There is no doubt that #BookTok has emerged as a favorite long ago in the cluttered world of TikTok: a cozy, sprawling community with a hashtag that has over 64.3 billion views and counting on a daily basis. There is no question that Facebook is well aware of this popularity because it has launched an official book club on its platform to take advantage of that long-ingrained fascination with literature.
There will be an open book club on TikTok, just like there is an open book club on #BookTok, but with an organized structure. It will be announced every month that a new book will be released, and members of the community will be encouraged to read along, “sharing their experiences” and thoughts. There will also be a separate hub within the TikTok app dedicated to the Book Club, which will host the month’s new title every month, as well as a calendar of upcoming events.
It is not surprising that #BookTok is a phenomenon, so it does not come as a surprise that the official Book Club has been announced.
It was with #BookTok that TikTok came to help reignite a passion for literature and create a new take on the well-loved #BookClub format that our community can continue to connect, spark conversations and share the books that they love most,” said James Stafford, head of partnerships and community at TikTok. “From highlighting little-known authors and genres to introducing the old classics to a new generation, #BookTok has helped reignite a passion for literature
An active team of “BookTok Laureates” will be in place in the virtual community: a group of TikTokkers who are passionate about reading, who will take on the challenge of diving into each book and sharing their thoughts in a series of stories. Among the members of the group are BookTok creators @li.reading and @edenreidreads, literature fan @jackbenedwards, who is also the internet’s resident librarian, @cocosarel, another avid reader, and author @Bmercer. A TikTok Live session will be held at the end of the month, where the five will discuss the book as a group.
I choose Jane Austen’s 1817 classic Persuasion as the book of choice for the first week of the challenge. It was just last week that Netflix released a version of the novel adapted from the novel and since then the internet has been consumed by it. It is also important to note that #AustenTok, which has over 17 million views, is another community that exists within TikTok.
