“These online spaces have become the communal meeting space, the virtual book club.”

Overall, the bookish side of social media has become a remote community where both writers and readers have the opportunity to stay connected wherever they are. Joseph Bates, an associate professor in the English department at Miami, has seen BookTok’s effect, both online and

“These online spaces have become the communal meeting space, the virtual book club,” Bates said. “[These spaces] might not be ordinarily available to readers, especially as we’ve seen brick-and-mortar spaces come under threat in the last 10-plus years and coming out of lockdown with

Bates said he has seen more and more students in his class about the literary marketplace reflecting on BookTok in addition to other social media niches. Many of them even see the community as an important part of their read-

“These online platforms have, to some degree, helped democratize book marketing,” Bates said. “They have an effect not just on our reading habits, not just our spending habits, but the ability of art and artists to reach new audiences.”

At the same time, BookTok also highlights the reading community’s tensions and negative qualities. Mayschak expressed concern about how the BookTok community can make viewers feel like there is a right or wrong way to read.

“It’s literature. It’s art. It’s open to interpretation,” Mayschak said. “No one’s opinion is inherently wrong or better

Bates, a published author himself, also has concerns about BookTok. He believes it may be adding to the belief that writers need to have a social media presence in order to succeed in the publishing world.

“It can be extraordinarily empowering, but it can also be somewhat nerve-racking thinking about the necessity of having an online platform or even that disappearing line between the private life and one’s creative work,” Bates said.

Because BookTok is still fairly new, there are many uncertainties going forward.

“Part of the burden and joy of [the literary marketplace] is that it sort of requires us all to stay on our toes,” Bates said. “The marketplace changes quickly; things we were talking about last year, we might not be talking about this year.”

Despite its challenges, the popularity of BookTok is a testament to the passion within the reading community, which is full of people who are always looking for new ways to fuel their love of literature. S