BookTok Account Thrives on the "Concept" of Books
Admin Doesn't Actually Read Any of These Things
A popular BookTok account wants you to know that yes, books exist, and yes, she has some new ones in her apartment.
That's not to assume that Jenna of jenna.loves.reading actually takes the time to read any of these things. Books are reduced to a unit, a commodity, a status symbol. The more colorful, the better.
Reducing an entire novel into a 20 second video clip on a medium based almost entirely on viral visuals and music clips.
Her account (my apologies to anyone who might actually have that handle) is a popular place for people to see just what book Jenna is holding next.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Got it.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Strategically placed on her shelf.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Adults reading YA is so hot right now.
It Starts With Us. Of course, what is this, amatuer hour? Hashtagging Colleen Hoover alone is enough to get a couple thousands views.
But don't ask Jenna to give you any real in-depth criticism about the book other than these half-baked generalities.
If the book is newer and not too many other accounts have reviewed it yet, she might say she "liked it."
If the book is currently trending she will say she "loved it."
If the book is already a best-selling "BookTok book" (there's about 10 that all BookTok accounts must vaunt lest they not trend), she'll say "omg best book ever" or "it changed her life," or "saddest book I ever read...I loved it, though."
Hyperbole rules in this area of social media.
You could safely say "omg best book ever" about Madeline Miller, Sally Rooney, and of course, the new queen of publishing, Colleen Hoover, and no one would challenge you on it.
It is the "best book ever" because a pretty, gatekeeping influencer with a good manicure and 30k followers has deemed it so.
It is the "best book ever" because a pretty, gatekeeping influencer with a good manicure and 20k followers has deemed it so.
For the most part, Jenna likes pretty much every book she reviews. There have been one or two titles that she decided were "too cringe," a phrase she saves for her toughest and most-harditting critiques.
She doesn't dare tell you that something is "over-hyped" because that would mean she would have to actually understand why there was hype. Yes, she would actually have to read one or two of them.
But Jenna's reviews will never go deeper than her first impressions based upon her initial reaction to the cover art and what she's already heard about the book on other Tik Tok accounts. It's the same 50 people informing each other on the same flashy book in an echo chamber; an endless cycle of reviews based on the user's tastes and "feelings."
God forbid one of these admins attempt to analyze or interpret the book, examining how the author structures the text or uses language to convey meaning.
Middle school students sometimes can write better book reviews.
Yet, accounts like Jenna's are extremely important to the publishing world, and some even say that the word "BookTok" has essentially saved the entire industry. According to Leigh Stein's article on LitHub, adult fiction "BookTok authors" saw a huge increase in sales (over 20 million units in 2021).
Those are holy shit numbers.
It's no wonder that book companies are now paying people like Jenna to promote their books. A little "publishing payola."
Is it wrong? No. Is it ethical? Probably not. Is it the most successful advertising campaign that a new book can get?
OMG like totally the best ever.
Short videos of books made by enthusiastic nonreaders. Who knew?