I’m one of those reader types who always wanted to join in on book clubs, but never has enough willing friends or social energy to actually up and join one. Especially not one in person. What if my thoughts on the book are nonsense? What if no one shows up and it’s just me, sitting in the library or café or my own living room, waiting for the door to open but it never does? Okay, yes, that’s all my introvert talking, but still! I’ve never been able to work up the courage.
But I want to talk to someone about the books I’m reading and I’m sure my co-workers are sick of hearing about them, especially since it’s mostly horror novels I’m talking about at 8:15 in the morning. Lucky for me (and my coworkers), TikTok book clubs are a thing now. This is how to join a TikTok book club!
First, What’s a TikTok Book Club?
TikTok with its #BookTok community is rife with fellow bookworms who want to scream about the same books at the same time in practically any genre and subgenre you might want. It’s no surprise these little communities developed book clubs to enhance the engagement and sense of community even further.
The premise is sort of what it sounds like: a creator starts a book club with their followers and whoever else would like to join. They pick a book and everyone reads along together. Then, everyone who reads the book has a space to chat about what they’re reading and what they think. What’s cool about TikTok book clubs is they all work a bit differently.
Let’s discuss a few of those!
How To Join A TikTok Book Club
Sometimes the creators of the book club will set up a hashtag for everyone making videos to use so it’s all easily searchable and compiled in one place. These are great for people who like making videos to share with their following while also engaging in this community-reading aspect. The #TikTokIndigoBookClub works this way. Each month, participants read the selected book, potentially make videos under the hashtag about their thoughts, and get to join in on an exclusive event live event with the author! This book club ran for the summer, so here’s to hoping it comes back next year!
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Other times, they host a live event at a pre-determined time so everyone who read the book can join in and discuss it in the chat. That’s how the official TikTok book club works. Some popular #BookTok creators were selected to be leaders of the club, called BookTok Laureates. They post about the book to spread the word and then at the end of the month they all host a livestream on the platform where everyone who read it can come together and chat about it. These types of book clubs are great for those who like seeing what some of your TikTok faves have to say while still being able to chime in with the chat during the livestream.
TikTok Book Clubs to Join
For most TikTok book clubs, the creator running it will post about the book club on their profile, and then set up a more chat-friendly method off the site like Facebook, Discord, or other platforms.
@CatherinesBookshelf runs the Double Double Books and Trouble book club that features autumnal and scary books year-round on the website Bookclubs.com; @MoonGrlReads_ moderates a YA book club on Fable; and @WeirdoBookClub also has a Fable book club for fellow weird book lovers to join! These are great because there are so many cool features like chapter-by-chapter discussion boards, interactive reading, and more! Plus, these are generally off-camera style so those of you who don’t want your face out there, these are great options!
A TikTok book club can work many different ways, so those of you who like to type wildly long thought posts and those who prefer just sending a thumbs up can all find a group that’s right for you!
So that’s how to join a TikTok book club and a few of the different kinds you’ll find in the #BookTok community. If you’re interesting in other online book clubs, why not check these out? Or, for a niche deep-dive, check out this glimpse into the history of the book club!
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