. Sammy
  
  10/05/2024
  
  Hi Mylene,
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to read and provide feedback on my paper, I really appreciate it! Oh I love the idea of a trend promoting secondhand books! I haven’t seen this much across my feed, but now that you have brought it up it really would be wonderful to see more of this. You can definitely find some gems secondhand!
  
  This actually made me think that back in the day I used to love watching Youtuber’s share the books they borrowed from the library but I haven’t seen a video (or other post type) pop up in any of my feeds that show this. As someone who works in a library, I appreciate the only way we are going to continue operating is through people borrowing books (and using the many other services), so I can imagine a trend where people share what they have borrowed from the library to be really beneficial.
  
  All the best with the rest of the semester,
  Sammy
  
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