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TikTok publisher 8th Note Press looks set to close as authors 'negotiate rights return'
A publishing business developed by the parent company of TikTok to cash in on the success of #BookTok appears to be closing – although neither the publisher or TikTok, nor the platform’s parent company and partners, will go on record, despite being approached by The Bookseller on multiple occasions. 8th Note Press, owned by the Chinese technology-giant ByteDance, was launched as a publisher of e-books intended to appeal to a “Millennial/Gen Z” audience in April 2023.
The Bookseller understands that authors and agents are currently negotiating the return of rights to titles acquired by the publisher, and the business’ digital presence has apparently been quietly deleted.
Since it launched, 8th Note Press acquired the rights to more than 30 novels, describing its approach as “building backwards” in response to what’s trending online, in particular on TikTok and initially focused on e-books. Last November, it also announced that a print business would launch in February this year, with a list of six initial titles. The print publishing aspect was a partnership with Zando, a US-based independent publishing company best known for partnering with big names, such as its Sarah Jessica Parker imprint, SJP Lit, and Gillian Flynn Books.
Despite TikTok’s position as the biggest social-media driver of sales of commercial fiction, 8th Note Press does not seem to have benefited from proximity to its sister business. 8th Note Press did not have a TikTok shop and does not seem to have promoted authors organically, only posting one video and using paid-for advertising on the platform. The Bookseller discovered that 8th Note Press’s TikTok account has also been deleted. The 8th Note Press Instagram account has vanished, and 8th Note Press no longer has a website. Moreover, 8th Note Press is no longer listed as a partner on Zando.
Editorial director Allison Moore’s LinkedIn account shows she left 8th Note Press in April after 10 months “building the company’s US publishing operation from the ground up and acquiring YA, romance and fantasy novels that appeal to a social media/BookTok/Millennial/Gen-Z audience”. Moore has since joined Post Wave Children’s Books as US publishing director.
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In July 2023, The Bookseller reported that ByteDance had filed a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office for 8th Note Press in April that year, describing it as a company that would provide a range of book publishing services, including print, e-books and audiobooks.
Last month, Jane Friedman remarked in her publishing newsletter that 8th Note Press had not yet achieved a bestseller or viral hit on TikTok. She added a new post in early June with the headline “Is 8th Note Press closing?” amid reports that writers were negotiating the reversal of their rights. Friedman told The Bookseller: “What became painfully obvious, as soon as I started looking at their programme, was that 8th Note Press was not doing much to support their titles. Nor did they implement best practices that traditional publishers use when focusing on the BookTok community.”
She added: “When they partnered with Zando for print distribution, I don’t know if that was their last ditch effort to make it all work, but they called it quits very quickly. Frankly, it didn’t surprise me because what I saw reflected little or no commitment. It’s as if they expected the books to magically perform without any work on their part. But of course I couldn’t get anyone there to speak with me, and the authors wouldn’t speak to me either, presumably because of NDAs.”
Last October, Jacob Bronstein, head of editorial and marketing at ByteDance, told the New York Times: “We’re thinking first: what do people like reading, who is reading these books, how are people talking about these books, how are these conversations happening online and where? Genre comes second.” He described their approach to acquisitions as “building backwards” based on what was trending on the social media site.
ByteDance and TikTok’s UK press office are yet to respond to requests from The Bookseller for comment. No author or agent would go on the record, with one person who did not want to be named describing the NDAs surrounding the closure of 8th Note Press as “really confusing”.
Zando did not respond to repeated attempts to reach it for comment.
Society of Authors chief executive officer Anna Ganley told The Bookseller: “This publishing endeavour from TikTok’s parent company sadly shows how fragile the industry can be and potentially leaves any contracted authors without clear next steps for their books.
“We appreciate the situation is frustrating and stressful for authors and we urge any members to get in touch with the Society of Authors to seek advice and support.”
