By: Teresa Gong

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has recently started courting self-published romance writers through its publishing arm, 8th Note Press. Details about ByteDance’s publishing plans are limited. The company is offering advances, royalties, and comprehensive online marketing services to authors. TikTok’s massive user base, which includes more than 150 million users in the United States, has demonstrated a keen interest in books, as indicated by the billions of views on videos tagged #BookTok.

“This could be the next big thing,” Mariah Dietz, a self-published romance author, said of ByteDance’s publishing arm.

Authors like Colleen Hoover have seen huge rises in their popularity thanks to exposure on the platform, resulting in millions of book sales. Sales driven by more than 100 authors with large BookTok followings reached $760 million in 2022, an increase of 60 percent over 2021, according to Circana BookScan, which tracks print sales. So far this year, sales have gone up nearly 40 percent over last year, says NY Times.

ByteDance says it will focus on digital books with limited print-on-demand runs until TikTok launches an online retail store. While the company’s advances to authors have not yet matched those offered by traditional publishing houses, the company maintains that they are competitive with industry standards. For now, ByteDance appears to be focusing on genres like fantasy, romance, and mystery, which align with TikTok’s user preferences.

Some industry professionals remain skeptical about ByteDance’s ability to gain a significant market share. The publishing industry is still largely rooted in analog practices and relies on relationships between readers and writers. Print sales continue to make up the majority of trade publishers’ revenues. This necessitates printing and distribution capabilities, as well as relationships with booksellers.

And even with increased visibility on TikTok, books must captivate readers to generate sales.

“They can get more eyeballs, but is that going to translate into sales?” asked Cindy Hwang, the vice president and editorial director of Berkley] . “It’s not just about getting the hits, it’s about getting readers to buy the book.”