According to Alina | Why there are no great writers anymore @accordingtoalina | Uploaded March 2024 | Updated October 2024, 3 hours ago.
Statements like “Tiktok is ruining literature” or “Tiktok has ruined reading” have been at the core of book discourse online and off for over two years now.
We’ve arrived at a point in book culture where the publishing landscape is, for better or worse, shaped by Tiktok, more specifically the book niche on Tiktok, the infamous booktok.
Whether you agree that booktok is the end of literature or the future of storytelling, the fact remains that at the moment, writers are all but subjugated to its volatile trends.
In this video, I talk about what this might mean for individual authors and for the figure of the "great writer".
timestamps:
00:00 - intro
01:59 - what is a "great writer"?
08:28 - everyone's a sellout now
23:24 - likeability is a jail
29:47 - to promote or not to promote
references and resources:
videos on the "tiktok is ruining literature" debate
Jack Edwards: youtube.com/watch?v=xtG4OKU7q-M&t=107s
The Book Leo: youtube.com/watch?v=gu2Q1unqr7U&t=2027s
videos about the Cait Corrain situation
with Cindy: youtube.com/watch?v=FY4vgK9B8sk
videos about the "death of the It Girl"
Jordan Theresa: youtube.com/watch?v=RQiZlKoAbSg&t=8s
Nicole Rafiee: youtube.com/watch?v=XOkoT4fwzt4
the one Mina Le video I mentioned: youtube.com/watch?v=kH6Xmkd1g6k
The Polyester podcast episode about the "people's princess": open.spotify.com/episode/1EldY86TKyCie5c6Prsxq6?si=pyCUt0odSmy-jXd5OxYdCA
Briana Soler's newsletter: brianasoler.substack.com/p/back-to-basics
Articles
Literary It Girls: nylon.com/life/the-makings-of-a-literary-it-girl
Everyone's a sellout now: vox.com/culture/2024/2/1/24056883/tiktok-self-promotion-artist-career-how-to-build-following
Cait Corrain Guardian story: theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/13/cait-corrain-publisher-drops-author-fake-accounts-review-bomb
Alex Aster Guardian story: theguardian.com/books/2022/aug/16/alex-aster-interview-lightlark-booktok-tiktok
Books
A Very Short Introduction to Bestsellers: global.oup.com/academic/product/bestsellers-a-very-short-introduction-9780199214891?cc=gb&lang=en&#
The Death of the Artist: How Creators are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech: us.macmillan.com/books/9781250125514/thedeathoftheartist
Thank you so much for watching xxx
Statements like “Tiktok is ruining literature” or “Tiktok has ruined reading” have been at the core of book discourse online and off for over two years now.
We’ve arrived at a point in book culture where the publishing landscape is, for better or worse, shaped by Tiktok, more specifically the book niche on Tiktok, the infamous booktok.
Whether you agree that booktok is the end of literature or the future of storytelling, the fact remains that at the moment, writers are all but subjugated to its volatile trends.
In this video, I talk about what this might mean for individual authors and for the figure of the "great writer".
timestamps:
00:00 - intro
01:59 - what is a "great writer"?
08:28 - everyone's a sellout now
23:24 - likeability is a jail
29:47 - to promote or not to promote
references and resources:
videos on the "tiktok is ruining literature" debate
Jack Edwards: youtube.com/watch?v=xtG4OKU7q-M&t=107s
The Book Leo: youtube.com/watch?v=gu2Q1unqr7U&t=2027s
videos about the Cait Corrain situation
with Cindy: youtube.com/watch?v=FY4vgK9B8sk
videos about the "death of the It Girl"
Jordan Theresa: youtube.com/watch?v=RQiZlKoAbSg&t=8s
Nicole Rafiee: youtube.com/watch?v=XOkoT4fwzt4
the one Mina Le video I mentioned: youtube.com/watch?v=kH6Xmkd1g6k
The Polyester podcast episode about the "people's princess": open.spotify.com/episode/1EldY86TKyCie5c6Prsxq6?si=pyCUt0odSmy-jXd5OxYdCA
Briana Soler's newsletter: brianasoler.substack.com/p/back-to-basics
Articles
Literary It Girls: nylon.com/life/the-makings-of-a-literary-it-girl
Everyone's a sellout now: vox.com/culture/2024/2/1/24056883/tiktok-self-promotion-artist-career-how-to-build-following
Cait Corrain Guardian story: theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/13/cait-corrain-publisher-drops-author-fake-accounts-review-bomb
Alex Aster Guardian story: theguardian.com/books/2022/aug/16/alex-aster-interview-lightlark-booktok-tiktok
Books
A Very Short Introduction to Bestsellers: global.oup.com/academic/product/bestsellers-a-very-short-introduction-9780199214891?cc=gb&lang=en&#
The Death of the Artist: How Creators are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech: us.macmillan.com/books/9781250125514/thedeathoftheartist
Thank you so much for watching xxx
