As TikTok ban looms in Supreme Court, BookTok community scrambles to other apps

There’s been a bit of a vibe shift among BookTok users as TikTok's Jan. 19 sell-or-ban deadline approaches. That the beloved online reader community could soon be a thing of the past spurred a panic of cross-platforming posting and follow trains, plus users who are posting business-as-usual in hopes the Supreme Court strikes down the ban.

In December, BookTok content creator Sera Wright sat down to record a video for her nearly 77,000 followers. She held a tiny fuzzy microphone as she spoke a message of solace to fellow readers: “BookTok didn’t create the book community, the book community created BookTok.”

Readers prepare by ‘scrambling’ to follow favorite BookTok creators elsewhere

As oral arguments in the TikTok ban at the Supreme Court began Jan. 10, and with a Jan. 19 deadline for it to take place, USA TODAY spoke with readers and content creators. They all seemed to agree on one thing: BookTok was in denial about a ban – until now.

“It just seems so unconscionable,” says Ryan Carr, a reader and BookTok creator from Los Angeles. “Towards the end of the year, we started to wake up and we’re all asking each other, what are we going to do? A lot of people don’t know.”

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 in the event TikTok becomes unavailable. But she’s worried about whether those creators will be able to maintain their followings or if it’ll feel like “the work they did is just lost.”

And though the potential ban is specific to the U.S., Nic Marna, a reader in Montreal known to followers as @bookbinch, is feeling the crunch, too. On the outside looking in, it feels like everyone is “scrambling,” he says. He’s even started promoting his YouTube channel more at the end of TikTok videos and dedicating more energy to his Substack, as much of his bookish community and following is in the U.S.

“That shift feels like a wave that I have to ride as well,” he says. “Is TikTok going to just stop being interesting to me because everyone I know is gone? Maybe. I have to see how that goes.”

What happens if BookTok goes away?: How decision could impact publishing

The next BookTok? Where readers are flocking amid 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 to India’s 2020 TikTok ban to predict social media behavior – most TikTok users went to Instagram or YouTube for their similar video features. But she also says we should keep our eyes poised on BlueSky and Threads. Asare thinks Substack and YouTube might gain traction with literary fiction readers who seek a platform for long-form discussion and analysis.

“I don’t think it can be replicated, so we will feel a loss,” Asare says. “No matter what happens to the other platforms, it’s not going to scratch the exact same itch. So I think there will be an adjustment period if it really does go away.”

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

“I think that we’re probably going to go through a period of scattering and having to rebuild our community,” says Rachel Whitehurst, who runs literary marketing company The Nerd Fam. “BookTok grew so quickly because it’s an easy platform to become involved with.”

Similarly, Carr credits the ease and discoverability aspect of TikTok for giving him the confidence to start posting his book opinions in the first place.

“The fact that everyone has a chance on something like TikTok is important,” he says. “Anyone can feel like their voice is worth it. I was nervous to put myself out there and then I found so many people who have similar interests.”

If the next big thing is Instagram or Threads, Whitehurst worries about Meta's recent shelving of its fact-check and hate speech screening processes. Several creators told USA TODAY their book videos are received poorly on Instagram as compared to TikTok, with more derisive comments and fewer views amid what feels like a less-targeted algorithm.

“It’s scary to me that my comment section could very much be overwhelmed with hate speech,” Whitehurst says, adding that she worries more for creators who aren’t a “straight-presenting, cis white woman” like she is. “I care more about making sure that they are safe than maintaining a platform on a certain social media.”

Regardless of TikTok ban, readers dream of new platforms

For some readers, even if the TikTok ban doesn’t go through, it’s an opportunity to try new avenues. Wright says she’s grateful to TikTok for her platform, but that she’s looking for a new kind of space to talk about books next. She feels frustrated that a few novels get “run time forever" and the quick-hit nature of TikTok drama.

“I personally think that BookTok has kind of reached its peak,” she says. “I think we're at a point now where ARCs are such high commodities, publishers are offering paid opportunities. … I don’t see where BookTok was going to take the book industry from here.”

This is what prompted Wright to text her friend, bookish creator Emma Berry, to start a literary magazine – by readers and for readers. Readin’ Magazine, which launches Feb. 1, quickly snatched up around 60 volunteers to contribute to Y2K-style columns, book discussions and interviews. Though TikTok has changed Wright's life, it's smaller, intentional communities outside of the app like these that have made an even bigger impact, she says.

“Even if TikTok stays, I think where we will continue to see BookTok grow is in the spaces outside of TikTok,” Berry, her co-founder, says.

Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, check out her recent articles or tell her what you’re reading at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: If TikTok gets banned, where will BookTok find community next?