What is BookTok? 10 Tips for Writers With a TikTok Account

You may have heard the term ‘BookTok’ or spotted an ‘As Seen on BookTok’ sticker on the cover of a popular bestselling book in Barnes & Noble or Waterstones and thought:

‍Hmm... What is BookTok, exactly?

BookTok, short for ‘Book TikTok,’ is a community of users on the TikTok app who are passionate about books and literature. Creators—mostly readers, but there are authors, too!—make entertaining videos reviewing, discussing, and creating jokey memes about books they love. Many different genres are featured by creators on BookTok, but there is a particular focus on Young Adult fiction, fantasy, and romance.

Some authors have connected with a huge audience on BookTok and have gone on to become New York Times bestsellers, such as Colleen Hoover, Kennedy Ryan, and Chloe Gong, and the community is often credited with boosting sales within the publishing industry through book recommendations alone. The creators in this community are known as BookTokers.

A young girl looks at something on her mobile phone, her image forming the basis of a Wi-Fi fan that arcs above her head.

Author and writing coach Bea Fitzgerald is one such BookToker. Bea is the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Young Adult fantasy novels Girl, Goddess, Queen, a reimagining of the tale of Hades and Persephone, and The End Crowns All, a sapphic rivals-to-lovers reimagining of the Trojan War, focusing on Cassandra and Helen.

Under her username @chaosonolympus, Bea has more than 117,000 followers on TikTok and her videos have accrued over 8 million likes!

Bea recently hosted a workshop with members of The Novelry, where she taught us how to use trending sounds, edit video clips, and how hashtags work best on BookTok. The workshop was so good that we asked Bea to divulge her top BookTok tips right here for all to read!

In this article, Bea shares her top tips on how to use TikTok as a writer and explains the importance of BookTok for authors (and readers).

Authors and writing coaches Kate Riordan, David Solomons, Bea Fitzgerald, and Lesley Kara sit at a table covered with laptops and books, discussing writing in an animated fashion.

10 BookTok tips from Bea Fitzgerald

We’ve all heard it, some of us have seen it, and most of us want it: those BookTok videos that went viral on social media and changed an author’s life. Readers added to cart, book sales rocketed, the deals poured in...

That’s not the reality for most authors on TikTok, but BookTok can be a great way to engage readers, make connections with other users, and even hone your craft. If you’re looking to get started, here are some tips for authors who find the platform a bit of a mystery.

1. Have fun

This is a big one, and I’m going to come back to the golden ticket conjured by the thought of TikTok virality—it might happen, but it probably won’t. This shouldn’t be your reason for creating content, and to put my publishing girly hat on for a moment, no one should be trying to sell you that ticket either. If you feel pressured to be on the app but you don’t want to be, then don’t—it’s a publisher’s job to market you!

I love making content on TikTok—it feels like an extension of my creativity and encourages me to think about my books in a different way. There are many social media options available to new authors, however, and it’s better to do one really well than spread yourself too thin. But if the thought of being a bit silly, making entertaining videos, and experimenting with your book pitches excites you, the BookTok community might be for you!

Author and writing coach Bea Fitzgerald smiles as she types on a laptop.

2. Spend time on the app

TikTok has some particulars you might not pick up on if you don’t spend some time there first. Things like filming in portrait, not leaving a large gap before you begin (tip: to avoid this, use the timer function or cut the clip after you’ve filmed), timing a lip sync to a trending sound—or even working out which sounds are trending—all come from spending time on the site.

Beyond that, TikTok is a rewards-based service with one goal: to get people scrolling and consuming. Your videos are likely to do better if you spend time in the community, commenting on other videos and filming your content in the app (tip: you can edit with their partner app CapCut).

Plus, you can very much copy and paste—many creators do! Give credit to the originator for the idea, or if it’s generic, consider it a trend, but watching other people’s videos is a great way to come up with ideas to promote your books. You can repeat the same joke, hook, title, or quote across multiple videos or trends, because the algorithm means it’s not always the same people seeing every video.

An all-pink lightbulb with a shiny pink party hat propped on top of it.

3. Have a goal

Why does BookTok interest you? Do you want to...

Sell books?
Discover the things BookTokers enjoy?
Understand your readership better?
See what books young adults are reading right now?
Learn more about publishing?
Network with other users?
Video-journal yourself drafting your first novel?

Have a think about why you’re going on the app and let that lead you. And do try to avoid ‘going viral’ as a marker. My number-one piece of advice to writers generally is to keep your eyes on your own page, because the only thing you can control in publishing is your own writing. Similarly with TikTok, all you can control is what video you’re making. The algorithm gods will do their thing, no matter how many hours you devote in sacrifice.

4. Don’t only push your own books

I mean, you can. They might land on the FYP (the For You Page, which is the main timeline on TikTok), but you probably won’t grow a following. The easiest thing to do is make videos where you discuss books—especially if you don’t have a deal yet. Make content about the type of novels you think your readers would enjoy, including your own favorite books. That way, when you get to announce yours, it’s exactly what they’re looking for.

You can think adjacently, too. Some of my books are Greek mythology-inspired YA romantasies, so my content is 70% Greek myth-based, 25% reviewing/unboxing world mythology-inspired books (or Young Adult fiction, fantasy, or crime now that I have a thriller coming out!), and 5% me attempting to demystify publishing. Think about your genre: if you’re writing historical fiction and you visit a castle for research, create a video about your trip!

Covers of the Bea Fitzgerald books Girl, Goddess, Queen and The End Crowns All and Then Things Went Dark.

5. Hone your pitch

This isn’t what your book is about—it’s why readers will enjoy it. What’s your short snippet?

For The End Crowns All, my pitch is ‘a sapphic reimagining of the Trojan War featuring rivals to lovers Helen and Cassandra.’ The book is about two princesses of Troy trying to save their city from its inevitable fall, but readers will enjoy it for the tropey sapphic romance.

You can have a few varied pitches and use them as the basis of your videos. You can also pull out key moments of the book. Imagine you’re convincing a friend to start reading it rather than pitching it to a publisher or agent:

‘There’s this one part where...’
‘Oh, you’ll love this character because they’re like this...’

Types of content that perform well on TikTok

Now we’ve got all that down, let’s dip into some types of content you can make that tend to perform well on TikTok. I’ll keep it vague as the algorithm changes so often (as this blog was written, TikTok favored carousels and longer videos rather than shorter ones or trending sounds), but here are some things to think about when creating your own content.

6. Quotes, quotes, quotes

TikTok loves quotes—though do make sure they end up in the final book! Think of prompts like:

‘The rawest line in fiction...’
‘The most romantic line...’
‘When she says this, but he says this...’
‘No book has ever been so relatable…’

You can fit this to a trending sound or make a carousel with a prompt and then a snippet. Try making a graphic in Canva or take a picture of the book with the quote highlighted. Take a look at what other authors are doing and get creative! (Tip: don’t be sneaky and use something like FREE BOOKS to try to entice viewers.)

Make content about the type of novels you think your readers would enjoy, including your own favorite books. That way, when you get to announce yours, it’s exactly what they’re looking for.
—Bea Fitzgerald

7. Aesthetics

Canva and Pinterest are about to become your new best friends. Videos and images about how your book feels and looks—and its overall vibes—are always popular.

You can use these in a video, flicking quickly between images. Alternatively, use them in a carousel or layer quotes on top. Canva is particularly good for making...

8. Arrow graphics

These are popular across all platforms, and I consider them a sort of landing page or call-to-action for the book. Use a picture of the book with arrows leading out from it to detail the things within—normally tropes, representation, or vibes. It’s like a little bullet-point list of reasons people will enjoy the book, so if I’m teasing a quote or a moment, I try to end with an arrow graphic!

An arrow graphic in tones of blue showing the cover of the book The End Crowns All by Bea Fitzgerald, surrounded by little pointers about the plot and themes of the book.

9. Publishing achievements

Publishing is emotional! It’s a dream industry! Shout about your achievements and cry about the losses—it’s all real, and authenticity is key on TikTok. The moment you sign with a literary agent, get your deal, see your book in stores, receive an email from a reader, hit a list, get nominated for an award... Share it! It’s not bragging, it’s aspirational!

12 of the writing coaches from The Novelry sit and stand in a group, discussing their books, which they are each holding.

Finally—and please, if you take anything onboard, let it be this...

10. People can see you

It isn’t just other users and BookTok creators watching your videos. Publishers, agents, other authors—they can all see what you’re posting. So:

Don’t be rude
Don’t be mean
Don’t be scathing of other authors or look down on other literature genres

If you write, you’re an author—which makes these people your colleagues. If you’re an author who also writes book reviews, then absolutely review away—but authors cannot intrude into reviewer spaces, and you can’t exist in both online spaces without treading a very fine balance. If you think you can, great. Otherwise:

Be considerate
Be upbeat
Use your platform to lift others up rather than tear them down

BookTok is an incredible group of book lovers and readers. It’s a joyful place to be; a brilliant resource for authors and anyone who loves reading. So, let’s all make an effort to support one another because, at the end of the day, we all just really love books—and that’s a wonderful thing!