Books on BookTok: are content creators 'taken advantage of' by publishers?
This week, creators reflected on whether publishers pay creators fairly for ad content on TikTok.
Multiple creators, who wished to remain anonymous, believe publishers will opt to send creators free books rather than offer financial payment. “It’s 100% more common for early copies, free copies and e-copies to be provided as opposed to paying creators,” said one. The creator continued: “The only cases I have experienced where I have been offered any fee I consider to be fair for the work that goes into the campaign, is via third-party agencies with huge marketing budgets.” Another explained: “It is a business negotiation… Shipping out 200 copies of a book is much cheaper than paying a single creator for one 30-second video that the TikTok algorithm will probably suppress anyway.” One BookTokker noted: “Publishing professionals have told us over and over again that they don’t have much budget for influencers, which is sad because BookTok has changed publishing, but nothing really reflects that.” One creator outlined how “it was easier to accept free books as compensation” when they first launched their channel but now they will “only accept free books if it’s an extremely anticipated read”. Many creators stated, “free book cannot pay bills”.
However, Brittany (@whatbritreads; 58,400 followers) said, often, when receiving free books “99.9%” of the time there is “no obligation to post”. She added: “I read the books sent to me, so they’ll inevitably get indirectly promoted on my page at some point anyway, but a single video dedicated to a book, that I had no previous intention of posting organically, will be on a paid basis.” Evie (@eviemaddaloni; 4,000 followers) believes that because publishers are working with an engaged audience, these “hugely passionate readers… are keen to volunteer their time in exchange for an advanced copy of a book”. She continued: “In this situation I understand how payment would not be desirable to publishers when there are so many creators willing to work with them in return for a gifted book.” For Emily (@emilymiahreads; 90,100 followers), “publishers send out books for review and to build hype, but if there is no contract in place, they can’t force you to post a video”.
Brittany wrote: “A gifted book or book package is a very common thing. They’re great and publishers know that by sending these out there is no guarantee of a post or share, but it’s cheaper and easier than running an ad campaign with creators.” She believes “a lot of people in charge of the marketing campaigns have zero control over budget… they’re sometimes stuck in limbo too.” Suraka (@surakajanebooks; 17,000 followers) believes there is an "assumption that creators will be happy with just a proof or exclusive merch". She continued: "It’s simply the norm because the publishing industry hasn’t yet fully adapted to the influencer economy the way other industries, like beauty or fashion, have. But there’s a growing awareness that creators deserve fair pay when we’re delivering targeted marketing."
Evie receives “gifted books from publishers and authors” because there is an “understanding I will promote and/or review the book on my social media channels”. She has currently never been part of a paid publisher campaign. One creator said: “Publishers are lucky that creators love their craft and love spreading the word about great books as much as they do as it’s essentially free marketing.” Another added: “When it’s very clear how persuasive social media can be, and how TikTok creators and their audiences have driven book sales, investing money into creators seems fair.” Publishers “need us”, one creator stated.
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One creator noted a difference in the fees paid to creators of colour. “Creators of colour aren’t appreciated as much as their white counterparts, and this [applies] to getting paid,” they wrote. “I’ve seen the yawning gap between my offers [as a creator of colour] and the numbers that some white creators receive.” Another creator said: “Most books and authors, especially marginalised authors, simply don’t get the marketing budgets to pay for content creators.” Someone else echoed this point: “Only books which are proven to be heavy hitters or are by popular authors are given the grace of a huge marketing budget.”
Other inconsistencies in payment were also flagged. “Creators can get taken advantage of,” said one BookTokker. “It’s very easy to lowball yourself so you don’t lose the opportunity or the rapport with the publisher or agency, [even] when they have the capacity to be paying more. This has happened a lot. My peers, who have a similar following to me, have been paid way more or less than me for the same ad brief.” Another creator added: “I’ve been told that some BookTokkers [in America] can be paid a ‘mortgage worth’ on one campaign, but in the UK creators are often having to fight to get their usual prices – generally £500 or lower. Without correct guidance a lot of publishers and influencers’ companies will always take prices which are unethical.” When the creator was approached for their first paid campaign, they were “naively” quoted £20. The company in question “did not say anything”. Later, the creator was “made aware there were creators averaging £100-£300 for the same campaign”. For Suraka, there needs to be "more transparency and standardised rates".
One creator said that “publishers have ignored emails” about invoices, “despite the publisher being outside of payment terms”. The publisher has then asked “for the removal of the late payment fee”. The creator continued: “This hasn’t just happened to me, there are lots of similar creators with the same story.”
Contract difficulty was flagged by another creator who said that some publishers “ask for way too much [in ad contracts] and rely on creators not picking up on it or understanding what certain clauses mean”. For example, “when I have asked for more money because they wanted to use the ad [I created] externally, to post on their own channels and have rights to the content in perpetuity, the fee increase was declined and the deal revoked”. Often, one creator said, the contract includes a “vague brief and no requirement to actually read the book” they have been asked to promote.
