Authors on TikTok - What to Post? 15 Ideas to Incorporate

You published a book or will publish one some day. After a while, you run out of ideas of what to post using your book. Here are some things I do as an author to promote my book on TikTok and many other ideas I've seen from authors on TikTok I follow (with examples).

1. Create a booklist with similar themes. You can do a book stack and list your title among those. You’ll be highlighting your book + other authors (win-win) example here.

2. Do a shipping video! How do you ship your autographed copies? Do you add fun stickers, a bookmark, or simply wrap it up? Whatever the method, it’s fun to watch (example here).

3. Join a trend! Are there catchy songs or audio clips that you can use your book in? If so, pull out your book for a song mimic, fun dance, book conversation, or simply have it in the background (example here and here).

4. Go on a field trip to your local bookstore/ library. Give us a tour & walk through until you spot your book (example here and here).

5. Keep up with national days (national hot dog day), holidays, and month celebrations that fit with your book. For example, November is Puerto Rican Heritage Month so I did an author collaboration featuring coqui books (example here).

6. Share a writing tip! It can be websites/apps to organize your writing time or focusing on key elements such as your best tip for revision, plot, setting, etc. Meg Medina does an awesome job at this on her TikTok. 

7. Day in the life video - I personally love these. I love watching how authors start their day (Pajamas, coffee, writing set up, etc). It allows the readers to get to know you more (example here).

8. Discuss important topics in the publishing industry+introduce yourself and your book! So many things are going on and audiences on TikTok love tuning in. Try discussing something in the industry and in the middle of your conversation, pause to say “Hi I’m [Name] author of [book title]” and resume your discussion. Example brought to you by booktokker Carmen @TomesAndTextiles.

9. Duet, stitch, and collaborate! This means either taking a piece of a video and adding on to it or collaborating side by side with a video. Try it out (example here).

10. Author-illustrators, give us a sketchbook tour! I love this one by Kat Fajardo here.

11. Do a video unboxing of your new books! I love seeing these across all socials and TikTok is no different. I love this unboxing by author Kelly Yang here.

12. Does your book feature a fun recipe, restaurant, or mention a food dish? If so, replicate it and mention your book (example here).

13. Share the book events or retreats you attended! I love learning about new conferences, book fairs, and bookish retreats (example here).

14. Read a chapter, scene, or line from your book (example here).

15. Have fun and be yourself! The best thing about the TikTok world is people truly being themselves (You don’t have the guilt trip that you must be dressed up with full makeup to do a video. You can, but many people do videos being authentic and real) two of my favorite author accounts who make me smile and are genuinely themselves are @angelamontoya_author and @mariadaguila.

Lastly, make it your own! Create a niche of content that’ll attract your readers. TikTok is one of my favorite platforms and it’s attracting more and more people each day (hey, even my mom uses it). If you’re interested in learning more and/or getting a TikTok tutorial course, I’d love to know! Leave a comment below.

Delia Ruiz (she/her) is the Latinx author of ROQUI’S PANDERO BEAT. She’s also a content creator and book reviewer. She currently serves on the marketing team for the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival and assists with their TikTok account. She enjoys reading stories showcasing BIPOC joy and everyday life. Follow her on TikTok and most socials as @aventuras.en.esl