TikTok doesn’t just sing, dance and cook, it also does reading. With the hashtag #BookTok, more and more users are revealing their literary favorites, increasing book sales. While this trend has grown significantly in the United States and France, encouraging authors, publishers and bookstores to invest in the platform to promote literature, the movement is still embryonic in Quebec.
“Reading has been my passion for years. Being able to talk about it every day, with a whole community of enthusiasts, is like a dream come true”, says Anne Larouche, better known under the pseudonym “Litterarum” on the TikTok video distribution platform, very popular among young people. .
In 2021, the 18-year-old devoured 147 pounds. That’s roughly the number of videos she’s posted on her TikTok account with the #BookTok hashtag in the same year (over 160). In one minute flat, we see him presenting his library, discovering the literary success of the moment or revisiting a classic. It offers more extensive playlists and reviews. Generally, it is mostly staged in a humorous way to summarize the plot of a novel in the hope of making other users want to read it.
“At first, I signed up on TikTok to pass the time during the pandemic. I quickly discovered this community of reading enthusiasts. I did not expect it to take on such a scale, ”continues the one who now has 35,000 subscribers on the social network. This is double the number of people who follow his YouTube channel, also devoted to his readings. “Since #BookTok, I really feel like there are more people who are interested in reading. Even around me, in my circle of friends, I see the phenomenon. Several of them follow my recommendations or those of other “booktokers”, and we talk about it together”, she reports.
On TikTok, the #BookTok hashtag has nearly 35 billion views to date, and there are thousands of them, like Anne Larouche, talking about their literary favorites.
Making your passion for books known on the Internet is nothing new. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other blogs have hosted their share of literary discussions in recent decades. What seems unprecedented this time is the actual impact on book sales.
In the United States, bookstore sales figures have exploded since the appearance of #BookTok. The novelties in the “young adults” category are soaring, while the classics are experiencing a second success. In March 2021, the New York Times reported that The Song of Achilles (The Song of Achilles), a book by Madeline Miller published in 2012, had suddenly risen to third place in the best-selling fiction series after being recommended by “booktokers”.
The American book industry quickly smelled a good deal. Authors, publishers and bookstores have massively invested in the platform over the past year to promote their books to this young audience.
This new trend has crossed the Atlantic in recent months, boosting book sales in France. Publishers specializing in children’s and young adult literature have also appeared on TikTok. Among them, Hachette Romans, which has more than 38,000 subscribers and which has seen one of its titles experience a resurgence in popularity thanks to the social network. A thousand kisses for a boy, a 2016 book by Tillie Cole, has sold 9,000 copies in the past six months, radio station Europe 1 reported this week.
Quiet arrival in Quebec
In Quebec, some bookstores are also seeing the influence of TikTok on their sales and on demand. “In stores, there are customers who don’t know the title or the author of the book they are looking for, but they are able to describe the cover and the story because they heard about it on TikTok”, notes Floriane Claveau, director of communications for Renaud-Bray and Archambault.
The two major chains also added a new section to their site last year: “Popular books on TikTok”. “It mainly concerns foreign literature, books in English, for the moment, she continues. But we are starting to see Quebec influencers gaining visibility on the platform and talking a little more about French-language books. »
“Of course, if you want to attract attention, you have to talk about books in English. TikTok remains a predominantly English-speaking platform, ”recognizes Anne Larouche for her part. She still mentions a few Quebec titles here and there. “I think the #BookTok effect will come slowly to Quebec, it’s just slower. »
In his view, the Quebec book community should take advantage of this “golden opportunity” offered by the platform to promote books from here. Currently, only a few Quebec publishers, booksellers and authors have jumped into the arena. We find in particular Élise Gravel (20,000 subscribers), Carine Paquin (15,000 subscribers) and Marie Potvin (1,100 subscribers), the youth bookstore Le marque, in Granby, and Éditions Michel Quintin. The youth publishing house Les Malins has some 1,500 subscribers.
Of course, if you want to attract attention, you have to talk about books in English. TikTok remains a predominantly English-speaking platform.
“Above all, it allows us to reach our target audience. It’s hard to advertise to young people under 13 if you’re not on social media,” says Andréanne Hovington, marketing and communications coordinator at Les Malins. The company’s presence on TikTok is currently “a laboratory”. “We are testing things. If it helped to give visibility and increase sales elsewhere, why not here, ”she continues, stressing however that editing the videos takes a lot of time.
An argument taken up by the National Association of Quebec Book Publishers. The interest is there, assures the head of communications, Audrey Perreault, but the time and the resources are lacking. “TikTok is targeting a very targeted audience. Is it really worth it for publishers offering adult content to embark on this adventure? »
Above all, it allows us to reach our target audience. It’s hard to advertise to kids under 13 if you’re not on social media.