Social Media is based around sheep idolising influencers. These people successfully sell people their bathwater.

Books are no different really. When followers buy into the value of some influencer's vapid opinion, they'll value that opinion no matter what it is. That includes pushing books.

What’s a BookTok?

Books recommended on tiktok, as far as I know.

It gets people to read who otherwise wouldn't have picked up a book, I guess? Maybe their standards are different ;)

Then again, I know some older people who'd only ever read books that were in the top 10 bestseller lists (and definitely not all books in bestseller lists are that good, or at least, I don't think so), so it's nothing new, but just the same but on another platform, aimed at another target audience

I think it has to do with feeling like a part of something. I have bought a couple of books here and there because I like supporting indie authors, and don’t mind reading various stages of drafts. One series I really really liked, and another was very unfinished but a good idea.

With tt authors you get the chance to give direct feedback and I think that makes people feel like they had direct influence on something they think is cool. Personally, I don’t give feedback unless specifically asked. That feels too much like unsolicited criticism for me, a non professional editor.

Might be an effort to feel a part of something? If everyone you know is reading a certain book you might feel a little FOMO.

Probably positive association with the influencers/vloggers that recommend the book. People also like to be in the know and get in on trends, so if an influencer pushes a book people will want to be apart of that.

Fair enough.

The collection of book related content, creators, and their active audience on TikTok. There's also BookTube (on YouTube), Bookstagram (on Instagram), and every platform has their own version I just don't know the name. It covers reviewers, fans, challenges, charity drives, diy rebinding and book repair, the Regency Romance fanfic community, and basically anything you can think of.

When these are used as adjectives for specific books, it means the book got lots of attention on the platform. Or, more commonly, someone put a sticker or digital label on it for marketing purposes or as criticism because there's a handful of content mentioning the book.

For the same reason that people went crazy over the books that got chosen for Oprah‘s book club. People like feeling like they’re part of something and if you’re reading a book that a bunch of other people that you like are also reading you get to talk about it with them.

People like to feel included in something.

I watch a number of booktok channels, but mostly out of curiosity. I still read what I please, and most of the books I read never appear on booktok.

I would trust Oprah’s book club a lot more over booktok

Fair enough.

I don't pay attention to books all over tik tok but I do tend to gravitate towards them without even knowing. It's not an obsession. People just like the books they like especially if the blurb sounds interesting. It just ends up being a good book that many people just happen to enjoy.

And btw, It Ends With Us is relatable for those of us who have been through DV situations. If you haven't been through it then ya you probably won't enjoy the book because you don't relate and that's fine.

20, 30 years ago, heavy readers would join book clubs so they could be a part of a community and talk about the books they were reading with a receptive audience. Today, people turn to social media for the same reason. They want a sense of community and BookTok/BookTube/whatever provides that for them.

This was definitely me. stopped following bookstagrams after years because I just thought about what books or things I ‘needed’ to buy. I just follow authors and publishing houses now

bc books that are trending on booktok are just books that are liked be a lot of people and if you keep seeing them, you will think that they must be good and so you give it a try. Booktok just means its a popular book and hence gets recommended a lot on tiktok. You also have to keep in mind that just bc you didnt like a book,it doesnt mean others cant enjoy it. I also read "It ends with us" and i liked it but i k ow that the author is greatly hated on in the booktok communtiy, so its kind of funny that you mentioned her.

Some people read like 4 books a year. So they like to be told what to read

This is a weird question. You can't understand why people like something that a bunch of their peers like, it's not a really hard concept to wrap your head around. What I don't understand is why people in this sub feel the need to throw shade and feel superior to other readers because of their book choices.

People love trends. They crave to fit in. Everyone loves reading certain books, I need to read certain books. Everyone is saying “based” (which I have no idea what that means), I need to say based.

It’s keeping up with the Jones’ and keeping up with the times. You don’t want to be left out, do you?

Personally, it’s not for me. I read what I want NOT what’s trending but to each their own.

people like to spout their brilliant takes - or be assholes - or both. read what you want and ignore tiktoxic

This is why I don’t hate on Booktok. My best friend of 45 years has never been a reader, and in the last year, she’s read more than I have all because of Booktok and the impromptu CoHo book club that started in her office because of it.

Daytime television is TikTok for people that still use landlines, nobody's winning here

It's the same as to ask why some TV series get much more attention and wider audience compared to others, even if they are not necessarily that good. They just appease to the wider audience. Same with Booktok. Most books are easy to read which means they attract people who aren't generally so much into reading overall or that specific genre. But also people who are maybe avid readers but are looking for something light. And well..some will read them simply to see what is all the buzz about.

In some other cases, books become popular because most accounts (as far as I have seen) are dedicated to specific-genres or even qualities (smutty, cozy, etc). So it is likely that followers will enjoy the recommendations because they are in a way tailored to them, which in return means that they will be more proned to suggest them to others as well.

And well..some authors are great at creating social media content. I have seen several books becoming popular because author managed to create the hype. For example, Alex Aster and her Lightlark.

Some people like different things than you! They’re not faking it because they want to be part of a trend, they just have different preferences and interests.

I always think it’s funny that people on r/books like to feel so superior to people on booktok, because they’re really very similar: communities that are largely but not entirely homogenous, with the same few books put on a pedestal but other books often discussed as well, using social media to find and discuss literature.

They can’t be that popular. I’ve never heard of those books and don’t know what booktok is aside from seeing it referenced here.

Like any other type of media people often try things that others in the peer group try. Reading the same book as your peers can give you something to talk about and share.

I ask the same question about tv shows like Friends and Real Housewives. They are wildly popular and I don't understand their appeal.

Right? Like just because one person disliked a book doesn’t mean other people can’t like it. I see these posts on here a lot, almost like they’re trying to bash people for what they like to read

Some people forget that everyone can like different things

It is like with these crappy soaps people watched in HS so you could talk about it with others. I only watched them so I am not an outsider.

"they've gone viral"

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>Why ppl are so obsessed with Coho's novels or any other books that are in trend cause of booktok or other platforms like that. What is in it? And yep I've read one of her books 'it ends with us cause my roommate had it and for me it was a total waste of time. So why ppl are so interested in it? Is this because they are new readers? Or because the language is easy? Or maybe because everyone's commenting on it? Either the comments are positive or negative

​

it's not necessary to follow the herd on books.

do you try to do every viral trick out there?
why not?

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_crate_challenge

The milk crate challenge, also known as the crate challenge, is a video challenge that became viral online in August 2021. The challenge involves stacking milk crates into a structure that resembles a podium, with both sides of the structure functioning as stairs.[1] The participant is expected to climb up to the top of the crates and climb back down without destroying the structure or falling, risking injury.[2][3] The activity has faced criticism by health professionals for its unnecessary risk to personal health.[4] Social media platform TikTok that helped popularize the trend said it would eliminate search results for "milk crate challenge" citing its policy that "prohibits content that promotes or glorifies dangerous acts."[5]

maybe a certain type of person reads these books.. the same type who feel it's necessary to record every minute of their lives.

​

what kind of books appeal to the people who do that?

if you're not that type of person, maybe the books will not appeal to you.

​

BookTok is a subcommunity on the app TikTok, focused on books and literature. Creators make videos reviewing, discussing, and joking about the books they read. These books range in genre, but many creators tend to focus on young adult fiction, young adult fantasy, and romance.[1] The community is cited with impacting the publishing industry and book sales.[2] The creators in this community are also known as BookTokers.[3]

- Being part of a community by reading something lots of people are reading

- Being a new reader that hasn't really developed a sense of taste yet, so you read what's popular

- These books are literally marketed to certain groups of people (themes, cover design, ...) and people are easy victims

- They want books they can identify with

- They want to read something they don't really have to think about in a deep, philosophical way

- If you don't have lots of time to try out new books, it's easy to pick something that "most people like", so as not to waste time on a "bad book"

That's probably it.

Oprah’s book club brought a lot of great literature to the forefront of American contemporary culture in a way that no other outlet really has. Morrison, Whitehead, McCarthy, Franzen, JCO, Mistry, Tolstoy, Faulkner, GGM, McCullers, Robinson etc

Comparing that to the rape fantasy garbage that gets pushed on tik tok is ridiculous.

Sometimes people want to read purely for entertainment and escapism. Why is that a hard concept to understand?

This sub has always been more of a place to feel better than others rather than a place to discuss books. Whether that be non-readers, people with different tastes, people with reading goals, people without reading goals, and so on.

You can get good recommendations anywhere, that wasn't really my point.

I was just enjoying the irony of pumping up daytime television versus TikTok like they aren't both segmented dripfeeds of current pop culture and criticized in their day for it.

The people who mocked daytime TV originally in turn were probably mocked by people that got their recommendations from the Reader's Digest and National Enquirer, and they're mocked as young'uns by readers of literary magazines, and those whippersnappers are getting drek when they could be getting their family bible hand printed by the local monastery.

Booktok has attracted a lot of new readers, including many friends of mine who otherwise would’ve never picked up a book, but it attracted a lot of habitual readers as well. I think the format is compact and highly digestible and a lot of videos present the books in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing, concise and attractive to the casual TikTok scroller. I’ve read a couple of CoHo books at my friends’ recommendation. Our opinions differed greatly; a discussion ensued and we exchanged our reflections; it was fun. It’s not much deeper than it seems honestly. It attracts all types of readers, and it fosters a sense of community among those people.

I’m not on Booktok, but I’m on Booktube, and I love finding booktubers who have a similar taste to mine and I often discover books I wouldn’t have found otherwise. Also, when I read a book that someone else has also read, it’s interesting to hear their thoughts and review of it. Booktok is quite similar, though with shorter length videos. People like whatever books for whatever reason: who cares? What you’re observing here is literally what happens on any popular social platform: people like things and tell other people they might like those things as well, then it becomes a trend and goes full circle. Whether they’re actually good or not is entirely subjective. I’ve liked some books that have trended, and I’ve disliked some others. There’s such a wide range of books trending on the internet that it’s genuinely absurd to lump them under any one category and pigeonhole them as insipid or fatuous. There’s no real correlation between how enjoyable a book is and how popular it is. I also get the feeling you’re being slightly, even if unwittingly, condescending.

There’s a slight dissonance between what you’re expressing and what you claim to believe. Your wording suggests you view “booktok famous books” as inferior, and that more experienced readers would never “obsess” over such second-rate, simplistic writing. Accessibility in literature is only deemed mediocre if you’re being a snob. I get that you’re not trying to be critical or offensive, but you might wanna word things more sensibly when you’re asking for someone else’s opinion.

BookTok is a big place. While there are books that get mentioned over and over on BookTok, there are also TikTok accounts that recommends books beyond the Colleen Hoovers and Taylor Jenkins Reids of the world. I would actually spend some time looking for TikTok accounts that focuses on books that align more with your own tastes. BookTok has some good recommendations but you might need to dig a little deeper to find them.

I get where you're coming from because no one likes judgey folks. However I think the OP posed a fair question: they really didn't enjoy something that appears to be popular, so they want to gain better insight of why it clicked with other readers. I took this to be a examination of other people's thought processes, not a slight against them.

It's best to just accept that the general public has really bad taste. That's why you can't go a day without a Project Hail mary post on this sub, Panic at the Disco is a famous band, Marvel movies rake in billions, etc.

This sub worships Weir and Sanderson, but shits on CoHO and 50 shades of gray, which is funny because they're all equally low in quality

Because there are thousands of books that provide entertaining and escapism that are much better books than the ones OP mentioned

And if we are being honest there are thousands of books that are much worse than the examples mentioned. People like different things, it isn’t a wild concept. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What exactly is the problem with being critical of popular media?

Absolutely nothing, but as has been pointed out several times in this thread, OP comes off as being judgmental about the books and readers. The fact that they asked the question and bounced without any discussion makes it seem even more judgmental.

Why? The recommendations on booktok can be extremely diverse. I’ve never had Colleen Hoover suggested to me while on Tiktok. The algorithm suggests creators based on what you like and are interested in. If someone is getting CoHo it’s because they want trendy.

If you’re getting rape fantasies pushed to on Tiktok it’s cause you lend Tiktok to believe that’s what you like. I’ve never had anything like that suggested to me.

It's the same with music. There's music that's considered "better" and "more culture" and therefore makes that person superior. Those are the "I never listen to Top 40" people

Not really I just got on tik tok and looked up.booktok and within 5 minutes I was given 3 different 'spicy books' recommendations. Also tiktok should know that dudes don't read smut.

That’s where I am. A lot the people who only get recommendations from TikTok probably wouldn’t be readers outside of that.

I don’t think this is a useful comment considering this:

> they aren't both segmented dripfeeds of current pop culture and criticized in their day for it.

Isn’t accurate. Oprah was recommending works based on their literary value, not on their relevance to pop culture.

Colleen Hoover is the number two most discussed author on TikTok. Sure everyone’s individual feed will look different, but she and similar authors are the most broadly represented on the platform

I don’t personally use TikTok

Whatever you want to believe, my dude

I’m sure there are dudes who read smut.

Ummm Oprah interviewed a vast amount of diverse people and her book recommendations didn’t come from trends but came from recommendations from a big diverse group of people

TikTok books are like garbage reads for bored housewives

The medium is the message.

OP sounds like an intelligent articulate person, I'm sure he/she doesn't need it spelled out that different people like different things. It's not a complicated concept.

Exactly! The OP already gets that people like different things. That's why they're here asking the follow-up questions 'I just want to know about the opinions of others...why are people interested in it...I'm just curious because of course people can read whatever they want.'

We could be having the same discussion about a restaurant, fashion, or video games. "I didn't like it, but a lot of people do. What am I missing here?"

Thing I Like Is Objectively Good

Thing I Dislike Is Objectively Bad

I Am A Very Smart Person

Why do you read the books you do?

Just because you don’t think they’re intellectual enough doesn’t make people reading them brainless twats. So many more people are reading and I think that is what’s important here.

>r/books

I am in the same boat as you where I enjoyed it Ends With Us. The thing is that I don't want to admit that just because CoHo is hated and I don't want to seem like "one of those" booktokers when in reality I should just say what I like and not fear being generic

Ya, I feel like people to judge booktok go straight for Colleen Hoover and Taylor Jenkins Reid specifically but don't think about the other extremely popular books like Song of Achilles, The Secret History, and A Little Life, where it takes slightly longer to get into but has a drastically different vibe than Ugly Love or Daisy Jones

Many people have that problem, but atleast you are mature enough to selfreflect and notice such things. In the past i might also have been like that but nowadays idc much about it. I can proudly say that i liked twillight and Ends with us and its the best feeling to be content with ones feelings instead of going with the opinion of the mass.

also...your username...SoC fan????

yeah lol i was reading the books at the time i got on reddit

Late to the party but I think this reddit and booktok are quite similar. I think booktok is viewed in a different light do to the medium conversations are shared through. It's all video so it can come across as Vayne because everyone's always got their face in the video and seems they're trying to push an "aesthetic" but most of the discussions are the same here!

nice, have you watched the show?

Do you mean SaB? yes i did,cant wait for the new season!

Edit: i just saw that the second season is already out lol