Are young people reading en masse again thanks to #BookTok? “They mainly turn to English-language books” | Art & Literature

BookTokkers share their reading tips en masse on TikTok and thus influence the reading behavior of many young people. The hashtag #BookTok has already been viewed more than 154.5 billion times worldwide. Bookstores are picking up on this en masse. Many stores now have a special section with the most popular BookTok titles of the moment.

The popularity of #BookTok could create the illusion that many young people are reading more. But according to Vé Bobelyn, General Manager of publishing house VBK Belgium, this statement needs to be nuanced. “Young people who have inherited the reading bug from their parents are likely to continue to read at different stages of their lives. But it is dangerous to say that young people read more under the influence of TikTok. There are still too few figures to confirm that.”

She adds that the definition of reading is not limited to reading books. “Young people who read short pieces on social media, in principle, also read,” she says. “So the story is not so black and white.”

Whether young people read more or not, bookshops do everything they can to attract young audiences to their stores. A ‘BookTok event’ will be organized for the fourth time on Saturday in the Standaard Boekhandel in Geraardsbergen. Yasmine, BookTokker herself as @TheBookishYasmine, works in the branch and took the initiative for the events. “I always make sure that the most popular titles on BookTok are in stock in the store,” said Yasmine.

Standaard Boekhandel Leuven recently even converted their basement into a new shopping area. The new section ‘YA-Underground’ is specially designed for young people and is completely devoted to ‘Young Adult’, a genre that focuses on young adults.

In both branches they notice that young people mainly reach for English-language books. “I think that 80 percent of the young adults we sell are English speaking,” says the head of the YA department in Leuven. BookTokker and saleswoman Yasmine have noticed that Dutch-language publishers have recently responded more to the BookTok trends: “English-language books are being translated into Dutch more quickly.” She adds that more and more special hardcover editions are also being released.

Vé Bobelyn says that they are indeed trying to bring the Dutch translations to the market as quickly as possible: “We are trying to negotiate with the rights managers to get the Dutch edition to the market first,” says Bobelyn.

“Through new digital platforms, such as TikTok, we see that English-speaking young adult has indeed become very successful. That may be frightening for Dutch and Flemish authors,” says the General Director of VBK Belgium. That is why they are experimenting with publishing options. “If Dutch or Flemish authors are open to it, we will see if we can also market their books in English. With this we can also reach the foreign market.”

Shania Gooris is also an avid reader. In collaboration with MNM she made the podcast ‘READ THIS!’. Every week she discusses a popular book together with some BookTokkers.