The resurrection of reading among young people leads to increase in Knoxville book sales
A deep dive into Booktok and its impact on literature
Before the internet, people read books for enjoyment and pleasure. While some watched television, many young people read for entertainment. However, with the rise of the digital age and social media in the early 2010s, reading declined tremendously.
People used to be avid readers, especially in the era of releases like “Twilight” by Stephanie Meyer and “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.
A study done by a professor of psychology, Jean Twenge, and the American Psychological Association in 2018 found that in 2016, one in three high school seniors did not read a book for fun, and 82% of seniors were on social media sites every day.
The study also found that in the 1970s, 60% of high school seniors reported reading a physical form of print, whether that be a book, magazine or newspaper — and this percentage has been steadily declining for years.
The internet led to an increase in Amazon users, so people who were reading for fun were doing a lot of purchasing online. This meant that the internet quickly became a problem for publishing companies, chain bookstores and independent bookstores. These businesses were seeing major declines in sales.
For about ten years, young people stopped reading for fun, and it negatively impacted bookstores. Now the internet has brought literature back to life with the rise of TikTok in 2020.
The Rise of BookTok
TikTok is an extremely popular app among young people in the U.S. It changed the game for many companies when it came to promoting products and marketing.
People post short videos on the app, often sharing what products and services they are enjoying, and certain things end up becoming trends that millions of people join in on.
This also translated to the publishing industry. There is an entire algorithm on TikTok that is labeled “BookTok.”
BookTok is a community within the app where people review and make videos about books that they are loving, and they often get a lot of attention. Whether it be romance, thrillers or fantasy books, this community covers just about everything.
This side of the app began trending at the end of 2020 after a user — @aymansbooks — posted about a book called “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” by V.E. Schwab. Her video received millions of views and a lot of engagement from young people.
Because of her persuasive language while describing the plot, the book ended up being sold out on Amazon after three days of her video being posted. Many people made comments on her video explaining that the book was also sold out at their local bookstores and Barnes & Noble.
I personally was taken in by this trend — @aymansbooks’s video happened to appear on my For You page a few days after it was posted — and I was influenced to purchase this book. Because of this, I am now an avid reader.
While young people such as @aymansbooks post reviews, other book influencers post aesthetic videos to intrigue people into reading certain books.
Certain books, like “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” go viral and get hype, and then it will move to the top of the New York Times Bestseller’s list in a short period of time after receiving exposure on the app. Schwab’s book was on the bestseller’s list for forty weeks.
Colleen Hoover is an author who is another example of the magic of BookTok. Her 2016 novel “It Ends with Us” received a 70% jump in sales because of BookTok in 2021, and she has been thriving on NYT Bestseller’s list for weeks for many of her books. She even credited BookTok in her acknowledgments in her most recent novel, “Reminders of Him.”
Young people enjoy doing what is “trendy,” and because of BookTok’s influence, reading has become fun and addictive again. There are also videos where teens and young adults describe that reading has made them happier and has relieved anxiety.
Users are constantly trying to discover new books to talk about and share on the app, and it’s a never-ending cycle.
BookTok Favorites:
- “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller
- “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins-Reid
- “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood
- “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series by Sarah J. Maas
- “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides
- “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt
- “The Atlas Six” by Olivie Blake
- “Verity” by Colleen Hoover
- “The Inheritance Games” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- “Normal People” by Sally Rooney
- “Beartown” by Fredrik Backman
The hashtag #BookTok on the app currently holds almost 80 billion views, and in 2021, a new record was set with 825 million print books sold in the U.S.
Because of this trend, bookstores, authors and publishers began using this to their advantage, and promoting their own books on the app. The most successful books after publishing day have been promoted on TikTok.
Publishing houses and authors also sponsor book influencers and send them books to make videos about.
BookTok has recently been the most popular platform for book promotion, but Instagram and YouTube also have a book community, which people refer to as “Bookstagram” and “BookTube.” Publishers and authors have been taking advantage of these as well.
With my own Bookstagram, I have increasingly had a number of authors reach out to me and send me their books before the release date to review on my page.
BookTok’s Impact on Knoxville
While BookTok has been a huge catalyst for increasing readership, it has also heavily influenced independent bookstore sales in the past year. Many indie bookstores and even chains experienced a decline in sales due to the pandemic, but once COVID declined, people began buying books in person again.
In Knoxville, business owners are taking action due to the increase in reading rates.
There have been two new indie bookstore openings just this summer, Bear Den Books in Sequoyah Hills and Addison’s Bookstore on Gay Street. There will also be a new indie store — Fable Hollow Coffee and Bookshoppe — opening this fall in Fountain City.
BookTok has allowed these old and new indie stores in Knoxville to thrive. They have even hopped on the train of BookTok. These stores, such as Union Ave Books, have entire sections and tables dedicated to BookTok, which brings in young readers.
The Kingston Pike Barnes & Noble, McKays and lowercase books also have BookTok pages to bring in local customers. The Farragut Branch of the Knoxville Public Library even hosted a “Teen #BookTok Trivia Night” this past summer to encourage reading in youth.
With new local stores opening and community events, it is clear that TikTok has had a major role in the success of Knoxville’s literary community’s success and growth.
