I wish I were more surprised about the rude emails 🙄 $7/mo feels like a drop in the business expense bucket, if you're serious about making it your business 🤷🏽♀️ Thank you for these newsletters. Happy to pay for a subscription!
I strongly disagree with the assertion that 2025 will be transformative in terms of social media use for authors. It doesn't matter how many new platforms emerge, or what happens to TikTok. The 18-35 demographic that uses TikTok will forget about it in a matter of weeks or months. No social media use transformation will take place until the social media business model changes. Or, a vast majority of people stop using the existing platforms. (Not likely!)
The profit of selling user data (acquired for free!) and the ability to sell access to user manipulation to governments and businesses is too powerful for the current platforms to pass up. Social media platforms must change from the BUMMER business model (as defined by Jaron Lanier in 'Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now), to a business model where the platforms pay users for access to their data and users must pay for access to the platform.
Under the BUMMER business model, all social media platforms end up in the same condition. They become toxic spaces where the loudest, most negative, and outrageous misinformation purveyors gain the most followers in a rush to monetize the platform. As long as agents and publishers force writers to wade into this toxic wasteland to demonstrate they have an audience to secure representation or a book contract, nothing will change about social media use for authors, or anyone else.
Thanks for your insight into this Kathleen. The whole issue & your analysis is why it's so important for authors to grow their own email list. (Yay Substack - but also in any other way they want.) That direct relationship (no matter how big or small the list) is the most important marketing asset they have:) 🙏🏻
Hmmm. I would think that without TikTok readers will still read. They’ll just need to rely on different sources to figure out WHAT to read. That seems like a book publicity problem rather than a book publishing problem (though obviously some publishers will see losses while others may see gains). Am I missing something? Is TikTok responsible for getting people to read more than they would if they didn’t spend time on TikTok?
I believe Jen answered your question, but I will also chime in to say that TikTok is responsible for increased visibility of books, which in turn increased sales substantially for particular titles. This has been well reported by media. People already rely on different mediums to find book recommendations. They rely a lot less on traditional media.
Yes to the publicity and marketing question because BookTok has reached readers that traditional channels may not have- so it's a driver for discoverability. And it's discoverability that's driven by the author cultivating their own audience.
From that perspective it has everything to do with the publishing industry because publishers want authors who understand how to cultivate readers = book sales. (In whatever means they do it, email, speaking, BookTok etc.) When an author has a an audience of engaged readers ready to buy = bottom line book sales. And even if you don't have an audience on TikTok but your book is talked about by an influencer that's new readers discovering it. It's a nice bump in sales.
Thank you so much for sharing, Kathleen. With all of the talk about TikTok, I too have been wondering why the Big Five haven't chimed in. Appreciate you sharing these insights.
Thanks for the clear explanation of what is going on on that front.
As a person outside the US, I will have to wait and see how the platform will be without US creators. I know it helps with book sales but I'm still figuring out what platform does what for me as I've recently joined Threads and BlueSky.
Once again, thank you and I hope you continue to get better.
This is a great write-up on TikTok's impact, but I have to say, the chance of Trump being able to undo it are slim. The ban passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress (and while I think fears of it being used by China to influence Americans are paranoid at best, TikTok shot itself in the foot in its lobbying efforts, especially when they launched that platform-wide"Call your congressperson!" activation; it effectively confirmed everyone's worst fears about what China's government might do), so he can't do anything by EO to override it. He does have the option to direct the DOJ not to enforce it, but a) Apple, Google, and ByteDance would be right to be wary of operating within a gray area of "non-enforcement," and b) doing so would really inflame Republicans who've been advocating to ban TikTok for years, Republicans he needs to pass his own agenda.
That said, Trump is also a populist wildcard, and so it's possible facts and logic won't apply, especially if creators are able to self-organize to bring TikTok back. Of course, the question remains how much of an audience will be left, because by TikTok's own estimation, even a month offline would drop about a third of their users, who would simply move on to other forms of entertainment. Wild days ahead!
Yes he can issue an EO, but POTUS cannot issue an EO overruling a law passed by Congress, so the only powers he has are to not enforce it. I used to work in tech policy, and while this is the most wide-reaching regulation I’ve ever seen, it’s still subject to the same constitutional framework as any other law.
Good analysis Kathleen! I heard that Kevin O’Leary’s bid is to buy it WITHOUT the algorithm which is like… “I’d love to buy that used vehicle without an engine! I’ll drive it off the lot, no problem!”
I wish I were more surprised about the rude emails 🙄 $7/mo feels like a drop in the business expense bucket, if you're serious about making it your business 🤷🏽♀️ Thank you for these newsletters. Happy to pay for a subscription!
I strongly disagree with the assertion that 2025 will be transformative in terms of social media use for authors. It doesn't matter how many new platforms emerge, or what happens to TikTok. The 18-35 demographic that uses TikTok will forget about it in a matter of weeks or months. No social media use transformation will take place until the social media business model changes. Or, a vast majority of people stop using the existing platforms. (Not likely!)
The profit of selling user data (acquired for free!) and the ability to sell access to user manipulation to governments and businesses is too powerful for the current platforms to pass up. Social media platforms must change from the BUMMER business model (as defined by Jaron Lanier in 'Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now), to a business model where the platforms pay users for access to their data and users must pay for access to the platform.
Under the BUMMER business model, all social media platforms end up in the same condition. They become toxic spaces where the loudest, most negative, and outrageous misinformation purveyors gain the most followers in a rush to monetize the platform. As long as agents and publishers force writers to wade into this toxic wasteland to demonstrate they have an audience to secure representation or a book contract, nothing will change about social media use for authors, or anyone else.
You're allowed to have that opinion.
Thanks for your insight into this Kathleen. The whole issue & your analysis is why it's so important for authors to grow their own email list. (Yay Substack - but also in any other way they want.) That direct relationship (no matter how big or small the list) is the most important marketing asset they have:) 🙏🏻
So much change on the cards ahead, and thank you for this excellent article.
At a time in history when we're more connected than ever, we are more disconnected than ever...
Joining in with others to thank you again for the incredible service of your newsletter and hope you feel better soon!
As always, thank you for this great information, Kathleen! You are the Heather Cox Richardson for the publishing world. ❤️
Hmmm. I would think that without TikTok readers will still read. They’ll just need to rely on different sources to figure out WHAT to read. That seems like a book publicity problem rather than a book publishing problem (though obviously some publishers will see losses while others may see gains). Am I missing something? Is TikTok responsible for getting people to read more than they would if they didn’t spend time on TikTok?
I believe Jen answered your question, but I will also chime in to say that TikTok is responsible for increased visibility of books, which in turn increased sales substantially for particular titles. This has been well reported by media. People already rely on different mediums to find book recommendations. They rely a lot less on traditional media.
Hi Dan! I'm going to chime in here for a sec.
Yes to the publicity and marketing question because BookTok has reached readers that traditional channels may not have- so it's a driver for discoverability. And it's discoverability that's driven by the author cultivating their own audience.
From that perspective it has everything to do with the publishing industry because publishers want authors who understand how to cultivate readers = book sales. (In whatever means they do it, email, speaking, BookTok etc.) When an author has a an audience of engaged readers ready to buy = bottom line book sales. And even if you don't have an audience on TikTok but your book is talked about by an influencer that's new readers discovering it. It's a nice bump in sales.
Glad you are feeling somewhat better!
Thank you so much for sharing, Kathleen. With all of the talk about TikTok, I too have been wondering why the Big Five haven't chimed in. Appreciate you sharing these insights.
Thanks for another helpful post. We got the damn flu too! Haven't had anything like that in years. Take care.
Thanks for the clear explanation of what is going on on that front.
As a person outside the US, I will have to wait and see how the platform will be without US creators. I know it helps with book sales but I'm still figuring out what platform does what for me as I've recently joined Threads and BlueSky.
Once again, thank you and I hope you continue to get better.
This is a great write-up on TikTok's impact, but I have to say, the chance of Trump being able to undo it are slim. The ban passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress (and while I think fears of it being used by China to influence Americans are paranoid at best, TikTok shot itself in the foot in its lobbying efforts, especially when they launched that platform-wide"Call your congressperson!" activation; it effectively confirmed everyone's worst fears about what China's government might do), so he can't do anything by EO to override it. He does have the option to direct the DOJ not to enforce it, but a) Apple, Google, and ByteDance would be right to be wary of operating within a gray area of "non-enforcement," and b) doing so would really inflame Republicans who've been advocating to ban TikTok for years, Republicans he needs to pass his own agenda.
That said, Trump is also a populist wildcard, and so it's possible facts and logic won't apply, especially if creators are able to self-organize to bring TikTok back. Of course, the question remains how much of an audience will be left, because by TikTok's own estimation, even a month offline would drop about a third of their users, who would simply move on to other forms of entertainment. Wild days ahead!
He can issue an executive order, and I would not put it past him.
Yes he can issue an EO, but POTUS cannot issue an EO overruling a law passed by Congress, so the only powers he has are to not enforce it. I used to work in tech policy, and while this is the most wide-reaching regulation I’ve ever seen, it’s still subject to the same constitutional framework as any other law.
Good analysis Kathleen! I heard that Kevin O’Leary’s bid is to buy it WITHOUT the algorithm which is like… “I’d love to buy that used vehicle without an engine! I’ll drive it off the lot, no problem!”
Yes and he will never make that money back.
Thanks for this comprehensive update.
P.S. I totally understand your need to charge and put more behind your paywall.
All of the TikTok/social media turbulance just makes me even more grateful for Substack.
Definitely.