Books on BookTok: using content creators in book campaigns
Following The Bookseller’s news story To blurb or not to blurb, BookTok creators share their thoughts and discuss the increasing use of content creators in book campaigns.
Opinions were divided on the importance of seeing authors backing new books on BookTok. Alice (@bookswithalice; 13,800 followers) said that it is “very significant” and “can be helpful if you already know you like one author’s writing to see them support a new book, as it indicates to me it might be another book I would like to read”. Emily (@emilymiahreads; 84,600 followers) agrees that it is important as “it shows the sense of community that exists on TikTok” while Suraka (@surakajanebooks; 16,500 followers) said it has “some importance”, adding “sometimes I’ll see my favourite authors blurb books and I’ll pick the book up just for that reason. It can be a great nudge, especially when I already have some interest in the title.” Busayo (@compulsivebookbuyers; 27,200 followers) noted: “It definitely helps with the marketing to know that authors I love also love the books that I am about to read or am actively recommending”.
Brittany (@whatbritreads; 58,000 followers), however, does not think “it has a massive impact on me, but only because I don’t follow authors on social media. I don’t know which authors are backing [it] until the book is already in my hands”. She added: “I think the line can be a bit blurry because if they work for the same imprint, it’s difficult to tell whether the endorsement is genuine. It probably is genuine 99% of the time, but there’s definitely bias there. I think that’s why readers favour reviewers backing a book on a non-sponsored basis.” Samantha (@samfallingbooks; 56,900 followers) concurred that she does not think blurbing is “that important” but caveated with instances where she has “picked up a book or bumped it up my TBR because one of my favourite authors has blurbed it”.
The creators agreed that BookTok and Instagram creators are becoming more involved in publicity campaigns. Emily “love[s]” that creators’ quotes are being used on books “as it shows that our voices do matter”. Suraka agreed that it is “exciting to see the community recognised in that way”, noting a “clear rise” in “creator quotes on [book] covers and in marketing materials”. “It also makes the platform feel more connected to the publishing world”, she added. For Samantha, seeing “someone I recognise on a book makes me want to pick it up as they’re often some of my favourite reviewers”. Busayo has been quoted on Holly Jackson’s Five Survive (Electric Monkey) and The Reappearance of Rachel Price (Electric Monkey) while Samantha highlighted Brittany’s review printed on the paperback edition of Emily Henry’s Happy Place (Penguin): “I particularly liked that paperback as the publisher included a lot of quotes from readers. It’s a really nice starting point after you’ve picked it up from the shelf as you can see how much people have loved it.”
While Brittany has “definitely” noted an increase in creator blurbs, and notes that it is a “great for marketing because the new generation of readers have come from and are influenced by social media”, she believes that the quotes are “done selectively”. She explains: “It is limited to [certain] genres and imprints as they tend to uphold a certain image. Sometimes TikTok and online reviewers are taken less seriously and their opinions given less credit because of their background and audience.”
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Samantha agrees creators are more involved with “certain publishers than others”, continuing: “I loved Fourth Estate’s Tube campaign recently for Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. I adored that book and it’s so fun to see creators that loved the book being a part of the campaign”. Emily called the campaign the “coolest one I have seen recently” and Busayo also flagged the creator-centred promotion: “There are adverts in central London for Blue Sisters featuring bookstagrammers on the book and the author is nowhere to be seen.” For Busayo, creators “absolutely play a great part in advertising”. More broadly, Suraka has found creators are involved “in one capacity or another” with “most campaigns now”.
As opposed to sponsored content, Brittany “feels like there is a massive rise in gifted experiences, such as PR events and book mail, in exchange for the chance of something being posted, rather than an explicitly paid for sponsored video”. She continued: “Of course publishing and marketing is business at the end of the day, there is an exchange there that is trying to reach as many eyes as possible on a smaller budget to maximise profit. It’s a lot cheaper to send out 100 special edition mailings of a book with some goodies than pay 100 influencers to do a dedicated sponsored post.” Alice agreed that “proof drops” have resulted in “some of the most successful marketing I’ve seen. I think the level of effort that now goes into how pretty proofs are, with different art styles and versions, highlights how publishers are wanting to promote them visually through BookTok”. Combining “traditional marketing strategies” with social media “can have a great impact on reaching the right readers”, said Samantha. “The key for publishers and marketing agencies is to do research on who actually loves that niche, the author or the book, and build partnerships through this organic love of the story.”
