#BookTok in the Waterstones app

Hey guys,

I went into the Waterstones app today, as I often do to check on ticket releases for events (managed to bag myself a ticket to see Samantha Shannon AND a ticket to the, pre-work, release event for House of Flame and Shadow - #winning).

Side note: can Waterstones please put some CRM effort behind creating an events mailing list? 1 I'll even do it for them( if they'd pay me)-my initial marketing specialism was CRM!

Anyway, whilst I was inside the app I noticed new elements in the golden carousel. There is now a #BookTok element that you can click into and explore.

The page begins with a short introduction explaining the impact of booktok on the publishing and book any industries, which I like but don't feel is absolutely necessary (as most people making their way to this space will already be rarer with booktok and its impact).

The area houses listings for popular booktok titles and gives prominence to Waterstones' exclusive (and signed) editions of the most popular books from TikTok.

Upcoming releases are also showcased with prominence (which I absolutely adore) and I think they're pretty spot on the money with what they've chosen to showcase.

They then display books from the following genres:

• Fiction

• Romance (my FAVOURITE)

• Sci-fi& fantasy (you know I'm a fantasy gaaaal)

• Teen& YA

• Dark Academia (love that this, really aesthetic descriptor, has come to prominence)

• Horror

Overall, I very impressed with the selection of books they've chosen to display in this new space. As a booktoker, myself, I felt that they did a great job curating books that I've seen on my fyp.

Only time will tell how useful this new section to the Waterstones app (and website) proves to be but I find the attention and focus that Waterstones are giving to booktok is a real testament to the importance of the online community housed in that space.

So, have you checked out the new Waterstones #BookTok tab yet? If you have, what do you think of it? Do you think you'll be using it in the future?

Comment below and let me know!

xoxo Christiecloggs xoxo