In an effort to promote some of its new romance novels, Simon & Schuster is harnessing the power of the community known as BookTok. This summer, six creators affiliated with TikTok‘s literary community will cohabitate at a creator house in the seaside city of Brighton, U.K.
The featured BookTokers will occupy the creator house during the first weekend of July. Invited channels include Library of Lina, Ella Simps for Books, Compulsive Book Buyers, Rhys and Baby, and Booked Up, which all occupy the same literary niche. Through scavenger hunts and visits to local bookstores, the assembled creators will discover new titles like The Long Game by Elena Armas and Wildfire by Hannah Grace.
To launch its steamiest creator house to date, Simon & Schuster teamed up with content marketing agency Rocket. This is the second time the two companies have linked up to establish a BookTok-inspired creator house.
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“As industry leaders in the romance space, we have loved collaborating with content creators on TikTok over these past few years to further amplify the power of romance and reach swathes of new readers,” said S&S U.K. Marketing Manager Sarah Jeffcoate in a statement. “Passionate and imaginative, the BookTok community have done incredible things to advance attitudes and further our #RespectRomFic mission, and we’re proud to work alongside them. Collaborating with Rocket on a romance-specific creator house feels like the natural next step.”
Over the past decade, the publishing and creator industries have become increasingly intertwined, and Simon & Schuster is one of the companies leading that push. Its Keywords Press brand was one of the first imprints to ink deals with notable influencers. More recently, the Gallery Books imprint has provided authorial opportunities for creators like DrDisrespect and Avani Gregg.
These days, BookTok is the place many readers go for reviews and criticism, and publishers are eager to get in on the conversation. Numerous reports have suggested a positive correlation between BookTok traffic and sales at brick-and-mortar bookstores.
In July, booksellers in Brighton will be able to benefit from that connection. As for the BookTokers themselves, who knows what will happen when they all meet up at the S&S creator house? Perhaps some romances will blossom; if that happens, it would make for a great story.
