Contributed by AuthorScale
You’ve heard the buzz. Authors are finding readers on TikTok, and you’re ready to jump in. But before you hit record on your first video, there’s essential groundwork that will determine whether your content reaches fifty views or fifty thousand.
Here’s what you absolutely cannot afford to skip.
Understand How Distribution Works
TikTok’s algorithm has a simple goal: keep people on the app. It does this by showing users content they’re likely to watch, engage with, and enjoy. When you post a video, TikTok tests your content in waves.
In the first wave, TikTok shows your video to a small group of 0-50 users. These are people who’ve engaged with similar content. If they watch, engage, and rewatch, TikTok expands the reach of your post. Videos that excel get pushed to the For You Page of users who don’t follow you, and this is where real discovery happens.
Here’s the critical insight: if TikTok shows your romance book content to thriller readers in that first wave, they’ll scroll past quickly, killing your video’s chances before it even starts. The success of everything depends on that initial small group being your readers.
So how does TikTok decide who to show your content to? It learns from every action you take, what you watch, like, comment on, and follow. This ongoing process shapes which users will see your content in those critical first waves of distribution.
Which brings us to the step most authors skip.
Don’t Skip Account Warm-Up
Warming up your account is how you train the algorithm to understand exactly which readers you want to reach. Every action you take during the warm-up period teaches TikTok about your niche. Skip this step, and TikTok won’t know you’re a BookTok creator targeting specific readers. Your carefully crafted content will get shown to the wrong audience, they’ll scroll past, and your videos will die in the first wave.
The warm-up takes 3-7 days of consistent daily activity. During this time, search and watch videos with hashtags specific to your genre, let videos play to completion, and focus exclusively on your niche. Follow a few highly targeted accounts daily, book reviewers in your genre, reading communities, and fellow authors. Leave thoughtful comments that add value, not generic “great video!” responses.
You’ll know the warm-up is working when your For You Page shows 80% or more book content in your specific genre and BookTok creators in your niche start appearing in your suggested follows.
Stay Specific to Your Genre
Being too broad is one of the most common warm-up mistakes. Liking fantasy, romance, and thriller content during warm-up confuses the algorithm. Pick one primary genre and stick to it.
This extends beyond warm-up too. Mixing BookTok content with unrelated topics confuses the algorithm about your niche. The algorithm needs consistent signals to understand what you create and who should see it.
Know What the Algorithm Rewards
Once your content reaches that first test group, here’s what determines whether TikTok expands your reach. These signals are ranked by importance:
-Watch time and completion rate are the top factor—30% or higher completion is a strong signal.
-Rewatches are even better than likes; when someone watches your video again to screenshot book titles or reread your recommendations, TikTok interprets this as extremely high interest.
-Shares carry significant weight because when someone shares your video, they’re saying someone else needs to see it. Saves show long-term value. Comments, especially when people tag friends, signal active engagement. Likes matter but are actually the weakest positive signal.
Understanding this changes how you create content. You’re not optimizing for likes; you’re optimizing for completion, rewatches, and saves.
Nail Your Hook
You have one second to stop the scroll. If viewers don’t stop scrolling, nothing else matters. Your carefully planned content, your book recommendations, your author insights all become irrelevant. Quick scrolls in those first 1-2 seconds count as negative feedback to the algorithm.
Lead with emotion, intrigue, or a strong statement. “The book that destroyed me last night…” works far better than a gentle introduction. The algorithm heavily weights early engagement, so that first second is everything.
Post Consistently
The algorithm favors active creators. Posting once a month confuses it about what you create and who should see it. Ideally, aim for 1-2 posts daily, but at minimum, 3-4 posts per week maintains momentum.
Keep Engaging After Warm-Up
Even after your initial warm-up period, dedicate 5-10 minutes daily to engaging with content in your niche. This ongoing engagement keeps the algorithm focused on your target audience and provides constant inspiration for new hooks and content ideas. Save content that resonates to organized collections—trending audio, effective formats, great hooks—so you have a library of inspiration to draw from. Do this exercise before posting.
Rethink “Going Viral”
A video about “books that made me cry” might get 500,000 views from general audiences, but a specific “dark academia fantasy recommendations” video with 20,000 views could sell more books to the right readers. Focus on creating content that reaches eager readers in your genre rather than chasing broad virality.
Unlike other platforms, your reach matters far more than your follower count. A creator with 500 followers can get millions of views if their content resonates. Focus on creating content that earns reach from the right audience, not chasing follower or view metrics.
SUMMING IT UP
Starting on TikTok requires patience and strategy. Understand how distribution works, warm up your account, stay specific to your genre, craft compelling hooks, post consistently, and keep engaging with your community.
Do this, and you’ll be working with the algorithm instead of fighting against it.
For a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to BookTok marketing for authors—including content strategies, viral hooks, hashtag optimization, and more—visit the free BookTokGuide.com.
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