The preponderance of romantasy titles on bookstore shelves proves that #BookTok is still a big deal in the world of publishing. Across the world, booksellers are promoting TikTok‘s favorite authors and literary genres to stave off difficult economic conditions.
#BookTok seems to be as big as it’s ever been, which makes the recent developments at TikTok’s publishing wing a bit of a surprise. According to The Bookseller, the ByteDance-owned platform is sunsetting 8th Note Press, a literary entity initially launched in 2023.
Per the Bookseller report, TikTok is currently negotiating with authors and agents to return the rights to titles that had previously been picked up by 8th Note Press. The publishing firm’s former Editorial Director, Allison Moore, departed her post in April, according to her LinkedIn profile.
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TikTok hasn’t publicly commented on the fate of 8th Note Press, but there are plenty more pieces of evidence that point to the firm’s closure. Its TikTok and Instagram accounts have been deactivated, as has its official website. The landing page that detailed 8th Note Press’ partnership with publishing company Zando now throws up a 404.
8th Note Press initially arrived as an e-book publisher. ByteDance planned to use the initiative to reach the Millennial and Gen Z readers who recommend books on TikTok. That effort involved offers to both #BookTok-beloved writers and unheralded authors who work in genres that younger bookworms tend to enjoy.
The Zando partnership, announced in 2024, facilitated the publication of paper books to go along with the digital titles. But only eight months later, 8th Note Press appears to be on the way out. Why?
Sales certainly don’t seem to be the issue. Interest in the top 90 #BookTok authors increased every year between the hashtag’s 2019 inception and 2023. That upward trend continued into the current year, with TikTok-favorite series like Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing driving a 41% year-over-year market share increase for related genres like science fiction and fantasy.
Those tailwinds have convinced independent companies like Bindery to get involved in the #BookTok craze. Even so, it seems like ByteDance never quite figured out how to capitalize on the literary trend it spawned. The Bookseller argued that 8th Note Press missed out on a golden opportunity to sell its tomes via TikTok Shop, and it did not do enough to organically promote the literature it picked up.
As easy as it is to chalk up this development to ByteDance’s failures, perhaps we should consider that the #BookTok may have already peaked. Some creators who use the hashtag have found monetization opportunities to be slim, with publishers preferring to send advance copies of upcoming titles rather than direct payments. We’ll update this post if TikTok comes forward with more details about the presumed demise of 8th Note Press.
