TikTok launches its first ever Book Awards

TikTok has announced its first-ever Book Awards for 2023, celebrating all things literature that has captivated the social media platform.

With the rise of the BookTok hashtag and a spate of authors, readers and fans making the rounds on the app, they thought it was time to celebrate the things that bring people together.

The social media app revealed the news on Monday, May 22, in partnership with the 36th annual Hay Festival of Literature and Arts. They revealed that over the past year, the BookTokhashtag has grown by more than 160 per cent to over 138 billion views. TikTok announced nine awards categories they will be handing accolades out for, including BookTok Book Of The Year, BookTok Author Of The Year, and Best Book I Wish I Could Read Again For the First Time. The list of nominees will be compiled based on BookTok data as well as publisher contributions.

The nominees will then be reviewed by our judging panel of experts, including TikTok creators Coco (@cultofbooks) and Ben (@bcemercer) industry experts such Trâm-Anh Doan, Head of Social Media, Bloomsbury, authors like Candice Brathwaite and special guest judges including Annie Macmanus and Elizabeth Day. And after all that is done, the final winners will be chosen by the TikTok community from across the UK and Ireland via an in-app vote - which will be launched in July.

Overall winners will be announced later this summer, in August. Candice Brathwaite, award-winning author and TikTok Book Awards Judge, said: “As an author, there’s nothing better than to see people discussing and debating your book. I love going to TikTok to find unfiltered reviews and recommendations, so it’s great to be giving this community the chance to have their say through the TikTok Book Awards for UK and Ireland.

James Stafford, General Manager, Operations & Marketing, TikTok UK & Nordics says: “Every day, billions of people come to TikTok to share recommendations, discover new reads and connect through their love of literature. We have seen the #BookTok community impact book sales and even bring new customers to local book shops, so we thought it was about time they got a vote too!”

“The TikTok Book Awards is not just about the ‘best new books’, but also celebrating the unapologetic love of reading that we see shared on TikTok; from the content makers to the rediscovered classics,” he adds.

TikTok Book Awards:

BookTok Creator Of The Year

BookTok Book Of The Year

BookTok Author Of The Year

Best BookTok Revival

Indie Book Shop Of The Year

Best Book to End A Reading Slump

Best Book I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time

BookTok Cover of The Year

BookTok Livestreamer of The Year