BookTok's End: Are Authors Screwed?

The TikTok Ban is a win for the U.S., but it WILL hurt indie authors

It’s tempting to rejoice at the House, Senate, and President coming together to finally ban TikTok, the app that has done so much to warp our national discourse and the behavior of our teens and children.

That is, until you open the app and see grown people crying because their livelihoods are about to go away. Product sellers and service providers have had great success on this one app and changed their families’ lives.

To say nothing of independent authors.

Tell me any other social media app that has changed so many authors’ fortunes. You’d be hard pressed to do so.

BookTok has been a phenomenon in the author world and, frankly, it seems like the only one right now. Especially without having a big advertising budget.

The Alternatives

I’m sorry to say that none of the short-form video alternatives have anywhere near the organic reach of TikTok. It is much, much harder to get your posts in front of new people on these sites.

I have found Instagram to ooze a spiteful glee in its refusal to a…