TikTok has partnered with Penguin Random House to bring a new Booktok feature to connected literature lovers. Learn all about it here!

If someone describes themselves as a bookworm, you might guess they’re a bit of a technophobe. It’s easy to assume that the enjoyment of paper pages and digital screens is mutually exclusive. Booktok has truly dispelled this.

Book clubs enable readers to come together and enthuse about a new author or title. Ideas and interpretations are discussed, and reviews offered. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the majority of in-person gatherings have undergone a digital makeover.

What Is Booktok?

Booktok serves as an online, global book club that helps connect existing book lovers, and encourages new readers.

The Booktok trend started off in 2020, but really gained traction earlier this year. Large book stores and companies, like Waterstones, were remarking on how bookshops were filled with young people again. Scenes were reminiscent of new Harry Potter release periods.

The hashtag #Booktok has had 77 million global views to date. It connects passionate readers to form a global, creative community. Users create videos sharing their favourite reads, highlighting exciting authors, and reviewing books of all kinds.

Whilst the publishing industry implements considered marketing campaigns and innovative advertising, its greatest tool is still word of mouth. Recognising the power of Booktok, TikTok has created an engaging new Booktok feature.

TikTok x Penguin Random House

Two of the world’s largest publishers, Penguin and Random House combined in 2013 to form a powerhouse publishing conglomerate. Last week, TikTok announced a partnership with them that would see a new way for users to tap into the Booktok community.

Users will now be able to link their favourite Penguin Random House directly to videos. These links will direct viewers to a dedicated page that offers information about the book, including a brief summary of the plot. As well as this, other videos that have linked to the same book can be navigated to from its dedicated page.

At the moment, users in the US and UK can access the feature by clicking Add Link and searching for Book before posing their video. The featured book will then appear above the captions of the video for all to see.

Users can save titles to their Favourites, enabling them to build a reading list directly on their TikTok accounts. Speaking on the new feature, Head of Social, Penguin Random House U.S., Alyssa Castaneda said:

“Nothing else engages readers like #BookTok—it brings books to life in a whole new way. At the same time, #BookTok validates that word of mouth is still the most powerful force for our industry. People want to know how a book will make them feel, and TikTok values authenticity more than any other platform. We are so excited to have the opportunity to partner with TikTok to make the best parts of the platform—discovery and community—even stronger.”

If you’ve ever drifted around a bookshop, unsure of what you’re looking for but overwhelmed by choice, then you’ll know the exact feeling that Booktok eliminates. It’s now never been easier to stumble across a new title and get an engaging overview and flavour of the writing.

TikTok is proud of the wholesome corner of the platform that Booktok has helped forge. The company explained, “We’ve watched #BookTok help reignite a love and interest for reading while growing a community of book lovers on and off the platform, further fuelling our motivation and commitment to continue innovating on the behalf of our community. We learn from our community every day, listening to deliver an experience in which anyone can easily create and discover content that is relatable, enjoyable, and shareable.”