booktok is ruining reading
I'm going to ruffle some feathers with this one
let me just start off by saying I am in no way directing any of this at booktok creators, I have a love/hate with booktok because there are positives to the amazing community it is, however I want to discuss some things I have noticed that aren’t so positive.
reading is a hobby that EVERYONE does differently, there is no right way to read, it is a hobby of full autonomy and is truly enjoyed differently depending on who you are.
I have been an avid reader since I was in middle school, about 12ish years, and like every hobby I have fallen out of love with it and all it takes is one great book and i’m back into it.
I got back into reading in 2020 during covid, no where to go nothing to do, might as well pick up reading again. It was around that time that social media, specifically TikTok, really started to explode, and thus booktok was born.
here are a few points of discussion when it comes to booktok and the impact it has had on reading/publishing:
expecting authors to push out books one right after the other
this has to be one of my biggest gripes of publishing right now. as someone who grew up having to wait for books to get stocked at my school library I understand how absolutely brutal the wait can be, you want the next book as soon as possible. that being said, the expectation for an author to write and release the next book in a series in a few months is disrespectful to the author and the writing/publishing process.
sometimes I do think that the pressure comes to the author from the publisher, to stay relevant, stay on top, and push out as many books as possible in a short amount of time. take fourth wing for example, 2 books in the span of the year, another barely a year later and one of the biggest critiques is: “it felt rushed”.
there is a balance between staying relevant and keeping readers engaged vs taking your time to connect plot points and write a meaningful well put together story, readers who are loyal to your series/books will wait the long wait for the next book.
quantity over quality
I have seen an abundance of authors throwing out poorly written books with mirroring plot lines simply to stay relevant and to appeal to as many people as possible. as a loyal reader I would much rather wait years for an author to release a unique and well written book that is true to their writing style and who they are as an author than copy and paste the same plot line and change it up slightly. the amount of books you write and publish does not make you a better author, it is the quality and timelessness of your books. take Jane Austen for example who has written AMAZING literature that is still able to be picked up and enjoyed to this day, that is what we need to get back to.
overconsumption
having 100s of books on your shelves, half of which you have never read, is overconsumption. I fell victim to this in 2020 by buying books I had seen on TikTok and when I got them they were just… okay, nothing I would ever reread so I ended ups selling/donating them. while I understand the aesthetic of having a home library, stock it with stories that mean something to you, so when someone points it out or asks you can speak to it.
I cannot urge people to go to the library or use libby to borrow books, most libraries also take requests for new/upcoming books and there is ALWAYS something you can find to read. in the new age of overconsumption and buying books I fear we are going to lose the library just like when blockbuster went out of business when people started getting things direct to them. however, I do think booktok has saved book stores like barnes and noble because people are still going out and buying books because of how romanticized and in it is on booktok.
judging people based on their reading tastes
I can’t count the amount of videos i’ve came across starting with “if you have these/read these I don’t trust your recommendations”. I fear we are losing the plot of what reading really is, it’s not for someone else to approve or validate, it is whatever brings the reader the most joy and happiness. do I love manga/comic books? no, but that I will always listen to why people love the books they do because that is the real sense of community: embracing differing opinions, thoughts, and loves.
over saturation of the same plot line
the amount of books titled “a court of ….”, originality is what I look for as a reader, what can a series provide me that I have absolutely never read before. now don’t get me wrong I do enjoy the same hallmark romance every now and then but the abundance of half finished, AI embellished books that come out and on the back you read “fans of fourth wing will love this” or “hunger games meets…” it is such a turn off when authors use other books and story lines to promote their own, be original, promote that.
I find reading blogs/booktube to be much less toxic and I genuinely love the recommendations and content I read. this is always a safe space to promote what YOU love, because everyones taste is different, that’s what makes reading so fun.
Lets take the performance out of reading and get back to reading for pure escape from our lives and what we may have going on.
that all being said, here are some great bookfluencers I really enjoy who don’t give me reading fatigue or fomo for not having 10000 books or being able to read 20 books a week:
Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts and opinions on booktok below!