Books on BookTok: reading retreats – escape or content opportunity?
Reading retreats, “curated getaways that are centred around books and quiet time”, according to Suraka (@surakajanebooks; 18,000 followers), are becoming more popular since the advent of BookTok. These are often weekends away, hosted in the countryside, where the “entire trip”, said Asha (@ashaslife; 2,051 followers), “is focused on reading and reading activities”.
Their popularity, continued Suraka, is a reaction against an increasingly digital and frantic corporate landscape. “We live in a chaotic world and reading retreats are a great way to give us the option to slow down and wind down. The retreats remove outside distractions and the never-ending pressure to be productive.” They are “breaks away from the normal humdrum of life to focus purely on reading”, agreed India (@indiareadsalot; 3,859 followers). Hannah (@hannah.s.books; 12,000 followers) added: “I think there is a trend towards wanting to build community with other readers as well as conscientiously switching off from a digital world. Wellness retreats and activity weekends have always been popular, so I suppose this is an extension of that.”
Megan (@megschapters; 2,242 followers) sees these retreats as an opportunity for “uninterrupted time to read, which a lot of people struggle to find… It feels wholesome and low pressure, but still social. It’s actually something I’ve felt strongly enough about that me and a group of friends I met through Bookstagram have organised our own reading retreat for later this year. We just wanted an excuse to meet up, slow down and read together”.
However, there is some cynicism surrounding reading retreats. Brittany (@whatbritreads; 58,900 followers) describes them as “glorified and rebranded weekend[s] away”, adding: “I’d agree that with the rise of BookTok and the popularity of creators, a lot of people are inspired to do bookish-themed staycations, whether for the sake of filming and uploading it onto socials or not.” Hannah noted: “BookTok is known for romanticising reading and it’s no surprise it has been transformed into an aspirational experience. Book groups have been around for a long time – I think this is just a way to level them up into a whole weekend… As with all aspirational lifestyle trends, the downside is that not everyone can afford to do this.” India also used “aspirational” to describe BookTok and these retreats: “People love to see their favourite BookTokers hanging out in a nice house, reading non-stop and having a great time. I myself have been super-jealous of all my BookTok friends who have been on reading retreats.”
Publishers have “definitely locked into the appeal of reading getaways,” said Suraka. Ironically, for an escape designed around reading, many of the creators cited how the activity provides opportunities to film content opportunities. “Reading retreats can easily be used to create content especially if you go with a bunch of bookish people or BookTokers,” said India. “Not only do retreats present an opportunity for readers to slow down and meet new people, but they also provide content creators and publishers with endless opportunities for capturing promotional content,” added Evie (@evieschapters; 5,421 followers). The impact of these retreats is “powerful and nicely targeted”, noted Suraka. “The events result in various creators pushing out highly aesthetic and cosy content that is very shareable and tends to perform well online.” It is a “very effective way of building buzz”, added Megan.
“Publishers are organising reading retreats and jumping on this trend to develop new ways to market their books and build a sense of community among their readers,” said Hannah. Megan attended Sourcebooks’ Galentine’s weekend away: “As a smaller creator, it was a great opportunity to connect with the publisher and meet other content creators.” Follower count does appear to be a factor in whether you receive an invitation. “It does tend to raise questions around accessibility,” wrote Suraka. “Like a lot of other publishing events, they can feel very exclusive, with the same creators attending multiple events.” Hannah concurred: “I’m quite sceptical – these kinds of networking events can feel quite exclusionary, involve the investment of a lot of time and money, and not everybody enjoys themed, organised activities that take away from the experience of reading the book itself.”
Brittany cited the first BookTok “house” hosted by HarperVoyager in 2022 in a house in Hay-on-Wye. It went “incredibly well” and gave publishers “a new way to collaborate with creators in a fun and engaging way, while also marketing themselves… It’s a win for both parties, really, as the publishers get the reach and the buzz of these creators together and the creators gets an incredible weekend offered to them”. There have been others since, including Simon & Schuster’s romance TikTok creator house in 2023, hosted in Brighton.
Online book clubs are also expanding into the reading retreat market. Bookish Besties is one example, noted Evie. The online book club, whose primary presence is on Instagram, is organising a four-day reading retreat in collaboration with Hodder & Stoughton’s romance list, Midnight. Hosted at an undisclosed countryside venue in the south-west in August, tickets range from £699 to £864 per person. Activities include a scavenger hunt, lakeside reading, meals provided by an in-house chef and therapist-led workshops.
For Evie, there remains untapped potential in the reading retreat market, especially for publishers. “I would love to see some themed reading retreats for upcoming books: a folk-horror retreat at a log cabin in the woods, a sci-fi sleepover at a planetarium, an overnight stay in a decommissioned prison for a crime and thriller read, a Regency romance retreat at a stately home – the options are endless.”
