by Sue Coletta
When the buzz of TikTok started spreading, I wanted no part of it. With two Facebook accounts, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Goodreads, etc. the last thing I needed was another social media site. I could barely juggle the audience I’d amassed on social media over the last twelve years. Then I discovered #BookTok, and my outlook changed.
#BookTok
The hashtag #BookTok opens a doorway to a subsection of TikTok where thousands of voracious readers spend their time, along with #WriterTok and a host of genre hashtags. #BookTok exploded over the last two years. In fact, #BookTokers call the dancing/singing videos “the wrong side of TikTok.” Rarely, if ever, do we venture outside of #BookTok — a loyal, generous community bonded by our love of the written word.
Remember when social media was your guilty pleasure, your happy place, and you looked forward to hopping online? For many of us, that drive faded away when politics and rants filled our timelines.
Yet, having a social media presence is a vital part of an author’s career. The problem is, once we form the emotional connection between social media and publishing, engaging with readers can start to feel a lot like work. #BookTok reignited my spark, and it can do the same for you. Not only is it a blast, TikTok in general is a selling machine.
WHAT IS TIKTOK?
TikTok calls itself an “entertainment platform.” Statistics show people spend more time watching TikTok videos than Netflix. Shocking, right? By its very nature, TikTok is a storytelling platform. The videos that reign supreme tell some sort of story, engaging the viewer through drama, comedy, or bewilderment.
The beauty of TikTok is that even with only a handful of followers, content can still go viral. I’ve personally witnessed new accounts gain 20-30K views on one video. Romance (all genres) do the best, followed by fantasy/sci-fi, mystery/thriller/suspense, YA, paranormal, and horror. True crime and nonfiction have their own massive audience. No matter what genre you write in, your audience is on #BookTok. All ages, all genres.
TIKTOK MYTHS
- I’m too old for TikTok.
As someone in their — ahem — mid-fifties, I thought the same thing. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When TikTok hit the scene, it did cater to a younger demographic. That’s changed over the years. #BookTokers range from 20s to 80s.
- I refuse to make a fool of myself to sell books.
Sure, there’s a lot of silliness on TikTok, but you don’t need to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Be your beautiful, reserved, crazy, funny, introverted, or extroverted self. That’s who readers want to know, not some made-up version of yourself. Although, if you write spicy romance and want to conceal your identity, that’s okay, too.
- I don’t have time to learn another social media site that’ll probably disappear in a few years.
All writers suffer with the same issue. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day. Here’s a cold, hard truth: sooner or later authors won’t have a choice about joining TikTok. Our audience is turning away from Facebook and Twitter. At the end of last year, Facebook reported its lowest daily views yet, and they attributed the loss to TikTok.
Of all the social media sites, Twitter has the lowest ROI for selling books, IMO. Do you know who has the highest? TikTok. Why? Because it’s unlike any other social media site.
- You must be tech-savvy to create videos.
TikTok does have an advanced video creator built into the app, but it’s very easy to use. They also provide video tutorials. If you still have trouble, head to YouTube. Creators post step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow.
- You must be comfortable in front of the camera to use TikTok.
I’ll tell you a little secret. The thought of shooting videos scared me half to death. The few videos I posted on social media took me forever to create, obsessing over every tiny detail, and I still wasn’t happy with the end result. Before I jumped on TikTok I froze in front of the camera. I wasn’t a fan of public speaking either. Sure, I could hold my own at a book event, but I still trembled inside.
#BookTok helped me overcome that heart-stopping fear. And tomorrow, I fly out to film three episodes of a true crime series for TV. Guess how the producers found me? Initially through my website — I still say authors need a home base — but they got a feel of my personality through my TikToks (videos). I can’t say that sealed the deal — they also read my books — but it definitely helped.
HOW DO AUTHORS START ON #BOOKTOK?
Download the app and setup an account. I started with a business account, but that was a mistake. Personal accounts get more views. Be sure to use your author name. If you use more than one pen name, then either create an account for each or umbrella them all under your real name. Choice is yours.
All you’ll be doing at first is lurking. Let me warn you. TikTok may seem overwhelming at first. You can spend hours watching talking dog videos, cooking videos, and any other passion you may have. Here’s the thing. The more content you watch that’s not book related the more you’ll confuse the algorithm. Learned that lesson the hard way.
Once you gain a thousand followers, the link in your bio becomes clickable. Still include one, though. People know to copy/paste a dead link. I use LinkTree. Back in 2016, LinkTree solved social media’s most annoying problem — only allowing one link in bios. Now, all your social media, newsletter sign-up page, website, blog(s), books, giveaways, etc. can be housed under one LinkTree link. And it’s free!
THE TIKTOK ALGORITHM
TikTok’s secret algorithm far exceeds all its competitors. When a new user signs up, it throws all kinds of videos at you, then watches and learns which ones you react to or re-watch. If you stop at every talking dog, the algorithm will flood your For You Page (timeline) with more talking animals. The longer you watch, the more it thinks that’s what you want. I can’t resist anything animal related. Hence why it took me a while to train the algorithm to gain more #BookTok followers.
Some authors advise to create two accounts. One to watch animals or whatever. The second for book related content. Alas, I use one account for everything, but I’m cognizant of the type of videos I watch. The algorithm has figured out that I love books and animals. Since I include animals in my books, I feel it’s related.
Pay close attention to authors in your genre.
- What type of content do they create?
- Do their videos get a lot of interaction?
- Do they post only book content?
- What other type of content do they post?
- How does their audience react?
CREATING YOUR FIRST TIKTOK
Once you get comfortable with the app, you’ll feel the urge to jump in. Resist that urge for another week. I did nothing but lurk for a solid month. By the time I created my first TikTok *cringe* I felt I knew the rhythm of #BookTok. I didn’t. And neither will you. But that’s okay. The only way to learn the ins and out of #BookTok is to jump in headfirst.
Then why did you tell us to lurk first?
Because you’ll be ahead of the game if you do. All that knowledge you’ve acquired will benefit you when you’re ready. Think about this… You’re in #BookTok and stumble across a how-to video. If you don’t know what they’re talking about, you’ve wasted valuable information. For example, Trending Sounds or “how to invert” the title on your cover so it’s not a mirrored image.
WHAT IS A TRENDING SOUND?
A Trending Sound could be a fragment of music or a voiceover that helps you connect with an audience. All of TikTok uses Trends. You’ve probably seen the dance videos that everyone copies. Well, #BookTok has their own Trends and Trending Sounds. For example, since I write psychological thrillers and true crime, I use a lot of murder-y sounds.
That one video gained over 2,200 views. Why? Because it’s a Trending Sound. When’s the last time one of your Facebook or Twitter posts gained thousands of views? A post, I might add, that took less than ONE minute to create. It’s about exposure. TikTok content lives forever. Unlike other social media sites, the algorithm constantly pushes old TikToks to new people.
Early on, I created a video of calling “my” murder of crows for breakfast. I showed the empty trees, me calling for Poe (the alpha), and the crows flying in moments later. That one video has over 5K views and climbing. It relates to my books because in my Mayhem Series, one character has three wild crow companions (Poe, Allan, and Edgar).
DUETS
Duets are when you, well, duet someone else’s video. Here’s an example of me duetting a cop’s video.
It works for my audience because I’m a crime writer. Romance writers duet male models, and their audience goes crazy. Paranormal writers might duet a medium or ghost hunter. If you write cozy mysteries in a library setting, duet a librarian. Write about vampires? No problem. Duet a vampire (yes, they’re on TikTok). Serial killer thriller author? Duet videos about serial killers. Think outside the box.
FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE
Are your books geared toward an older audience? Use the #GenX hashtag along with a genre hashtag. Are you targeting millennials? Use #GenY. Knowing who your audience is the key to finding potential readers. Niche down from there.
Some authors say never to follow other authors, but that’s a mistake. Writers are your people, your tribe. We learn from each other. We help boost each other’s TikToks. #BookTok wouldn’t be nearly as fun without other writers. And we read, too!
TRENDS
We also start our own Trends, and they’re hilarious. Last week, a writer friend used the videotape filter. I’d need a whole other post to discuss filters. Suffice it to say, the TikTok looks like you’re being videotaped by someone else. In this case, it was the police looking for a missing person: Grammarly. She was Suspect #1. In her video, she named me and a slew of other mystery/thriller authors as possible suspects, and we all created videos of being interrogated by the cops. Mystery & thriller readers loved it! We all gained new followers and sold books from that one idea.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the genius behind #BookTok. It’s marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing. Some savvy authors sell between 200-600 books PER WEEK from #BookTok alone. Still think it’s a waste of time?
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m not sayin’ it’s easy to get started. Finding your groove takes time. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll find your audience much faster than any other social media site. If you’ve never watched a video review of one of your books, you’re missing out on something special. It’s humbling to witness the reaction of a reader who just closed the cover, tears still in her eyes while she gushes about how much she loved your characters or the story, and how she felt while reading.
Duet every review.
Authors can either “blind react” to a review or prepare themselves first, both done via the Duet feature, helping the review reach more and more readers. After watching a particularly emotional review of I AM MAYHEM, my son said to me, “Imagine how many other readers you’ve touched in the same way?” He’s right. Before #BookTok authors never had the pleasure of witnessing immediate reactions from readers. Now we do.
by Sue Coletta (@SueColetta1) October 23, 2022
***
How about you, scriveners? Are you on Tiktok? Does it pay off for you? I’m terrified of it because I don’t have a clue how to make a watchable video. But I guess I have to learn. Has Sue convinced you to give it a try? … Anne
Note: Sue will do her best to reply to comments today. But tonight she’s flying to Georgia to film three episodes of the Discovery ID channel’s Investigation Discovery. Woo-hoo! Congrats, Sue!
Sue Coletta
Sue Coletta is an award-winning crime writer and an active member of MWA, Sisters in Crime, and ITW. Feedspot and Expertido.org named her Murder Blog as “Best 100 Crime Blogs on the Net.” She also blogs on the Kill Zone (Writer’s Digest “101 Best Websites for Writers”) and Writers Helping Writers.
Sue lives with her husband in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and writes two psychological thriller series (Tirgearr Publishing) and narrative nonfiction/true crime (Rowman & Littlefield Group).
Sue teaches a virtual course about serial killers for EdAdvance in CT and a condensed version for Sisters In Crime. She’s appeared on the Emmy award-winning true crime series, Storm of Suspicion. In October, she’s filming three episodes of Homicide: Hours to Kill for Cineflix. Learn more about Sue and her books at https://suecoletta.com
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Haloed available here.
She may be paranoid, but is she right?
A string of gruesome murders rocks the small town of Alexandria, New Hampshire, with all the victims staged to resemble dead angels, and strange red and pink balloons appearing out of nowhere.
All the clues point to the Romeo Killer’s return. Except one: he died eight years ago.
Paranoid and on edge, Sage’s theory makes no sense. Dead serial killers don’t rise from the grave. Yet she swears he’s here, hungering for the only angel to slip through his grasp—Sage.
With only hours left to live, how can Sage convince her Sheriff husband before the sand in her hourglass runs out?
***
Tiktok logo via Wikimedia
Thanks for hosting me today, Anne and Ruth! And for the shout-out about the show. 😀
Sue–We’re honored to have you guest for us, and congrats on your big-time TV appearances coming up!
I loath the camera. I was totally open to being convinced until you confirmed that you have to sit yourself in front of a camera and ‘film yourself’ in order to be on TikTok. Just no. Not ever.
That said, it is an interesting article and helpful in confirming my first reaction to TikTok.
You could do aesthetic videos instead, JR. That’s when you create a collage of videos (in Canva) that tell the story of your book without words. Readers love them.
JR, check my response to Alex for how to do flip-page videos. They may be easier for your genre.
Sue—Brilliant and inspiring! Just like you!
Writers! Pay attention to Sue. She knows what she’s talking about and she shares the real deal.
Does BookTok have a hashtag for geezers and geezerettes? (I’m thinking of The Big Six Oh!)
Absolutely, Ruth! Many of my followers, in fact, would love The Big Six Oh! As soon as my life slows down a bit, I’ll blow through it and do a video review on BookTok. See, I didn’t forget? 😉
And… Aww, thank you, Sizzle Master. Right back atcha. 😉
I’m not sure why I can’t reply to Sue. Telling the story of my novels would be interesting. Thanks for the suggestion. For me, however, the problem is that filming massive battles and sieges would require access to armor and weapons, a lot of people, and traveling to castles, etc. I may make an account sometime so I can check out what other authors are up to, but by necessity, it I suspect would have to be only a ‘stalking’ account.
By all means, stalk. By following hashtags that fit your books, you’ll know what’s working for your genre, and if you want to partake. 🙂
JR–I apologize for the WordPress elves. They’ve been getting better recently, but they still love to scatter our comments willy-nilly, refusing to put some comments in the right thread. Our webmaster and WordPress guru Barb Drozdowich, is recovering from surgery for a brain tumor, so we’re on our own here, and I’m not as good an elf whisperer as Barb. I’m with you in hating having my picture taken, especially after what a life-threatening disease did to my face two years ago. I’m wondering if still photos of your Scottish settings, with maybe some historical paintings might make a possible “collage” that Sue is talking about.
No apology required, Anne. That is an interesting thought.
Thanks, Sue, for this wealth of information. I don’t have a TikTok account, but I’ll sign up today. Although I can’t bear the thought of video of myself, I may have to take a deep breath and give it a try.
I thought the same way, Kay. Stalk for a while. When you’re ready, jump in. Most important thing is to have fun! I’ll do a follow-up blog for TKZ with ideas.
Hey, Sue! Thanks for the tips. Is there a creative way to make the videos without being in them though? Not shy, just like my privacy.
Sure, Alex. You just need to be creative. For books, you can do aesthetic videos, where you create a video collage of the aesthetics of your book. No words.
Flip-page videos are when the camera is focused in on pages you’re flipping. You’ll want three frames of text for flip-page videos: HOOK, a quick introduction of main character (1 or 2 sentences), then cliffhanger showing the main obstacle but done via one or two sentences of dialogue. Make the first two videos 2 seconds long, the last no longer than 1.8 seconds because you want the video to restart. More restarts = more visibility.
There are a ton of ways to feature books, but those two are the most popular.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for this Sue. I do reels and enjoy that. But I’ve heard TikTok does take more of your personal information. And that’s the reason I’ve kept away. I do wonder about TikTok clips showing up all the time on Instagram. How does that work? And would #booktok be usefull when I hastag my reels? If you know, I’d love to hear. Thanks again.
Absolutely, Charlotte! If you do Reels, you’re ahead of the game. TikTok allows you to link to Instagram, so sharing the same videos is a one-click process. In your case, to upload one of your Reels to TikTok you’ll look for the “Green Screen” filter that allows you to upload a video made elsewhere. In TikTok, click the plus button like you would if you were shooting a new video. To the left side of the plus button you’ll see a little square. That’s where you’ll find all the filters. Scroll sideways to Green Screen. You’ll have to play around from there to find the right one that allows video uploads (each one will show you what’s allowed).
As for personal information, all social media does. Sadly, we live in a world where our info = $$$. Nonetheless, authors can’t afford to stay offline, right? So, we might as well make the site work for us. My 2c.
Just by keeping the TikTok logo on your Reels, they get pushed to a wider audience than without the logo. That’s probably why you see them so much. And yes, you can use #BookTok on Insta!
Thank you for this interesting article. As a poet I am finding Tiktok a good way to bring my work to the attention of people who would, in all probability not come across it otherwise. The overwhelming majority of likes and comments on my videos come from peopl who do not follow my blog or Twitter. I was unaware of the booktok hashtag. Thank you for informing me of it. Until now I had simply used the hashtag books. Kevin
Good for you, K! Tag all your TikToks with #BookTok and #poetry and #poems to train the algorithm.
Yes, still photos work! Collect about 30 of them, go to Canva.com, and choose TikTok video format. Upload all the photos and adjust the time to 1 – 1.5 seconds long each. They look great when they’re finished, and are very effective selling videos.
Oops, this comment was meant for JR.
Thanks, Sue. That is something to think about.
Sue, this was so helpful. Thank you! 🙂
I’m so glad, JM. My pleasure! 🙂
Wow, Sue, what a lot of great info about BookTok. After four years, Twitter doesn’t appear to help book sales at all.
What do you think of Montana location photos taken in places where crimes are committed in my thriller series?
Do you tutor Luddites? 😉
Looking forward to hearing about your filming experiences. Have a great trip!
The scenes where your fictional murders took place is perfect, Debbie! Go there and narrate why you chose those spots. Or read a short excerpt of the scene while there. Readers love a behind-the-scenes look.
For you I would. Shoot me an email anytime!
Hi Sue… good to see/read you here. I’d put #BookTok aside (unused) but will now take another look as soon as I finish this current WIP. Thanks for the good explanation of benefits, etc.
Nice to see you here, too, Harald! Lurk a while and see how it feels. I bet you’d do great there. 🙂
Hi Sue, I’ve been hearing a lot about TikTok and your post here is very helpful. I am told by various sources that TikTok, China based, is a security risk for all its users. Their parent company ByteDance has access to personal user data and has been accused of selling that information (digital footprints). TikTok has a reputation for being fraught with cybercriminals (impersonation of your posts, and sending fraudulent messages under your name). TikTok tracks your posts and can profile your phone and other devices. They are said to be the least safe of all the platforms out there. I don’t know if any of this is true or not, but the stories out there does make one pause. Do you have any information or facts that you can share with us who are reluctant to take on another social media platform that may not be safe?
Paula–Sue may have more info, but I remembered this article from the Washington Post that says TikTok doesn’t take any more of our data than Facebook (not a high bar. 🙂 ) Here’s the link to the WaPo article. There may be a paywall though.
Ah, the rumor mill is alive and well, isn’t it? When all the news broke about TikTok being a security risk, our-then president insisted that they sell 50% share to a U.S. company. So, Bill Gates bought half the company.
As for tracking us…. Amazon is one of the worst offenders. How many times have you looked an item, only for it to show up in an ad on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram? The strange part is, I’ve never seen ads for those same items on TikTok. If they were tracking me, I would think I’d get slammed with the same ads.
Fake accounts will always be a problem on social media. Facebook is the worst offender for allowing it to continue. TikTok, on the other hand, tries to prevent it from happening. I got a notice two weeks ago, saying some of my followers were bots and they would be deleting them. Since they did, my videos have gotten pushed out to more BookTokers. I didn’t have a lift a finger. TikTok cleaned my list for me. Think Facebook would ever do that? Not likely.
All that said, social media it was it is. Unfortunately, there will always be bots, fake accounts, and pirates stealing our work. *sigh*
Wow, that’s a lot of info Sue, but you have caught my attention because I am one of those who thinks that site is for the younger folk. Thanks for the awakening. You are so right, Fakebook is basically only a place to connect. They have made it near impossible for our author pages to post, let alone anyone to see anything. They have also gone all authoritarian with what we can say, how many times we can ‘like’ a post, and the hits keep coming – not to mention I have been thrown in fakebook jail 4 times this past year for stating opinion. I think I will look into this site at the end of the year when I can catch my breath and learn more ropes. Thanks again for all the info. I will include this post in my November edition of Writer’s Tips. Thanks Anne and Sue. <3 Oh, and huge congrats Sue on being discovered!!!! xx
Thanks so much, Debbie! With your easy going personality, you’d do well on BookTok.
Thanks so much for the vote of confidence Sue x
WOW! Thank you Sue. I will absolutely check this out. 🙂
Have fun, Charlotte! ????
Aw, Sue, you’re the best!
Love this, Sue. I’ve been looking at BookTok because I naturally gravitated towards Instagram when I first started on social media. I review books on my blog and am wondering about posting some of my reviews to BookTok to drive traffic to my website and also to connect with other book fiends – writers and readers alike. What’s your sense of this? Do you think it’s a good idea?
Anne – kudos to you for inviting Sue to guest blog about BookTok. I really like new tech and am always interested to see how I can use it to further my writing career.
Linda, book reviews are the best part of BookTok! There are also Book Fairies. You can connect your Amazon Wishlist to LinkTree, and random book fairies will send you a book from your list (Amazon hides your address from the person buying). It’s awesome! The BookTok community is one of a kind. And you’ll even earn a crown! I was so emotional when I got crowned. You’ll love it. ????—Sue
Great post, Sue, and thanks to Anne and Ruth for hosting this charming and uber-intelligent lady, not to mention being a 10 on the screen. Question – Can you do TikTok from a rotary telephone? Asking for a friend.
Hahahaha! You can try, Garry. Just be sure to video it! ????
Hi Sue & Anne,
Thanks for this informative & well-reasoned piece. You may have convinced me to look into TikTok (well, the BookTok end of it).
Yay! Have fun, CS!
Linda, book reviews are the best part of BookTok! There are also Book Fairies. You can connect your Amazon Wishlist to LinkTree, and random book fairies will send you a book from your list (Amazon hides your address from the person buying). It’s awesome! The BookTok community is one of a kind. And you’ll even earn a crown! I was so emotional when I got crowned. You’ll love it. ????
Anne, I’ll do my best to check in tomorrow once I land in case anyone has questions. Gotta finish packing. ????
Well, that didn’t work out. Sorry, Anne! Crazy busy trip. I think I only slept about 10 hours in three days. Ugh. The return flights kept bumping me, extending my trip even longer. Glad to finally be home.
Sue–What a nightmare. Air travel seems so scary and awful these days. Maybe we have to go back to taking trains. At least you can sleep on a train. I hope you’re going to be able to sleep for three days. You need it!
This is a fabulous post. My virtual assistant is working on TikTok videos for my books as we speak. She’s of a much younger generation so she’s savvy about all of this stuff. But I never knew all of the information in your post, Sue. WOW- WEE. This is exciting since I love TikTok and think it’s so cool. And your post contains tons of info that I’m going to forward to my assistant. Thank you SO much.
Gosh, it sounds an amazing platform, but I’m terrified of it. Making videos is not my forte.
However, you’ve convinced me to at least have a look.
Some of the jargon is confusing, though. Dueting for example.
VM, I was terrified, too. Stalk a while and get the feel of it. You can do this!
Thanks for a great article, Sue! I thought TikTok sounded like a great opportunity when I first heard about BookTok about a year ago; but after I read the terms of service I got cold feet. I’m no lawyer, but when their terms of service say they use dodgy monitoring techniques including keystroke loggers, and that they can use your content however they want forever and you have no recourse or chance of compensation, I get antsy.
I was particularly squicked out by this phrase in item 7(a): “…you (i) have no right to receive any income or other consideration from any User Content (defined below) or your use of any musical works, sound recordings or audiovisual clips made available to you on or through the Services, including in any User Content created by you, and (ii) are prohibited from exercising any rights to monetize or obtain consideration from any User Content within the Services or on any third party service ( e.g. , you cannot claim User Content that has been uploaded to a social media platform such as YouTube for monetization).”
So not only are they irrevocably claiming every bit of content I post; they’re also promising to punish me if I ever try to make money on it? Maybe I’m interpreting that wrong; but it made me uncomfortable enough to avoid the platform, at least for now. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance! 🙂
I think they’re referring to Sounds. TikTok offers Sounds from recording artists, etc. So, yes, we cannot profit from someone else’s Sound. Also, other uses are allowed to use your Sound, but this is a good thing as the original video is pinned to the top of all the videos where people who lip sync your voice, giving you more and more exposure.
We absolutely can profit off Lives. In fact, TikTok encourages users who watch your Live to send “a gift.” Each one of those gifts turn into $$$ for the person doing the Live. I know several creators who make a nice chunk of change from Lives.
I’d been thinking “You have to learn TikTok” and feeling very, very tired. Now I think it looks like fun – 180º turn. Thanks for practical steps, and thanks for your enthusiasm.
It’s a blast, Lola! Doesn’t feel like work at all. Have fun!
Okay, okay! I give in!
I’ve thought of trying this, decided not to on the grounds of not enough time, but you’ve convinced me that I need to MAKE time!
Damn you, Sue!
😉
Have fun, Deborah! Follow me @suecoletta
Great post, full of reasons to try TikTok and practical advice on how to get started. Thank you! (Yes, I’m one who has been avoiding it, but you’ve convinced me to give it a go.)
Yay, SM! Hope you have a blast. 🙂
Yay! Glad you’re excited, Patricia. It really is a ton of fun.
Sorry for the late reply. My trip ended up being 90mph with a nightmare return trip. Just got home.
Patricia, my reply is below.
Linda, I wrote you a long response the day the post went live, but I don’t see it.
Anne, can you see if it fell into spam?
Sue–The elves put it way down the thread instead of after Linda’s comment, so I’ve put a copy where it should be. 🙂
Very cool! I’d never heard of Sounds or Lives, so I’m off to do more research now. Thanks for your reply! 🙂
Oh my gosh, thanks for all that info, Sue! I’ve been mulling over joining TikTok, sounds like the time is nigh.
Wow, that was a ton of I formation! Not sure where to start? Just doing my website, which I need to redo, is already overwhelming.
I’ve been watching you on TikTok for a while, Sue, and I have to say I am impressed!! I have dabbled in it, but your post has inspired me to give it more of a chance. Thanks for sharing!
Oh gosh, sounds like a whole new year… maybe it’s the new project for 23. Must find a hat I want to wear in vids to hide my now see-through hair. I mean, I’m very self-conscious about it, so hide it, yeah? It’s the books that matter 🙂
Fantastic post, Sue! I’m terrified of going in front of the video camera, but I’m also also in desperate need of an alternative to Twitter. I’m going to follow your advice and sign up and lurk for a while. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Anne and Ruth, thanks for sharing! ????????
This is going to sound a little weird, but is there any way of being on Tik Tok without using your phone? I know smartphones are the way most people access the internet these days, but mine is old and in Australia, the data costs a lot. :/
acflory–Sue may not have got the notification on this comment. You can access TikTok with a laptop or other computer. If you have a tablet that works on WiFi, you can make videos without a phone.
Sorry for the late reply, Jan! Thank you so much. See ya over there!
Jemima, there’s no need to hide behind a hat. One of my audiobook narrator friends is completely bald from alopecia. At first she wore a scarf. Now? She exposes the real her, and she’s magnificent! With that one brave act, she inspires countless others.
Sorry for the late reply, Harmony. I didn’t realize more comments came in till Debby G. and Sally shared the post.
I understand the fear, I really do, but you’ve got this! Have fun lurking! Let’s connect there. 🙂
I didn’t, sorry. Anne’s right. You can use a laptop, desktop, or tablet instead of a phone.
I understand the time-constraints, Marta. Lurk a while on #BookTok, see if it’s for you.
It is, D.D.! If you join, let’s connect there. Have fun lurking!