Booktok: The Same Book Posted 200 Times

I know I know. It’s a controversial topic but one I feel needs to be spoken on. We all get book recommendations from many sources and spots, example : Booktok, Bookstagram, Threads, Friends, etc.

But we also know there is some discourse and discussion on the books recommended in those spaces. From a book being over hyped to possibly letting a problematic author keep gaining more notoriety. From a book letting you down, even though so many say it was great, to an author you never heard of that is now your most recommended author. 

We tend to find the same repeat of books on Booktok, with endless “this was the best book I have read in a while!” - it leaves us wondering, is it actually that good, or is it only being hyped up and said it’s amazing because Booktok has deemed it popular?

I see a lot of posts that typically are along the lines of, “I never see X, Y, or Z ever promoted! I only see E,F, and G! Are indie authors not getting any support?!”

The answer is - yes they are getting support but are also being drowned out by the more “popular” authors and series / stand alone books. It also goes to show, maybe your algorithm isn’t geared towards those indie authors and that’s why you are missing them. 

A lot will speak on “wanting to read diversely” but never actually do, because they aren’t in that section of the book community due to who they follow and how their algorithm is. It’s like they are stuck in a box. 

I’m not saying every book recommended by Booktok, or Bookstagram is that way. I have found so many great authors through both social media outlets, but I have also curated my algorithm and who I follow to be more diverse and more indie author centered, so when I see those questions of, “why am I only seeing this and not that?”, I can answer with the certainty of resetting your algorithm and finding some books accounts that typically wouldn’t be on your radar or in your circle, because to find those new authors, you have to try and break out from the box. 

Booktok is a resource that can be good and bad; same could be said with Bookstagram too. But when a book makes it big or “viral” on Booktok, I tend to see some creators also pitch that book and recommend it cause they are also hoping for that viral hit or more views and followers without even reading the book. This tends to clog up the FYP and show the same books over and over. These popular books then tend to be called “the big 3” or you’ll hear “if you haven’t read it-you aren’t a reader” which isn’t fair, because each reader is different and not every reader will enjoy the same genre which than can actually put pressure on newer book accounts trying to navigate the book space and make them feel that they have to read that book even when it isn’t what they like to read. This can also lead to DNFs and low star reviews sometimes, as well as may put someone off on reading that authors other titles too. It can also add an amount of pressure that they could feel “not valid” in their own reading space or community. 

I know I can say when I first started on Booktok in 2022, I got bombarded by ACOTAR, The Ravenhood series, CoHo, etc and while I will never yuck anyone’s yum and what they enjoy to read, I also know that it made me feel like I had to read those books and authors because that’s all I was seeing. It happened with Bookstagram too, it was the same way, same repeat of authors and books. But the point I am trying to make is, I remember that pressure of not reading these bigger, more popular books I was constantly seeing, and it almost did feel like a “right of passage” even though they may not be up my alley. As most know at my core I am a horror and thriller reader that has branched into smut. Booktok made it seem like it was going to be the best book I ever read, and honestly, with the over hype on some books, I was left underwhelmed by the book but wanted to push through just so I could say, “yeah I did read it”.  What I wouldn’t say back then was, “Yeah I read it because Booktok recommended it and I actually hated it” — now not so much. There are a few popular books that I honestly couldn’t get past chapter one with. 

So there has to be a solution on how to break out of the popular Booktok cycle right? Exactly right, and it’s all about how you build your algorithm. While I will on occasion see the same book three or four times, with me also following a mass amount of book accounts and authors, it’s balanced out and allows me to find new to me authors as well. 

Booktok is good and bad. It can platform authors in ways that help them gain exposure, but it can also cycle and repeat the same book until literally you want to pull your hair out. 

So next time you see the next big popular book on social media and posted a million times over, don’t feel like you have to read it just because Booktok says it’s popular. If you want to read it, do it because it is the genre you like, or has the tropes you like or is an author you have enjoyed previously or a new author that has got you with that hook line.