BookTok, Indie Bookstores, and Booming Sales of Physical Books

WHAT CAN AUTHORS LEARN?

I’ve gotten lost on BookTok quite a few times. The scenes that stick out in my mind the most are when BookTokers hold several books in both arms, all stories they’ve read in the past week, and prop them up to the screen while summarizing how much they’ve enjoyed (or didn’t) the words on the page.

Part of me is jealous that these people can read a book every two days. The other part of me is pleasantly shocked that these readers are actually holding physical books instead of showing screenshots of e-books.

How is it, in this digital era, when so much of our daily lives happen online, that physical books are selling more furiously than they did pre-pandemic? Wouldn’t it make more sense that online platforms like TikTok push readers to digital mediums rather than physical books? And why after decades of bookstores shutting down are more stores being built? None of this makes any sense; except it makes perfect sense, and we’re about to break it down on Writers Are Superstars and leave you with lessons you can apply to your writing journey.