From #BookTok to IRL: ‘Fourth Wing,’ ‘True Blood’ Authors Discuss Sold-Out Reader Convention and the Need for In-Person Connection
variety.comJennifer Maas TV Business Writer Author Rebecca Yarros’s romance-fantasy series “Fourth Wing” has had a chokehold on TikTok’s reader community #BookTok this summer.
That heat eventually was reflected on the The New York Times bestseller list — a place where many a viral hit goes after influencers and fans elevate its popularity beyond the virtual realm and into the mainstream.
As of early September, “Fourth Wing” was riding high at No. 1 after 18 weeks on the fiction best-seller list. The story of Violet Sorrengail’s journey at an elite dragon-riding university popped in a way that Yarros did not expect ahead of the Entangled Publishing title’s May 2 release.
Her experience reinforces the market-moving meritocracy established by #BookTok enthusiasts and TikTok’s algorithm. “They sent out a bunch of ARCs (advanced reader copies) to influencers so you can maybe jumpstart that discussion — but unless that book is picked up and loved, publishers have no power in #BookTok,” Yarros told Variety. “It is the most reader-centered space I have ever been in in my life, which is amazing — but also terrifying.” With “Fourth Wing” sequel “Iron Flame” set to hit Nov.
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