BookTok to Bestseller: TikTok Promotion for Fiction Writers
This article may contain affiliate links. This means we might make a small commission on anything you buy through a link on this page. This comes at no extra cost to you. Commissions help us to run our free 7 Day Story Writing Challenges.
Article by: Victoria Ferris, freelance writer at Globe Soup.
In today’s digital age, social media marketing has become an indispensable tool for any writer to engage their readers. Among the various platforms available, TikTok has emerged as a true phenomenon. It is a unique platform focused on short-form video, offering the distinct advantage of pairing your content with popular music, which is typically restricted by copyright.
TikTok offers writers a unique opportunity to market their books and build dedicated fan bases who are interested in both you as the writer and your works. In addition to this, many major publishing houses will look to your followers on social media to determine the success of your release, which means using social media as a marketing technique is more important than ever.
TikTok is an untapped gold mine for writers, as it is unique in its ability to consistently show your videos to new people and, in turn, show your writing to new readers.
Understanding TikTok's Potential:
TikTok has over 1.4 billion active monthly users and has transcended its initial "dancing app" reputation. Its unique AI-powered algorithm creates personalised feeds, making it the ideal app to build a dedicated community-oriented audience.
What is BookTok?
BookTok is the name for the subcommunity on TikTok that focuses on books and literature.
There are over 138 billion views under the hashtag BookTok, demonstrating the huge number of readers actively engaging. Creators make videos reviewing and discussing the books they read, and the genres discussed range widely. Popular genres include young adult fiction, young adult fantasy, and romance.
The term BookTok was formed after a video posted by @caitsbooks on TikTok went viral. The use of the term inspired more users to post under it, which subsequently gained a following and snowballed into the household name it is now.
Several books have gone viral within BookTok, leading them to gain enough notoriety to be on the New York Times Bestseller list. This popularity can be gained through a collective love of the work from readers or by shocking subject matter that creates a need to be "in on the joke."
Here are a few content-driven ideas for TikToks:
Book Reviews: Share insightful reviews on books you've read, especially if they are in the same or a similar genre to your own work. This will pique the interest of relevant readers and direct them to your work.
Visual Trailers & Teasers: Create visually captivating trailers for your book. Use a royalty-free video site such as Pexels and match the footage with the perfect audio to create atmospheric videos that pull readers into your world.
Writing Vlogs: The vlogging world is huge, and bringing your readers along on your writing journey can keep them engaged and excited for your work.
Character Introductions: Similarly to the visual trailer concept, you can create visually driven videos that focus on your protagonist, your villain, or even the little old man who runs the local bakery. People are drawn to people, and when you build complicated and well-thought-out characters, it draws readers in.
Writing Tips: Writers are as much a part of BookTok as readers. Help your fellow writers who are just getting started or are struggling by creating helpful videos that focus on how to improve your writing.
Author Q&As: Make use of the Live feature and interact with your audience in real-time. You can use this time to appear more personable and answer questions about your work and your life.
Following Trends: Trends are a huge part of TikTok in general, and this is no different for BookTok. TikTok has a sister app called CapCut, which is a free editing app that integrates with TikTok, meaning you can edit on CapCut and seamlessly upload to TikTok. CapCut also has a section of free Viral Templates, which can go hand-in-hand with current trends.
Contests & Giveaways: Once you have some traction on your account, you can run contests and giveaways to bring in more followers and engagement. Be careful, however, not to do this too often as it can invite disingenuous followers.
Building Consistency and Engagement
The key to succeeding on any social media platform is consistency, and it's the same for TikTok. You should aim to post daily, but don't be discouraged if you can only post a few times a week, as posting less is better than not posting at all. You can utilise social media scheduling apps such as Later to schedule videos in advance to ensure regular uploads even amidst a busy schedule.
Engage with your audience regularly by liking and responding to comments. TikTok has a feature where you can respond to a comment with a video, making it easy to expand upon points in a personable way and create content at the same time. You can also connect with other creators within the #BookTok community by following similar accounts and engaging with their videos.
Cross-Promotion and Analytics:
Once you've got the hang of TikTok, you can apply similar posting techniques to other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. However, it is important to note that content and audiences differ across platforms. Tailor your content to each platform and audience, which means on Instagram you may be more likely to post aesthetically driven photos and videos, whereas on Facebook, you can post content that is more focused on you.
You can use TikTok's analytics tools to regularly monitor your videos and account's performance. Analysing metrics including views, likes, comments, shares, and engagement duration can help you understand audience behaviours and tailor your content to suit them.
Don't be discouraged if a video doesn't perform well. It's all trial and error.
TikTok presents an unprecedented opportunity for writers to be seen by new audiences with every upload. To ignore TikTok's growing ability to share your content would be foolish, as at the end of the day, even if no one engages with a video, there will be new people seeing you and your work every day who otherwise would not have.
By understanding the platform's potential, creating engaging content, and being dynamic in your approach, you can effectively market your books to a huge new audience.
Victoria Ferris is a Northern Irish writer, visual artist, and astrologer. With a lifelong passion for storytelling and an affinity for otherworldly realms, she is currently immersed in writing her debut fantasy series, The Ravenwood Chronicles. Set against the gothic backdrop of Ravenwood University, it is a tale of love, loss, and immortality. Alongside her writing, Victoria also manages social media and websites, while sharing enlightening astrological insights through captivating TikTok videos. Join her on a journey where art, words, and cosmic wisdom converge.
@hobgoblinwitch on every major social media platform.