If TikTok gets banned, where will BookTok find community next?

The mood has changed somewhat among BookTok users as TikTok’s January 19 sell-or-ban deadline approaches. That the popular online reading community could soon be a thing of the past has sparked a panic over cross-platform posts and follow-ups, as well as users posting as usual in the hope that the Supreme Court will lift the ban.

In December, BookTok content creator Sera Wright recorded a video for her nearly 77,000 followers. She held a tiny, fuzzy microphone in her hand as she delivered a comforting message to her fellow readers: “BookTok didn’t create the book community, the book community created BookTok.”

Readers prepare by getting ready to follow their favorite BookTok creators elsewhere

As oral arguments on the TikTok ban began before the Supreme Court on Jan. 10 and set a deadline of Jan. 19, USA TODAY spoke with readers and content creators. They all seemed to agree on one thing: BookTok refused to be banned – until now.

“It just seems so unscrupulous to me,” says Ryan Carr, a reader and BookTok creator in Los Angeles. “Towards the end of the year we woke up and were all like, what do we do? A lot of people don’t know.”

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Cross-platform following is one answer. Letitia Asare from New York has started preparing by following her favorite creators on Instagram, YouTube and Substack so she doesn’t lose them if TikTok becomes unavailable. But she worries about whether these creators will be able to retain their following or whether it will feel like “the work they’ve done is just lost.”

And while the potential ban is specific to the U.S., Nic Marna, a reader in Montreal known to his followers as @bookbinch, is also feeling the pinch. When you look from the outside in, it feels like everyone is “in disarray,” he says. He has even started promoting his YouTube channel more with TikTok videos and investing more energy into his Substack since much of his book community and following is in the US

“This change feels like a wave that I have to ride too,” he says. “Will TikTok just stop being interesting to me because everyone I know is gone? Perhaps. I have to see how this works.”

The next BookTok? Where readers are flocking in the face of a possible TikTok ban

Bookstagram is the obvious runner-up to BookTok – many content creators are already on the Meta-owned platform, plus it has Reels, a similar short-video content feature to TikTok.

Dominique Raccah, Publisher and CEO of Sourcebooks, looks at the TikTok ban in India in 2020 to predict social media behavior – most TikTok users went to Instagram or YouTube for similar video features. But she also says that we should keep an eye on BlueSky and Threads. Asare believes Substack and YouTube could gain traction among readers of literary fiction seeking a platform for in-depth discussion and analysis.

“I don’t think it can be repeated, so we will feel a loss,” Asare said. “No matter what happens with the other platforms, it won’t solve exactly the same problem. So I think there will be an adjustment period if it really goes away.”

Bookstagram is nowhere near as search friendly as BookTok. You can’t type in “books to read when you’re feeling lost” per se and get a perfectly curated overview of coming-of-age novels. YouTube is another option, but there is a push for polished videos with a fancy camera or editing software.

“I think we’re probably going to go through a period of dispersal and need to rebuild our community,” says Rachel Whitehurst, who runs literary marketing firm The Nerd Fam. “BookTok has grown so quickly because it is an easy platform to engage on.”

Similarly, Carr credits TikTok’s simplicity and discoverability for giving him the confidence to begin publishing his book opinions in the first place.

“The fact that everyone has a chance at something like TikTok is important,” he says. “Everyone can feel like their vote is worth it. I was nervous about putting myself out there, and then I found so many people who had similar interests.”

If the next big thing is Instagram or Threads, Whitehurst worries that Meta recently put its fact-checking and hate speech processes on hold. Several YouTubers told USA TODAY that their book videos are poorly received on Instagram compared to TikTok, with more snarky comments and fewer views and what feels like a less targeted algorithm.

“It scares me that my comments section might be filled with hate speech,” Whitehurst says, adding that she’s more concerned about creators who aren’t a “straight-faced, cis white woman” like herself. “Making sure they are safe is more important to me than maintaining a platform on a particular social media.”

Despite the TikTok ban, readers are dreaming of new platforms

Even if the TikTok ban isn’t enforced, it’s an opportunity for some readers to try new avenues. Wright says she’s grateful to TikTok for her platform, but is looking for a new space to talk about books next. She’s frustrated that some novels have a “forever run” and that TikTok dramas take off quickly.

“I personally think BookTok has reached its peak,” she says. “I think we’re at a point now where ARCs are such high-value commodities that publishers are offering paid options. … I don’t see where BookTok would take the book industry from here.”

This prompted Wright to text her friend, author Emma Berry, to start a literary magazine – by readers and for readers. Readin’ Magazine, which launches February 1, has quickly recruited about 60 volunteers to contribute Y2K-style columns, book discussions and interviews. Although TikTok changed Wright’s life, it’s smaller, conscious communities outside the app like this one that have made an even bigger impact, she says.

“Even if TikTok stays, I think BookTok will continue to grow in areas outside of TikTok,” says Berry, its co-founder.

Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s book reporter, where she covers new releases, chats with authors and delves into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagramlook at them Current articles or tell her what you’re reading at [email protected].

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