I think we need to Tok

BY CAROL ANNE SHAW

I have always had a love/hate relationship with social media. I’m either posting prompts and promo like an author possessed, or impulsively purging, deleting, and never-again-ing. It’s maddening. Because we writers know we need an online presence. And whether we go the traditional or indie route, we’re expected to do the bulk of the heavy lifting when it comes to book marketing.

But things change quickly in the world of social media. Facebook has become a place for grandparents, conspiracy theorists, and myriad new-age life coaches. Twitter is just plain toxic. Instagram is a beautiful place for visually appealing stills, YouTube is great for showing a process, while LinkedIn is for the ultra-serious and career-minded.

However, there’s a downside to all this online time. Think about it: you get up, write for a while, and then the ping on your phone interrupts your flow. You succumb. You pour yourself another cup of coffee and check out your screen, and thirty-eight minutes go by in what seems like six. Thirty-eight minutes you will never see again. And what have you achieved? Not much, except maybe you got to see your high school nemesis and her tanned, yoga-fit body doing a headstand on a white, sandy beach in the Maldives. She’s doing this with perfect hair while her two well-behaved French bulldogs (named Chopin and Debussy, obviously) lay sunning themselves on the dunes behind her.

Then there’s that writer friend you have—the one who just posted about finishing her eighth book in four years? The one with twins (whom she homeschools), a veggie garden full of kale, and a wardrobe boasting handmade clothes spun from the ivory manes and tails of ethically raised baby unicorns? Yeah, it’s hard to look away.

Man, the online world is rife with distraction. So, when a friend sent me a message last September asking if I’d heard of TikTok’s #BookTok world, I broke out in a cold sweat. “What is this madness of which you speak?” I asked her. “It’s a thing,” she said matter-of-factly. “All the cool writers are doing it.”

I was immediately mired in equal parts dread and excitement. But I’d felt this way before, so I knew it was only a question of time before I caved and checked this #BookTok thing out.

TikTok is owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance. It’s been around since 2016, but the platform quickly gained popularity over those locked-down pandemic months. Today, it’s one of the most popular social media platforms globally.

I wish I could tell you that TikTok spoke to me from the first video I watched. It didn’t. Instead, it kinda screamed at me to run fast in the opposite direction. Why? Well, first, it’s a very, very busy place. There are over one billion monthly users on the platform, coming in behind the social media behemoth YouTube, which boasts 2.6 billion users. (I can’t even comprehend those numbers.) Second, there is much content on TikTok that doesn’t interest me: fourteen-year-olds twerking, senior citizens dancing to Captain & Tennille, boils being lanced close-up (I kid you not), and good-looking people filming themselves engaging in high-risk activities.

So, where was a well-intentioned author supposed to start? Ah, yes. #BookTok. That was “the thing” my friend mentioned. Right. I rolled up my sleeves and typed in the hashtag.

OH. MY. GOD. So many bookish videos!

I saw numerous book reviews, dramatic scene reenactments, writing prompts, release party shenanigans, contest and giveaway posts, bookstore tours, editing advice, marketing advice, self-publishing advice… And then I discovered book mail. In this #BookTok initiative, random BookTokers send books to other BookTokers via snail mail. Just because. It’s enormous and lovely, and, to date, I’ve had the pleasure of having three surprise books dropped by my front door.

Anyway, back to the beginning. I watched many bookish, writerly videos—some serious, some funny— then took a deep breath and tentatively created an account. I uploaded a pic, wrote a little bio, followed a few people who seemed wonderfully nerdy and interesting, and then made my first video. But it was going to be one that didn’t feature me. Because I didn’t do being in front of a camera. No. Freaking. Way. I didn’t even like being in family photographs. So, being in the limelight? Nope, it was never going to happen.

Instead, I busied myself making a video that featured the covers of some of my favourite YA contemporary novels. I arranged them artfully on my vintage Remington typewriter, added some nice music, and threw in a “Gold Dust” special effect overtop. Well, that little video got me over 1,400 views. 1,400! I was flabbergasted. On Instagram, the highest number of views I’d ever received on a post was around 200. On my first TikTok, in addition to the views, there were also many likes and a few shares. Whoa. The platform had reach! Encouraged, I went on to make another video; this one was a “let me tell you a little about my books” post. I displayed my novels (again using my lovely typewriter as a prop) and did a voiceover, blurbing each book as it was featured in my video. That video earned over 6,000 views, 600 likes, a few shares, and some lovely comments. I sold four books because of that post.

Six months later, I’ve garnered more than 1,700 followers. But more important than the numbers, I’ve found my readers! Previously on social media, I’d mainly engaged with other writers. Don’t get me wrong; the support and encouragement writers offer each other is necessary and appreciated. But my books are targeted at a Young Adult audience, and I realized I needed to be where they are— and they are definitely hanging out on TikTok. The site isn’t just a “young person’s” platform anymore. It has something for everyone of every age: literature, cooking, science, fitness, spirituality, dogs, how-to’s, travel, world news—it’s all there.

One of the biggest advantages of The Tok, as I like to call it, is the creative freedom it gives users. Videos can be as simple or complex as you like, your message earnest or wonderfully silly. But the real carrot of TikTok is the opportunity it provides to form genuine connections with readers. Interaction is huge, and the best part is that you don’t have to be polished. You don’t have to stage your photos. You don’t have to speak from a script. And you don’t have to (and shouldn’t!) aggressively push your merch. TikTok feels more like a big ol’ living room. You can show up in your ugly sweatshirt with lousy hair and ramble on the way you might with a close friend. You can show up on your good days, bad days, and sad days, and you’re encouraged to fly your own special freak flag with wild abandon. I think that kind of vulnerable authenticity makes people more relatable.

In the past few months, I’ve made some “young” reader friends and some “old” ones. I’ve heard about new book releases, and I’ve sent a few book mail packages to other BookTokers. And you know what? I’m showing my face now! Talking in front of the camera. Posting up writing prompts and tips. I’m even participating in a few popular trends! So maybe this experience has been GOOD for my mental health too. Just sayin’…

We can all agree that shoving our books in people’s faces 24/7 is not a great way to get to know readers or build a following. So how do we reach readers? Ray Kinsella said it well in Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.” So build a presence. Engage with your readers. Have fun with them and celebrate your passion for reading together. This is not to say you can never talk about your books. You absolutely can and should. Here are a few suggestions:

Make a quick video featuring your book cover. Tell people how the design came to be. Ask for their feedback.

Read an excerpt from your latest work in progress or the first paragraph from one of your books. This gives people a snippet of your writing style. You can add imagery or background music to accompany your reading if you like.

Engage in trends. There are tons of them, and they are constantly changing. Trending song clips are always a fun way to play, and it’s easy for writers to match a particular book to a snippet of lyric.

Dance. If you like to entertain and you can dance, there is no end to trends you can take advantage of. Dancing writers and readers can be pretty funny. I like watching them, but I’m far from making one!

Shout out another book or writer friend. They’ll love you for it, and, come on—we all need to have each other’s backs. It’s just plain nice.

Recommend a book. Book recs are always popular and appreciated. I love to listen to a reader rave about their favourite book of all time. Gimme!

Learn from others. If you’re still on the fence about what to post, there are a lot of TikTok tutorial accounts that walk you through it. Or you can sit back, watch, and learn.

Being active on social media is a double-edged sword. We need to get our work out there, but we also need distraction-free time to write. I guess it’s all about our eternal quest for balance: days made up of equal parts work, rest, and play.

I still have days when I want to ditch social media altogether—days when I dream about rotary phones, actual library cards, and thoughtfully made mixtapes. But the online world is here to stay, so I’m grateful to have found a platform that fits. Mostly.

So, come on over, the water’s fine. And trust me, you don’t have to twerk to sell books—unless, of course, you want to. No judgement from me.

See you on The Tok.

Carol Anne Shaw is the author of the awardwinning “Hannah” series (traditionally published by Ronsdale Press), and three self-published novels for young adults.