TikTok and the Book Fair celebrate the success of Booktok with the TikTok Book Awards, the awards ceremony in which the winners are elected directly by the social media community
«If we hadn’t had an imaginary life, perhaps we wouldn’t have found the paths of creative life, or it wouldn’t have occurred to us to look for them», Natalia Ginzburg said in the book Imaginary Lifea collection of writings (first published in 1974) in which the author questioned various themes of reality and how it is told.
The title of the work is given by a final writing which contains reflections on the importance of imagination and fantasy. It is on the basis of it that the theme of the 36th edition of the was defined Book Fair (in Turin from 9 to 13 May): «a surprising and mysterious territory where the gaze is free to contemplate imaginary lives, reproduce and grow autonomously, giving life to a wealth of infinite possibilities».
GenZ rediscovers Imaginary Life
In a present in which work is increasingly engulfing and the value of the person seems to be solely linked to his ability to produce, the space we reserve for the imagination seems to be less and less. But perhaps something is starting to change.
A few minutes spent on the social network most loved by GenZ, TikTok, are enough to realize that those who grew up in the vortex of social media are starting to value slower lifestyles. Among the most influential creators there are no masters of life or incomparable champions, but girls who cook the dishes “from scratch”, or they abandon the cities to rediscover the warmth of the cottages. And among the real celebrities born from the social network, there are more and more Booktokersor rather the influencers of reading.
The cultural impact of Booktok
It is therefore not surprising that it is TikTok to participate in the Show again this year as Official Entertainment Partner. With over 30 million posts, Booktok – the official hashtag of the community of readers on the app – is one of the most used and reading is a real trend that has contributed to the growth of the publishing market, particularly after the pandemic.
This is demonstrated by the rankings, which increasingly depend on the names of the most loved authors on the social network, one among all Erin Doom than with his Maker of Tears it sold over 700 thousand copies. But also the IEA data according to which the spending on books only in 2023 did it rise by +17% compared to 2019or even authors like Madeline Miller who saw their books become successful only after they became popular on the app (The Song of Achilles had record sales 8 years after release).
Thanks to TikTok, reading is no longer seen as a hobby to be practiced alone, but helps to create close-knit communities. In fact, videos in which creators film themselves reading in silence are very popular and millions of people connect to maintain concentration together. The most popular organize “reading retreats” where they meet fans and spend weekends away with entire afternoons dedicated to reading. But the best representation of the “Imaginary Life” that TikTok offers is perhaps the trend of “pov,” in which thousands of readers recreate their favorite scenes from the books or record their reactions when they reach key points.
THE TikTok Book Awards
The impact of the app on the Italian cultural system is now undeniable and could not fail to claim a place of honor at the Salone, the meeting place par excellence for all reading lovers. In addition to the role of Official Entertainment Partnerto celebrate the TikTok community this year there will be a larger stand and a digital space will be dedicated to the four days of the Show (where it will be possible to explore the contents and conversations of BookTok ).
Even those who will not be able to enjoy the event in Turin will be at the center of the celebrations, thanks to an unprecedented initiative: the TikTok Book Awardsan awards ceremony in which the community is asked to elect their favorite books, authors, creators and publishing houses, selected by an exceptional jury.
TikTok Book Awards: categories and jury
With the aim of celebrating what has made the BookTok ecosystem unique in Italy, there are seven categories subject to evaluation:
Book of the year (books published in 2022 or 2023 by Italian or foreign authors)
- Spare – Prince Harry
- Truth Untold – Jay Clarime Rokia
- A good girl is a dead girl – Holly Jackson
- Blackwater – Michael McDowell
Romance of the year (romance books published in 2022 or 2023 by Italian or foreign authors)
- One summer after another – Carley Fortune
- A girl from another time –Felicia Kingsley
- Dance of bulls 2: Celestial Bodies – Currant Halley
- Twisted Games – Ana Huang
Revival of the year (books published before 2022, without distinction of genre, by Italian authors or
foreigners)
- The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller
- It ends with us – Colleen Hoover
- Give me a thousand kisses – Tillie Cole
- Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Film or TV series adaptation of the year (books that have been adapted into films or TV series debuting in 2022 or 2023)
- Lions of Sicily – Disney
- Everything asks for salvation – Netflix
- Yet we fall happy – RaiPlay
- A splendid disaster – Leone Film Group in collaboration with Prime Video
BookTok creator of the year (creators who published engaging, creative and original content related to the world of books and publishing on TikTok during 2023)
- Megi Bulla (@lalibratecadidaphne)
- Martina Levato (@levv97)
- Magdalena Rosa (@magsbook)
- Victor Diamandis (@vctordiamandis)
- Francesca Tamburini (@cescatamburini)
Publishing house of the year (publishing houses that published content on TikTok during 2023
engaging, creative and original linked to the world of books and publishing)
- History Lessons Laterza (@third history lessons)
- BAO publishing (@baopublishing)
- A. Mondadori Editore (@librimondadori)
- Rizzoli (@rizzolilibri)
- Sellerio Editore (@sellerio_editore)
Author of the year (authors who published engaging, creative and original content related to the world of books and publishing on TikTok during 2023)
- Felicia Kingsley (@felicia_kingsley)
- Zero Limestone (@zerocalcarecringe)
- Erin Doom (@erindoomofficial)
- Enrico Galiano (@enricogalian)
- Rita Nardi (@thoughts_as_words)
The jury, which has the task of evaluating each book so as to represent all the souls of Booktok, is chaired by Annalena Benini, director of the Book Fair. Alongside her, Massimo Bray (director Treccani), Alessio Gianni (Scuola Holden) and Gianluca Gazzoli (host and creator).
TikTok Book Awards: how to vote
The final say, however, lies with the community, which can vote on its preferences until April 29th directly on TikTok. Participating is very simple: just log in to your profile and vote at this link. It is possible to vote only for one category and you can only vote once for each one.
The awards ceremony TikTok Book Awards will be held onMay 11th toGiovanni Agnelli Auditorium, at the Lingotto Congress Center. The winners will receive a cash prize of $5,000which will be entirely donated to charities active in the sector of promoting culture and in particular reading, or any other charity in line with the spirit linked to BookTok Awards; the receiving organization will be selected by the winner himself.
Tags: TikTok Book Awards prizes Book Fair
