BookTube

BookTube is a book-specific subset of the YouTube community. The BookTube community has, to date, reached hundreds of thousands of viewers worldwide. While the majority of BookTubers focus on Young Adult literature, many address other genres. BookTube videos also generally follow a set of formats, often drawing upon the wider "bookish" culture and lexicon. There is a distinct set of recognizable faces within BookTube as well as some content created by the publishing community. BookTube is often used to advertise new publications and is cited as a source of growth for the publishing industry.

Background

Though it lacks an exact origin, the BookTube community began around 2010 and has grown exponentially in recent years.[1][2] Today, many channels have thousands (and sometimes hundreds of thousands) of subscribers.[3] BookTube channels exist globally in English, Italian, French, and Spanish, among other languages.[4]

BookTubers often create videos reviewing and discussing Young Adult Literature, but other genres, such as classics, science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, children's literature, comics, romance, and non-fiction, are also represented.

Currently, Christine Riccio (PolandBananasBooks) is the most subscribed BookTuber with over 412,000 subscribers. Other notable figures include Jesse George (Jesse the Reader), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Cindy Pham (readwithcindy), Emma Giordano (emmmabooks), and Kat O'Keefe (katytastic).[3]

BookTube and the publishing industry

The BookTube community has been noted by social media consultants as a potential source of revenue growth for publishing houses. Publishers themselves began to break into the Booktube community around 2009. Since then, they have advertised using book trailers, contracts with existing Booktubers, and their own BookTube web series, such as PaperCuts or Book Studio 16.[5] Still, publishers often utilize independent Booktubers to advertise their books through word of mouth, usually by providing ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies).[6] Often these ARCs will be shipped with other swag designed to increase the hype surrounding the release.[5] Most of these ARCs are sent from the "Big Five" publishers: Hachette, Harper-Collins, MacMillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon-Schuster. This means that one book will often be reviewed many times by the BookTube community.[7]

Types of videos

There are several different types of videos that BookTubers film.[8][9] Some are reviews, with or without spoilers, which detail what Booktubers liked or disliked about specific books.[10] Booktubers often review Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) that are provided by book publishers who may wish to advertise using word of mouth. BookTubers also make haul videos where they discuss their purchases from a trip to the bookstore or give an overview of the books that they've bought within a period of time. Conversely, unhaul videos are videos where BookTubers talk about any books that they are removing from their collection.[4]

Booktuber Juli Ferraro interviews María Kodama, wife of writer Jorge Luis Borges, in a celebration of Reader's Day.

Other common types of videos include:

  • Bookshelf tours, in which BookTubers show the viewer their bookshelves, usually describing each book as they go along.[4]
  • Readalongs, in which BookTubers choose a book and encourage their audience to follow along.[4]
  • TBR (to be read) videos, in which BookTubers list what they intend to read in the immediate future.[4]
  • Wrap-up videos, which list books the BookTuber has read in a particular period of time, typically a week, month, or year.[4]
  • Tag videos, which consist of a series of questions or challenges around a theme which the BookTuber answers, then tags other BookTubers to answer.[4]
  • Discussion videos, which address themes across books or issues that arise in the BookTube community.[4]
  • Collaborations, in which two or more booktubers will join in a video, often playing a game or doing a tag.[3]
  • Interviews with authors.[4]

Traditions and culture

BookTube, rather than a collection of disparate videos, is often considered a community of video makers and watchers with its own culture.[1] There is a shared vocabulary (largely drawn from the wider bookish community), intertextuality (whereby BookTubers react and respond to other BookTubers), common traditions, and some broadly shared values.

A classic rainbow shelfie is a staple of the bookish community, and is also a favorite BookTube backdrop.

Vocabulary
  • Bookternet: the network of book and reading related internet enclaves, including book bloggers,[11] book podcasts,[12] BookTube, Bookstagram,[13] goodreads, and Reblog Bookclub[14]
  • TBR : to be read. These books can be: the next book a BookTuber will read, all unread books owned by a BookTuber, or books, not necessarily owned, that a BookTuber wants to read.[4]
  • DNF : did not finish. A book that a BookTuber chose to not complete[15]
  • Shelfie: a "selfie", or picture, of a bookshelf. Usually shelfies are specifically organized in some theme.[16]
  • ARC : advanced reader copy. A not-for-sale copy of a yet-to-be-published book provided free by the publisher for publicity purposes. The aim of these is to promote a book through word of mouth prior to release.[15]
  • Reading Slump: a period of time in which a BookTuber lacks the inspiration to read, or when reading is much slower than usual[17]
  • Ship, Shipping: to support/endorse a relationship between fictional characters[17]

Traditions
  • Readathon: an event during which participants read together over a defined period of time.
  • Shout outs in which BookTubers recommend other BookTube channels in their videos.
  • NaNoWriMo: Many BookTubers, who are also avid writers, tend to participate in this challenge during which one attempts to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November.
  • Read-alongs are when a Booktuber will read a certain amount of a book per week so that viewers can follow along and add discussion.

Much of BookTube and its culture overlaps with the broader YouTube writing community. It's common for BookTubers to also be writers, and their videos can include writing advice or author logs.[3] Individual BookTubers have had an impact on the community as they write, publish, and promote their own books on their channel.[18]

Outside of YouTube, BookTubers can be found at book and YouTube conventions like YallFest,[19] BookCon,[20] and VidCon.[21]

References
  1. "A new digital phenomenon: the rise of the Booktubers". Cafebabel. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  2. Perkins, Kathryn (2017-11-15). "The Boundaries of BookTube". The Serials Librarian. 73 (3–4): 352–356. doi:10.1080/0361526x.2017.1364317. ISSN 0361-526X. S2CID 67331084.
  3. León, Concepción de (2018-07-31). "Meet the YouTube Stars Turning Viewers Into Readers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  4. Techavanich, Kristine (4 September 2015). "BookTube–YouTube's Bookish Community". Public Libraries Online. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  5. Daspin, Eileen (23 June 2016). "Shelfies, BookTube videos court readers: Publishers take a page out of social media playbook". USA Today. ProQuest 1799072364.
  6. Kalpaxis, Vicky (2020-02-09). "How the Publishing Industry Is Cashing in on Influencer Culture". Observer. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  7. Brekelmans, Ashley (7 November 2017). "The Reality of BookTube: An Analysis of how BookTube Affects Marketing Within the Publishing Industry". Thinkubator.
  8. "6 Types of Videos Unique to BookTube". ZEFR Insights. 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  9. "15 BookTubers To Suit Your Reading Personality". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  10. "Great Sci-Fi & Fantasy BookTubers to Follow". Tor.com. 2016-07-26. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  11. Inc, Scribendi. "The 17 Best Book Blogs to Read in 2017 | Scribendi.com". Retrieved 2017-05-20.
  12. Lowe, Simon (2016-11-07). "Words in your ears: the 10 best books podcasts". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
  13. "How To Fabulously Get Started On #Bookstagram". Paper Fury. 2016-07-16. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
  14. "Reblog Book Club". Reblog Book Club. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
  15. Shunarrah, Mandy. "A Short Glossary of Book Nerds' Commonly Used Terms". Off the Beaten Shelf. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
  16. Fallon, Claire (2014-07-24). "What's Your Book Shelfie Style?". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  17. WhispersOfTheSilentWind (2016-01-23), Bookish Internet Terms | A Bibliophile's Guide, retrieved 2017-05-20
  18. Calpaxis, Vicky (2020-02-09). "How the Publishing Industry Is Cashing in on Influencer Culture". Observer. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  19. "YALLFest BookTuber Booksplosion". YALLFest. Archived from the original on 18 May 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  20. "Where Storytelling and Pop Culture Collide - BookCon 2020". www.bookcon.com. 2015-05-31. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  21. "VidCon 2020 | June 17–20 @ Anaheim, California". VidCon. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
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