By Faith Skierkowski, Staff Writer
After the temporary shutdown of TikTok on Jan. 19, 2025, users gained their optimism back after the app’s reinstatement just 14 hours later. This abrupt hiatus revealed how devastatingly much the app had a grip on people on a global scale. The success of TikTok changed the lives of many, even down to what books they read.
As TikTok began to grow its fame, the app revolutionized people’s lives in many countries. One key difference of this app was its ability to captivate the attention of readers and authors. With a click of a button, readers can discover thousands of books with recommendations that can satisfy their cravings, no matter the genre.
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, announced the launch of “8 Note Press”, a printing company which dedicated themselves to electronically and physically publishing written work on trending genres, such as young adult fiction, romance, and romantasy.
TikTok’s numerous different subcommunities of entertainment unleashed the success of BookTok which has reached an all-time high. The creators contributing to BookTok range from reviewing novels, reading them, ranting about them, and even creating spoofs based on them.
The rise of BookTok has not only impacted the screen time on readers’ phones, but it has impacted their wallets, too, as book sales have been slowly increasing each year. Not only does this vibrant community give viewers the ability to get fast and simple reviews on books, but it also helps the authors promote their literature.
As of right now, BookTok currently has an audience of hundreds of thousands of creators, and the “BookTok” hashtag has generated billions of views.
Target Employee Jordyn Dragoo stated, “I feel like reading is becoming popular again because of BookTok”, she elaborates more by adding, “It’s easy to find a community that shares the same interests in books as me, so it’s easier to add things to my [to be read list].”
The success of Booktok is strongly tied to the shared love of popular novels like the A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) Series by the iconic Sarah. J. Mass, Colleen Hoover’s It End’s With Us, and Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing. Excitingly enough, it has also encouraged underground authors to start sharing their work.
Now with ByteDance’s launch of “8 Note Press” writers have the ability to become published authors. 8 Note Press has partnered with Zando, (an independent printing company), owned by Molly Stern, to publish content that resonates with Gen Z and the Booktok community.
8 Note Press holds a clear marketing advantage against other publications by utilizing TikTok’s vast user base to effectively distribute content.
While the launch of 8 Note Press’s introduction to the publishing world is full of excitement and uncertainty, one thing is for certain: BookTok’s influence on authors and their works can be transformative.
The world of printing as a whole will be redefined with the ability to discover and purchase books through TikTok. With ByteDance’s strategic integration of social media and publishing, readers may find it more enjoyable to explore new literature without ever stepping into a traditional bookstore.
