I don’t have tiktok, hate UA-cam shorts, don’t watch reels. Like I am the prime audience for long form content (though I do watch at 2x speed) and I have been feeling like longer videos are going to become less popular simply because a) there’s SO MUCH content out there to consume, people will prioritize being able to watch more shorter videos than watch less longer ones and b) after being stuck inside during the pandemic, people are much more aware of what their time is worth now (“life is short”) and want to spend 6 hours doing something other than watch a rabbit hole deep dive that’s padded out just for midrolls. I don’t want shorts and reels to be the solution, but I think 10-20 minute videos are the sweet spot right now
I think part of the reason for booktube declining is that too many creators are pushing out the same videos over and over again. A lot of creators have limited themselves to monthly wrap-ups, anticipated releases, and talking about the same handful of books everyone else on booktube and other sites are talking about. I don't want to hear about the same book from every other person for months at a time no matter what site or app I'm on. I get being involved in the hype of the book, but there has to be a point where people talk about literally any other book lol. A lot of the bigger booktubers keeps talking about how we need to use our libraries and support indie authors, but then you never see them with a library book, they only talk about whatever books came in a pr package that they don't even read most of the time, whatever is trendy on tiktok, or whatever author is super popular. What they're saying doesn't add up to what they're creating. Idk, it feels like a lot of booktube lost its creativity or is in a rut. There used to be a lot more people being creative by making games, using book tags, being involved in challenges, bringing the community together with live streams and collabs, but not so much anymore. I know it's not going to be the same as when covid had us all inside and seeking community on here, but it's like once things got back to semi-normal that whole side of the book community kinda went away. And the new people coming in are making the same videos everyone else has been making the past few years, which is boring tbh. I just want booktube's creativity back. I don't think I'll stop watching booktube completely, but I sure as hell do skip large parts of videos that either feel like a 10 minute long ad or talk about the same books I've heard about dozens of times already.
Yep! this is why i love booktubers like booksandlala. She creates community by holding live shows with smaller booktubers, has lots of creative video ideas, and reads books across genres (many of which i had never heard of before or had never seen other booktubers talking about). Would definitely recommend watching her if you're not already!
I think this is a very good point! I also tend to skip over videos where I see people talking about the “typical” books like SJM, JLA, etc. I love the booktube staple kind of content like wrap ups, reading vlogs, etc. but I could definitely see how for some viewers they can feel repetitive. I think because booktube has become so insular and less popular, there’s less incentive for creators to try different things because of the risk. As a creator, I have to think about how a video is going to perform before I even bother to sit down and film it, you know? If I can count on a reading vlog or wrap up to at least bring in a certain amount of views, I’m probably more likely to go with that than an untested video idea. When there were more eyes on booktube, I felt more of a cushion and freedom to try new ideas. So I think that if viewers want exciting and different content, they need to engage with the booktubers they love.
I am just starting out with making book content and I have a focus on marginalised authors. Probably not the shiny quality of other creators but definitely not the blockbuster books everyone is talking about
I’m GenX and a lot of people in my generation and older are starting BookTube channels. And that’s amazing! We are having fun and I think that’s all that matters. I’m 3 years in and have no plans to leave. My philosophy for all channels is to keep creating and keep growing. I think this video may give you the growth you seek. 😊 Nice to meet you! - 📚MJ
I came here from your video, thank you MJ! Had to sub to Allie immediately, love the personality and genuinely interested in her content after even a quick glance on her page.
I think that’s awesome!! For me, as long as I’m having fun I want to be here. I feel like you can kind of tell when a creator is just done with engaging and would rather be doing anything else, and I never want my content to get to that place. I hope it won’t, since I feel like I’ve made so many great friendships and connections here. But I’m excited to see booktube shifting and going through a growth phase 😊 makes me intrigued to see what if will be like even a year from now!!
UA-cam is the only social media I have. Booktube will forever be my cozy place. It got me through my bachelors degree as I put videos on in the background, and it’s gotten me through half of my current masters program. I absolutely love long form content, the longer the better! Keep doing what you’re doing!! Only if you love it, of course… because we love it!
When it comes to books I love long form content and reading vlogs. I think it’s why I really enjoy hosting reading sprints because it’s long form that lets me enjoy chatting about books and other things at length. We just have to continue to create videos and content we love and those who love it too will find us! ❤
I left around 2017 due to some mental health issues but after my mom died in 2020 I decided to restart my channel so I came back in 2021 and it’s been the best thing I could’ve done! Booktube is a big part of what makes WhimsicalNarratives what it is even though I’ve branched out YT is and will always be my OG homebase
So so true!! I think there are definitely people out there who want content like this but with the way the algorithm is set up and the popularity of tiktok it’s harder to get through the noise.
@@alliewithbooks yup I gained more subs with my short yesterday than with my regular longer vlog but we just got make what we enjoy at the end of the day.
I hate that there is less long form content now. I love watching a one hour vlog or 40 minute wrap ups. I don't like short form content honestly or how any media surrounding books has become something comercial (in my opinion). Like, I just want to see someone talking about the book they're reading and not have them try to sell me a product. COME ON. Ok, that's the end of my rant. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
I totally agree with you, and I think that’s one of the reasons I don’t love making bookish content on tiktok. I feel like the format makes me simplify my thoughts too much and I feel like I’m promoting a product instead of having an in-depth discussion about a book.
This makes me wanna delete TikTok. Booktube got me back into reading. It’s sad that UA-cam is going through this. Also, I’m so glad I’m not the only one that realized that booktok doesn’t mention booktube, it’s really sad 😞
I think booktok is great and has its purpose, but I just have such a special love and appreciation for booktube 🥲 it’s wild that booktube gets almost no recognition!! I’m on the mailing list for a few publishers and even in their google forms they send out they’ll put spaces to link to your social media accounts but won’t have a spot for booktube.
I just made a booktube channel and UA-cam is the only place I get my book recommendations bc booktok I feel like is so saturated with books everyone has seen before. With UA-cam changing, it can bring out all the genuine creatives with all the fun video ideas and weed out the ones that only give reviews from their pr packages 🥺 maybe the change can be a good thing 💌💐
I would love to see that happen!! From this comment section alone, I have a good feeling that 2024 will be the year of a booktube renaissance. I’m excited for it!!
Just to add my two cents, but I think Booktube is declining (I believe temporarily) due to the repetitiveness of the videos and book recommendation. I mostly watch booktube vlogs where someone is sharing a multifaceted view of their life, how they integrate reading into their daily living, what foods they make throughout the week, their immediate reactions/experiences of reading, how they romanticize a fall reading night, etc. I find myself skipping through the wrap-ups (especially if the books were shown and talked about in a vlog) and I rarely watch tbr videos. I think booktube needs to adapt a bit - if people can get tbr and book recommendations in a faster, more “instant gratification” style on TikTok, then I think what booktube community needs to think about what makes UA-cam unique. We need a youtube user study or to develop user profiles to tailor our videos to. Anecdotally, I come here for companionship and inspiration. I think that’s the unique lever UA-cam has that TikTok won’t be able to replicate.
I'll watch and make wrap-up videos, but only those which are yearly, or follow a theme (like autumn). Otherwise, you can end up with a lukewarm response to a bunch of books. With a yearly video, whether that's a person's ten favourite books or ten least favourite books, at least you're hearing about the books the creator was most passionate about (as opposed to their random reactions).
Am a new Booktuber who has rediscovered her love for reading because am slowly coming out of the 'full-time parenting phase' so am just happy to be able to share this love here. All I can say is, your people will find you, just keep on creating as long as it makes you happy.
I’ve been on booktube since like 2015 and it has been such a wild ride but I’ve still got a million idea for videos. Really interested to see the next wave of booktubers and hoping the good ones stay as much as they can
Booktube is my favorite book media. I hate Tiktok and the non stop scrolling. I think that only longish video can fits books content. The short ones are just so empty.
As an old fashioned book blogger, I feel this so hard! I saw blogs give way to video and now video is shortening. It’s kinda scary and very disheartening. I just keep doing my thing though cause I genuinely enjoy it and the views are secondary now. Great video, I will always watch you as long as you keep making videos, you’re amazing!
I still love book blogs!! I used to be subscribed to so many, so it’s been sad to see over the years the way I get less and less emails about blog updates 🥺 Thank you so much!! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
I'm fairly new to booktube, maybe watching for about 2 years off and on. I found it after I retired and was needing to rest and relax after years of working. While I read and edited technical papers in my former positions, I'm not a strong or fast reader in my personal life. I watch because I want to learn about books and I'm fascinated by how many books people read in a week, month, year. I have learned a lot, but I still haven't figured out the genre I'm most interested in. I get the impression that the majority of booktubers believe their audience is strictly book people. I bet there's plenty out there who are like me. I look for the booktuber who is excited about a particular genre and makes it relatable. I guess that's because I'm still figuring my genre. I'm not on tiktok and don't plan on using it. I started to follow some book folks on the gram, but I already unfollowed because it's not giving me what I need in terms of information. However, if you're on both the gram and booktube, then I continue to follow that person because typically you'll get notification on the gram that a new video is out. Thank you for your video. I had no idea that booktube was declining.
Yes, retirement age, avid reader and UA-cam watcher/listener. I haven’t explored BookTube much. I’m interested to discover if there are any cross-generational channels. Your comment gives me hope there is.
@@katefarmerpallotta9710 You'll find some fun Booktubers out there. It just depends on what you're interested in. Mostly everyone has a monthly TBR so you can do a search that way and find what suits you. Folks are starting to post their April TBRs so it's a good time to see what everyone is reading next month.
@@katefarmerpallotta9710 I have a few more tips for you. If you like chunky books, search for march of the mammoths 2024. Also, when there's a bookish tag, the booktubers will typically list those who they're tagging for a set of questions to answer. I always check out who they tagged. I recommend checking out Gina Stanyer. She has a lot of fun reads, and she participates in a lot of tags. You can check out her previous videos on that. I also like to look at the new booktuber tag videos. There's a fairly new booktuber that you might like. Her channel is called The Unhinged Woman Book Club. I hope this helps you get off to a good start in finding your booktuber people.
So glad to have stumbled upon your video! I love these kinds of discussion videos. I’m going to check out your other videos because I definitely need some more booktube content on my feed!
I used to have a bookstagram account and recently actually decided to start a booktube because of how fast and superficial short form content can be. Reels and TikToks, although fun, aren't really able to go in depth and discuss books at length and that's something I was really missing. I also just like watching long form content. It allows me to really get to know a person and their taste in reading. It's more intimate in a way.
That’s what I love about long form content as well!! I love getting to know more about people and their reading tastes, and booktube really allows me to live vicariously through other people’s tastes 😅 I love watching people who read completely different books than I do!
I got into booktube because of booktok. Genuinely, I forgot how much I LOVE reading until I was reminded via booktok. However, slowly and slowly, I'm getting more disinterested in booktok because I find a lot of books recommendations are SO misleading. 😩 Maybe it's the condensed format or the fact that those videos have one sole purpose, and it's to really get the viewers to read a specific book that I find a lot of video recs are so generalized that it's inaccurate. So I got onto booktube because I love hearing people's long conversations ABOUT the book. What they like about, what they don't, and if their reaction to the book is like mine. I don't see that a lot on booktok. So please keep making these videos because I'm sure those who started getting introduced to books via booktok will eventually find their way onto your channel and booktube! 🧡
That is a really great perspective!! I always think about talking about my booktube channel every once in a while on my tiktok account, but I always feel awkward self-promoting like that 😅 but maybe I should just go ahead and do it! (And I agree about the booktok recs! I think the quick format where you don’t get to hear people’s in-depth thoughts/analysis of the books lends itself to a more open interpretation of what expectations people will have going into the books people recommend.)
I think that long form content we'll always have its place- it may go through periods of low views/high views like anything else, but I don't think UA-cam is going anywhere. However, it is important to note for those of us who do make our income off of UA-cam the odd cents, and UA-cam have made some really crappy changes in 2024 to CPM and how we are paid. Most people have talk to you the revenue is down 30-60% which is a HUGE hit to income. So it'll be interesting to see how this impacts long form creators going forward this year because it's really frustrating when your subscriber count keeps going up your views keep going up but you're being paid less than you were a year ago. I think that UA-cam is just always evolving and I honestly love having these sorts of discussions! If anything, I think that short from content will slowly die before long form, does because short form content doesn't give you the same sense of community, sitting back and relaxing watching a video etc- it's more instant gratification. And if anything, I think shortform contact is a more toxic place to be in as a creator. I feel like my long form community (which luckily is my main one) I just a lot nicer and kinder and supportive. People on TikTok and Instagram reels can just be cruel lol.
I don’t think booktube is necessarily dying. New people are doing well. What they all have in common is that they are doing book content in lifestyle/ challenge or drama/podcast form. I think it’s the algorithm change. UA-cam always struggled with book videos and who to push them to. It’s obvious when you look into analytics and see which videos your video is recommended on. The pandemic period when long wrap ups and read with me sessions were favored is clearly over. It’s either aim for every video to have some kind of a virality element or being okay with smaller part of our audiences watching the video because the algorithm won’t push the videos even to them at an appropriate tempo for it to do well.
This!! I also think the "booktube staples" just aren't entertaining people enough anymore, because everyone does them so they aren't attention grabbing. The things I see with a ton of likes and comments are like challenge vlogs where there is an element of risk or surprise to it, like "I try books from popular authors I've hated" or "-blank- controls my tbr" or "I blind date with a book my own tbr" Like wrapups and unhauls are MY personal favorite content but I think I'm in the minority judging by the comment sections.
@BooksWaffles I don't work from home but I like to put them on like a podcast while I do housework. A 45 minute wrapup is perfect for cleaning the kitchen!
I agree with the basic thesis of this video, that YT has made changes that are hurting BookTube channels across the board. I've seen impressions are way down for my channel at the same time as subscriber count continues to rise and interaction increases, which strongly suggests UA-cam is not pushing my channel as much as previously. It's really disappointing to see my view count going down (not just on my latest videos but on my catalog) and uploads barely getting any impressions, but I've taken steps to counteract this by making links with other BookTubers, starting a Discord server, encouraging subscribers to share, etc. Fingers crossed something changes.
I’m not sure that it’s dying so much as it’s changing. It’s definitely not what it was in 2018. Tags and traditional content don’t do as well, but there are some really creative people thinking outside the box and doing really well here!
I've been taking a break from BookTube for health reasons, but I've been starting to feel up to content creation again and honestly this video has helped me feel more excited about coming back, weirdly enough haha. I'm glad you're sticking around bc I really enjoy your videos! I'm also partial to long form content, I just feel like that's what my brain does better. It can be discouraging to see BookTube lose momentum, but hearing you talk about how much you love it, reminds me why I do too! ☺
That’s honestly really awesome!! I didn’t want my video to come off as totally nihilistic, so I’m glad it’s inspired you in that way 😊 booktube has given us such a great and sturdy community, I’m really hoping that more people will join us in the near future!!
It’s strange because book tube is the only section of UA-cam that consistently brings this topic up. Other channels I watch never mention anything like this. (Art, gaming, music, politics). I hope you keep making content because I love reading and I’m glad I discovered you!
I think we tend to bring it up more publicly, but I’m good friends with other creators outside of the booktube niche and they do talk about it more privately. I think there’s a bit of a stigma around talking about declining viewership/engagement for a few reasons, so a lot of creators will publicly ignore it. I think it’s an interesting topic, so I’m glad I was able to open up the discussion here 😊
Anime side UA-cam is also really all about the newest titles coming out as well. It used to be different (a long time ago), but what you’re describing (seasonals for anime) have taken over the anime community online as well. And this loss of entertainment YT. Anitube. Booktube. Even popular anitube creators on YT making content sometimes also have very little engagement throughout all their content across all years active. There used to be more engagement even with older videos. At least whatever engagement they may get isn’t reflected in the comments. The comments cut off the same year or time frame the video is post marked at. Not many new comments past that. I do think people still watch, but possibly a more casual audience and they are quite quiet in viewership if that is the case. Casual lurkers. YT Creators all get views by making content content content as much as possible and just not expecting an audience past a certain point. (Sometimes also about a month out as well going off what I can see as a viewer.) By always having a new video of the next new thing. That used to only happen to the seasonal specific channels. Anitube also has a “dead” feel as well. There’s a few anitubers still around and some new creators, but nothing like it used to be. Going on a few years now.
I think UA-cam overall is being effected (and we had a rocky start to the year with a bunch of creators quitting), but BookTube is hit the hardest, because it's already a niche community and it's competing with itself in terms of BookTok or Bookstagram. It's not a good look, either, when typing "booktube" into the UA-cam engine pulls up a bunch of videos of booktubers quitting...but, there are those of us who plan to hang in there. I don't enjoy the other platforms the same way, and other booktubers I've watched have tried BookTok and it wasn't for them.
My fellow Aries ♈ I'm so happy you made awareness to this. I follow a makeup artist on here and she's recently expressed things that you touched on and I agree with you both. She's so bomb with her makeup, but her views now are never what they used to be and she's super consistent. This is my first video of your's I've seen EVER and I'm here to stay!!!! I enjoy long form videos, especially about books! Booktok became so boring FAST imo. My issue with book tube was it pushed the same 5 creators and even after searching high and low I still ended up at the same 5 people. Just recently I've been seeing so many new and old channels and I've definitely been back in my booktube/UA-cam binge era. See you at 10k 💕
Aries twins!!! ❤️🔥❤️🔥 I totally get what you mean about encountering the same handful of channels! It really feels like the algorithm prioritizes certain channels over others, whatever the reason may be. It feels like growth is so difficult. But either way I’m so grateful for the community I have right now 😊 Thank you for giving my channel a chance!! It means a lot 🫶🏼
I love long content and reading vlogs.. I'll keep watching as long as my favorite booktubers keep making them. I also love discovering new favorite smaller channels.
Graphic novel tube is alive and thriving I’d say. Those are actually my favorite channels these days. Just getting to hang out with everyone in a 3h live show
Love this!!! I was just talking about this over the weekend because so many of my friends are leaving because their videos aren't being pushed or engaged with :/
I totally agree with everything you said. I also think that during quarantine, there was a big boom of growth because everyone was stuck inside, so I also wonder if we never recovered from post-quarantine. TikTok definitely has something to do with it and tbh most of the growth I've seen is from UA-cam shorts. I'd love to get back to the OG booktube days where the content isn't all about what gets the most views but just talking about books. I've come to just accept that I make content for me and to share about queer books and if a couple people see it, then that is worth it. But, it took a long time for me to come to that conclusion.
You’re so right!! It’s so surprising how many views Reels get, bc I feel like I rarely see people talk about watching them. But I will say that when I do post them they get a good amount of views/engagement. I think I really miss how loud and exciting booktube used to be as a community. I would love to see it get back there, regardless of what happens to my views/engagement, bc I just really enjoyed watching new channels pop up all the time and there being constant discussions about books.
yes! i think too the mainstream youtubers turned booktubers definitely don''t help lol like i'm glad people are making more booktube content even if they're mainstream, but i feel like that has really changed what booktube was and it sucks! i am glad too though that there are new channels still coming up, so it's not dead unless there are still people here. @@alliewithbooks
It’s interesting to hear this as I just found BookTube. I didn’t know it was a thing! I don’t have TikTok and since keeping IG off my phone (generally), I have found myself coming back to UA-cam and spending time on longer content, which I think is great. I’m so happy to have found people talking about books and I hope this place continues to flourish.
I think the cycle of social media platforms was a great point, and what's currently going on in the US regarding TikTok could have major implications across all platforms in terms of new or returning viewers. I've been a part of booktube since 2010 (I privated my old channel) and while your views might imply that the concept of long form content is dying, I think it's just a lull. This community has proven it's longevity and adaptability from platform to platform. Creators who are able to stay consistent and flow with the currents will always have an audience and community who supports them. Another great point someone made below is how repetitive booktube can be. I think some channels who have created a niche discussing authors behaving badly or other newer concepts are doing exceptionally well because their content stands out. But ultimately it's about doing what you love, regardless of trends or analytics.
Just found your channel and subbed! I love your energy and vibe. I just started a channel in December (not booktube) and found your take on this interesting. I have never heard the view count to sub ratio, and that seems like a good metric to measure with. I'm sure the "death" of booktube applies to other communities on UA-cam too. I also love long form content. I'm going to check out some of your other videos, and make my TBR even longer 🙃
Thank you!! And yes, it definitely applies across the board as I’ve talked to many other UA-camrs in other niches and they’re experiencing similar drop-offs in engagement.
My favorite booktubers do fun reading blogs and challenges. They read popular and also books I've never heard of, they are upbeat typically, and they never tell me what to do, like delete goodreads or unfollow someone. I love seeing collaboration and read alongs. I promise you, booktube isn't dead.
I never said it was dead 😊 just discussing the idea that it might be falling to the wayside and doing a little bit of clickbait 😅 But yes, there are so many great booktubers out there still making engaging content!
Great video, thanks for being so open and honest. I started a Booktube channel 3 months ago with the intention of creating a fun and innovative way of reviewing vintage SF books from relatively unknown authors because it seemed like no one was talking about that old stuff which always interested me. I'm still very small, but growth has been consistent and the feedback I get is that it's because there was a niche of a niche that was unrepresented but still had a fanbase. Being so new, I can't really give advice, but finding that untapped zone of Booktube while having fun has been incredible for me. Cheers and good luck @alliewithbooks, stay honest, integrous and keep having fun and growth will continue.
Wow what an incredible and insightful video! Thank you so much!! I’m a new debut author coming late to the party, and BookTube is definitely my preferred format over Bookstagram or BookTok, despite all the valid reasons you pointed out. Stay strong and keep being awesome! You definitely earned a sub from me :)
The reason you think your channel may not have gotten as big as others is the exact thing about you that gave me courage to show my face and start making bookish videos. You inspired me just the way that you are, and I'm grateful to have found your channel 💜
There are so many booktubers at this point,it's getting difficult to stand out and grow i think.Books are very popular ,more than ever before almost.I don't think booktube is dying ,only slowing down to a smaller level.I collect movies on blu-ray and dvd,that niche is getting hit after hit.Books and booktube are much stronger.Your channel is new for me,i'm subscribed to a couple of channels because i also like books,my favorite bookchannel is Elliot Brooks,i'm also subscribing to your channel.
I have been making booktube content since 2015 and growth has always been difficult for me but i have especially noticed in the last couple of years that i have seen no significant growth and it has been super frustrating. Most of my videos struggle to even hit the 100 view mark and it is discouraging. But same as you, i love booktube dearly and the short form content just doesnt work for me as well
Same!! Things have really slowed down in recent years and it can be so discouraging. It feels like if your channel wasn’t already big before, there’s little to no chance at growth now. But I’m glad you’re here and still making content you enjoy!!
This is really interesting to listen to your perspectives. I stumbled upon this video and it piqued my curiosity because like you, I wondered about the page views and how UA-cam figures it all out. Im not on any social media (flatly refuse to get back on them since I deleted my accounts 3 years ago - also refuse to do Shorts or use AI) but I love YT. It means that promotion is harder but not impossible. I wonder if it means we just need to alter our expectations (just like you mentioned) and decide on unique ways for us and our community here and not follow trends or what the algorithm wants us to do. I’m figuring it out but have no answers except to keep creating content you and your community loves but if it’s a business, don’t put your eggs in the one basket with these platforms. Wish you all the best in your channel. It’s such hard work to plan and create these so I hope it continues to inspire you. Good luck.
A lot of booktubers have stopped posting, too. Myself included. I started my channel in 2017 - so this year would be my 7th year, but I stopped posting in 2022 because it just became a little toxic and demanding on what people should post about. I keep thinking about coming back and I record videos but never post them because I'm not sure I want to wade back into all that. Also, I am not a short form creator. And it is hard to be original and come up with new ideas when talking about books. There is only so much you can do. lol.
Thank you for this video. I was feeling down by the plunging views on my channel. I am considering quitting because I will be 74 this August and will celebrate four years on BT. I don't have time to talk into a void. However, I would miss my subs and friends. Aloha.
I haven’t really been on booktube for years now, I stopped uploading years ago and haven’t been on insta/Twitter in a long time either (due to person reasons/needing a break) so I don’t really talk to any booktubers anymore . I’ve been wanting to come back but I’ve noticed that booktube seems to be dying, a lot of people who I’ve been subbed to haven’t made videos in 1-3 years. It’s so sad to see but I can guess that everyone has shifted to booktok I’m happy there are still old booktubers around and a few new ones too but can definitely see how different it is now
I’ve noticed the same thing as well. So many of the booktubers I enjoyed watching 2+ years ago either very rarely upload or don’t upload at all, which is fine! People move on or have person stuff happen, etc. But I feel like we’re experiencing less newcomers than in years past so it feels like we’re losing more creators than we’re gaining. Hopefully that changes soon!!
As a new consumer of booktube i will say that I'm finding it hard to find all the creators!! When i search, youtube always suggests the same 5 ppl and i don't understand why?? I want to watch creators go to the bookstore, listen to their recs, and watch hour long videos about books! I've been curious what's going on and started to think there were only 5 creators lol
Ugh yes!! I hate that about the algorithm. It really latches onto the same handful of already popular booktubers and suppresses everyone else. That’s why I have to do so much promotion on Twitter, Instagram, threads, etc.
This is such a fascinating topic and I agree with so much of what you said. I also am making booktube content for myself and the community of booktube friends who engage with my content - focusing on growth is just too disappointing. It seems like a lot of bigger booktubers have recently started also making booktok content, so I do think short form content is here to stay, but I also prefer long form book content and appreciate all the booktubers who still make videos 🩵
I love you tube, and book tube in particular. It’s my only social media. I know there is a great push to ban ticktock in the US and I must admit, I hope it’s successful.
Great video and you make so many good points. Could it be that the number of creators are increasing? I find there are so many booktubers so it’s impossible to follow all of them or even watch every video of the ones you do follow, if you have anything else that you need to spend time on in your life. I don’t think reading, meaning consuming stories, in some form, will ever diminish because of how we are wired as humans. And we also want to share experiences and discuss what we read. So the form of it all might shift, but I don’t think there’s anything dying. Just changing, like others are saying as well. I started my channel about a month ago and I’m having so much fun, but I also noticed myself falling into the systems that are in place, and that’s not what I want, I want to read how I want to read and create videos for fun, for my own ideas, rather than fit the template of booktube. I also have so many thoughts on evergreen content, but I’ve already written an essay here so… subscribed and will watch more from you 😊
Allie, I just started doing booktube. Honestly I didn't even realize it existed because I'm not as cool as your generation. So I'm still catching up. Lol. I have always been a reader but very picky on what I will read or write (writer as a side job) I subscribed recently with this account but have been enjoying your content a while from my personal account. I like hearing your take and opinions. I make shorts for my channel right now. Since I'm still learning as well as have chronic illnesses to navigate. Hopefully we can keep booktube thriving. ❤ And we'll see how the political process goes on tik tok / book tok. Maybe youtube will get big again.
I love knowing that people are still excited and engaged with booktube!! Especially getting to see new creators join our community, it really warms my heart 🥹 I think it will be interesting to see what happens to booktube and UA-cam as a whole in the next few months/years! I could totally see it having a resurgence.
My recommended page has gotten so bland (I watch one video on a topic and it is my entire recommended page... which is kinda fine, but I do like other things too lol) so now I exclusively watch vids from my subscriptions (which I guess I should have done from the start)
I am relatively new to joining booktube (also I'm Gen X so I've been reading for decades) and it's also the main content I consume. Since I read a variety of genres (basically all but Contemporary and Romance), I never get bored with content. I always find new smaller channels and discover new books. I enjoy giving my unique perspective on some of the more well-known books, I tend to notice and say certain things about them that others have not, and I also share a lot of quotes (which other people rarely do). I especially enjoy sharing lesser-known books or books that it seems nobody has talked about yet. No better feeling than discovering a hidden or underrated gem and sharing it with others .. especially if they end up loving it! The booktube community is an overall positive experience and so glad to have "met" other bibliophiles here. Love this topic for discussion - you gotta sub outta me! 💛
Hello! This was a great discussion. I do think You Tube is headed the way of Facebook. I believe younger people are moving to faster media sources. I have only discovered Booktubers and have been so inspired to create my own library through Book of the Month. I wish you the best of luck!
There are so many new YT channels that are actually corporations who are pretending to be individuals with a passion for making videos. Their videos are highly produced, have a ridiculous amount of market research behind them and have expensive production values etc…so the first problem is that it’s getting more and more difficult for us “new” viewers to even FIND your “genuine” videos in such a HUGE sea of content constantly being uploaded. Your average YT viewer these days expects the ridiculously polished and catchy thumbnails (personally I still prefer clicking on thumbnails that look like just a random one generated by YT 🤣). Not to mention YT is a company that wants to make money and they’re going to push the things that make them money 🤷🏻♀️. Secondly, I don’t think TikTok killed Booktube so much as now that there are other options for people who prefer short form content that they have migrated away from UA-cam 🤷🏻♀️. Personally I can’t stand TikTok and don’t use it..but to each his own.😊
I think you said it in the beginning of your vid, that it is something that reaches beyond the book stuff. But I would not worry too much if I were you. It is just that there are so many content creators now and multiple platforms that it spreads the audience out. It is not that people don't want to talk books or watch your vids specifically. They may just be a little busy w all the available content.
I am always here for a chatty video. I think you hit it on the head when you said that social media platforms have cycles of popularity. I think as the new platforms reach equilibrium w older platforms as far as types of content goes, we'll see things even out. I also think that at least on my end, there are still things I can try to get my videos out to new viewers. I'm going to be playing around w shorts and such so that I have content that can cross over to reels and TT. (Side note: my most recent short video TT was like, HEY DID YOU KNOW THIS COULD BE LONGER???) I talked about this a little in my 5 (?) year anniversary video, but I'm of the same mind as you. I'm here to talk about books and as long as I've got my little community and I'm participating w them, I'm pretty happy. (I also have my own ideas about why my channel didn't/isn't growing as fast as people thought it should, tho probably very different from yours.) I'm happy that you're here, tho 💜
I feel a little like a circus monkey when I’m trying all of these different ways of getting people to my channel 😅 or like I’m racing agains the algorithm. But yeah, finding new and interesting ways of getting our channels out in front of people is more than half the battle. Building community is truly one of the best things about booktube, and I think that as long as people show up and want to talk about books, I’ll be here.
@alliewithbooks yeah, I think a lot of people push it like it's supposed to be a business (and I definitely try to at least treat it a little like that, bc I like when people watch my stuff 😅), but I keep reminding myself that this is a hobby. Ya know? I'm trying to reclaim the fun in my channel. Or st least having fun creating for my channel. It does frustrate me to see all YT's talk of wanting to male things better for smaller creators, when most smaller creators struggle so much.
I can totally see the difference between when I used to make videos back in 2014 when youtube was really "in" and I also did beauty and other random tag videos, my subscriber/views/likes count went up so fast compared to now Right now I have 370 subscribers and around ~60 views per video and only one or two of those click like and leave a comment (I used to get ~40-70 likes before). It's so discouraging but like you said I still do it since I really like to talk about books and just film and edit!
I'm not on tiktok and never will be on tiktok. I prefer the longer content, especially when I'm cleaning or doing chores. Sometimes, I'm not in the mood to listen to an audiobook, and I need to feel that I'm home with someone and not by myself while my kids are in school. I get scared. Lol
I have really gotten into reading last year only and thats in large thanks to booktube so will always be grateful to it for that and i love watching the booktube videos despite the popularity of tiktok. Lomg form content >
I don't necessarily think booktube is dying its just evolving has it always has. I've noticed a more dedicated adult SFF booktube community grow over the years. Lots of lifestyle youtubers like Haley Pham and Jack Edwards pivoted to booktube and from what I can tell are bringing new non reader audiences into the space. However as the community (and the algorithm) changes lots of my personal favourite youtubers have quit, pivoted to different types of videos, moved to different platforms or have drastically reduced how much they post. This makes it feel like booktube is dying but when I look at it from a broader perspective I find channels with 100k+ subscribers and tens of thousands of views in their videos I've never even heard of before. If I'm being honest I don't watch as much booktube as I used to but mainly because my faves don't post as much. But regardless of my participation there will always been an online community of readers out there in whatever form and I think that's really special.
Hi! I just stumbled across your channel! Im very much a booktube only viewer, i've deleted tiktok and I dont use Instagram for bookstagram. I very much consume long form content as the majority of my content. Im hopeful that there are still users out there like me - maybe its an age thing? Im 28 and have been a loyal UA-cam user for probably over 15 years! Im happy to have found your channel :)
I’m 28 as well 🥰 I definitely agree that part of it is an age thing. I think a lot of younger people see UA-cam as a “millennial app” and TikTok as a “gen Z app”.
I go through phases with reading back in 2020 i was reading and even in a book club then i just stopped. Didn't read or pick up a book for years until now in 2024. Now i'm getting back into it. I do enjoy short form content. I noticed my attention span is shorter. While i do like UA-cam for book recommendations i do enjoy tiktok fast, simple to the point. I do wish people would review "older" books from previous years or books they truly liked instead of what's popular at the moment but that's just me maybe trying to make up for lost time. I think creators go through phases as well. I've seen a bunch of "big" youtubers who are ending their channel. It's just burn out or not interested in UA-cam anymore. It was bound to happen 7:10
I used to create booktube videos in 2013-2015 and it was such an exciting and different time and it was so new and the content was still new too. I really miss it, but I still watch booktube and I love booktube content now. in fact, when I watch booktok, I always think "man I wish this creator would make long form content and go make booktube videos" I think the content I really enjoy are these types of discussion videos or reading vlogs. I really enjoy watching content where I can follow along with the reading experience of content creators because it makes me excited to read my own books. I think the reason why I do like booktok and bookstagram is book list type of videos or recommendation videos I can consume quickly and in shorter bursts. all this to say that I think that booktube still has an important place in how we consume media and books and I hope that everyone keeps making videos because I will still watch them
I have the same thoughts when I watch people I love on booktok!! I always want to hear more of their thoughts, which is why I truly hope that booktube (and UA-cam in general) gets to have a resurgence at some point. It would be great to see!
I've had my channel for almost 2 years, trying all sorts of different videos but trying to grow my community with other book lovers just to geek out and talk about books has been nearly non existent. 😢
I've tried so hard to make shorter form content and I just hate it...and maybe it's something wrong with me but I also haven't felt like there's a place for me in short form communities like booktok. But I will always love booktube. If other people don't, that's okay. It's a safe place for us and I love it for that
Hi Allie. I have just discovered your channel today and have subscribed. Loved your video. You're right about the algorithm being a strange beast... a beast that has been getting stranger and stranger over the three years since I first started watching videos on UA-cam. I'm getting much odder combinations and suggestions of videos to watch in my timeline and more and more advertisements to scroll through, which can be off-putting. Also, I've found that channels I loved when I first got into UA-cam (minimalism and financial journeys out of debt) have grown hugely, but only after changing their content into something far more generic (such such as fashion and beauty) which didn't interest me. Presumably they made the changes in order to please the algorithm and to monetise their channels. Additionally, the advertisements that are leaders into videos are getting longer and weirder (less relevant) and the advertisements that break into videos midway through viewing are becoming more frequent and longer. For example, I had three longish advertisements cut into your video, and your video was pretty short. UA-cam as a company is making it harder to enjoy content because of the lengthened advertisements and the relentlessness of their advertising, I feel.
Ugh yes!! I totally agree about the change in advertisements 😫 About a few months ago UA-cam completely changed the way creators were able to control how many ads were placed in our videos. Now we have zero control over it and can only decide whether we want our videos to be monetized or not. If we choose to monetize them, it means ads will be placed in our videos and we have no idea how many of them there will be or what type of ads they will be. It’s sad. I wish creators had control over it!!
This is so interesting to watch. I'm an author first, booktuber second (and a librarian), and honestly dislike both booktok and bookstagram but have to do both for my author page. I feel like I open booktok and it's the same 6 books over and over that I didn't like. Bookstagram is beautiful but that's like saying you like gardening when you really just like looking at pictures of pretty flowers. With alllll the tiktok stuff going on, I think there might be some new viewers coming over to youtube, but maybe they'll just hop to instagram. Whatever happens, if you love talking about books keep doing it!! ❤❤❤❤ (I loved when you said you were in high school in 2013 🤣 that's when I had my first kid)
I’ve been watching booktube since around 2015 and I personally really dislike the content on other platforms when it comes to books. Maybe it’s because they’re all trying to create viral videos and so much of it is repeat and we never actually get to *hear* about books. Especially less known books. It’s just acotar lately (which was already booktube popular back in the day 😅). But I really love longform book content. It’s much cozier to me.
I was a booktuber for five years and honestly booktube has always been stagnant. There are outliers, of course, but on the whole the community tends to avoid innovation in favor of "what's always worked" and constantly seeks validation from the traditional system. I've spoken to so many indie authors that felt ignored or outright pushed out of the booktube space because so many booktubers wouldn't even take a chance on indie books. When booktok popped up with a much greater emphasis on indie, the switch was inevitable. Now, booktok has the levels of support booktube *could* have had, if it had been willing to take a chance. Not to mention right now is a terrible time to be historically connected to trad publishing.
I don’t have Tik tok so UA-cam still the main social media platform I watch. Short videos or second clips are fun to watch but I preferred longer videos especially if their about book reviews like I need the reviewer to elaborate I don’t want to just hear omg this is so cute, omg this books it’s so good, omg a must read like please tell me why 😂
I completely agree!! I like to hear people’s real thoughts and opinions on the books they read, and I feel like shorter form content doesn’t lend itself to that kind of discussion.
Hi Allie, I've been on BookTube for over a year now with an Italian speaking channel and the 'booktube is dying' is a huge topic that has come up in recent weeks due to the fact that the most popular book show in Italy has declined to hand out 'passes' (or credits, not sure what they called it) to booktube creators as they've did in previous years, in favor of IG and TikTok creators. The Book Tube Italian creators took a stand and we formed a group to launch an initiative which I hope can sparkle some interest, creating a Book Tube Italia award (I believe there may be something similar in other countries). I know we live in a fast world of fast consumers (and scrollers) but I am sure there are people out there who appreciate the slower pace, the longer videos, the quality vs quantity. I've been really enjoying being on the platform so far, so much that I have just launched my english speaking channel just yesterday 🙃 I am not really looking at algorithms as for me this is simply an hobby but I do realize that for some creators looking to monetize their time and efforts this trend affects big time. But trends come and go, and hopefully the quality vs quantity will be back on trend soon. I look forward to connect with creators through this new channel and see what's out there outside our little (but quite stubborn) Italian community. xoxo Daniela
Oh wow, I had no idea about this!! Thank you for letting me know. It’s crazy to see how quickly the book community switched up on booktube, especially the publishing industry itself.
@@alliewithbooks You're welcome Allie, it'll be interesting to see where this will lead us. Let's stick to what we love, I am sure anything that's done with passion will be appreciated.
I've never had any interest in TikTok and I love long form content, in my opinion the longer the better.. most videos I listen to or watch are 30 minutes to 3 hours long (I'm usually doing stuff.. eating, working, walking, driving, etc.. sometimes I listen to an audiobook) and I can sit and read a physical book for hours straight so I have a long attention span.. which sadly seems to be less common nowadays.. hopefully booktube remains and continues to grow.
We're being Woody dropped!! This scares me so much, I watched a lot of videos on this topic in the last few days and I'm such a small channel that it makes me feel like there's no point in keeping going :(
I personally don't feel Booktube is dying, in fact I'd say it's growing as evident by the new booktuber tag getting a revival this year. But I will say the quality and diversity of content hasn't been there. Everybody's got a TBR jar, some are "reading" for stats, trashing popular books has become a sport, and do I really need to make a commitment to watch a 40 plus minute reading vlog when the person doesn't even talk about the book(s) they're reading. There are people who I can't watch their videos without a pen and paper because I know they'll be reading something I want to read or make a recommendation for a book I may want to buy. I've unsubscribed from three channels because all they do is complain most of their videos. I read for enjoyment and I only want to watch people who enjoy reading as well.
I think that’s definitely valid!! I think 2023 was a bit of a slump year for booktube, and hopefully 2024 will be the fresh resurgence we need. I touched on this on twitter, but I think a big part of the reason we’re not seeing creators take risks and instead fall into creating a lot of the same content is because of the declining viewership/engagement. Creators are more likely to put out “tried and true” typical booktube content where they know they’ll get a certain amount of views/comments instead of trying something new where it might completely flop. Hopefully if more people continue to tune into booktube, there will be more of a cushion for creators to engage in trial and error 😊🤞
I’ve noticed lately there are more ads before you can see a video. Sometimes I just don’t want to wait the extra time if it is a new channel. I think this is discouraging us from finding new channels we might like.
Please keep posting yo0ur videos! New subscriber. As much as I love Twitter & Instagram, I much prefer longer videos. I am someone who WILL watch older videos. I'm also a crafter & I follow a LOT of different channels. So I just get behind,
Yeah i struggle to make short form content too. I much prefer to watch long in-depth videos. I don't use TikTok and I don't care for it personally. It's just not for me. I've seen quite a few booktubers leaving the platform which makes me so sad. Sometimes i miss the old days of booktube.
I really think that we are seeing the affects of too many creators and more everyday joining vs. viewers. It's oversaturated with channels. For me and my friends we have unsub from a lot of channels because we are tired of trying to keep up with new releases and what is popular now. We also have massive piles of books since 2020 we haven't read but we keep buying new ones. So we are just not interested in book hauls at all which a load of channels do a few times a month. Now, when I read a book it's from my TBR and then I just look up the book on youtube and watch old videos.
This is so interesting to watch! I’ve only recently really joined in on Booktube (I don’t use TikTok but saw things here and there about book tok) so I don’t have a lot to compare today too. This is reminding me of a wired article about platforms called ‘the Enshittification of TikTok’ which I’d highly recommend! I’m curious how it might be affecting UA-cam and in the near future affect TikTok’s popularity
It's hard for me to know if Booktube is dying or if my cohort of creators I follow are just aging and showing down because of the new life stages they are. I hold out hope that creators trying to earn money from their videos will always come to UA-cam because it has the best split but that doesn't account for the creators who are hobbyists.
Well... if TT goes down, that leaves folks with YT and IG for videos. Get over the fear of being seen. You're doing fine. I know watching analytics tank is frustrating, but keep going. As long as it gives you joy.
@@alliewithbooks You were talking about how, at one point, you were thinking "I don't know how to talk about books. Nobody's going to listen to what I have to say"etc. You've obviously gotten over that, but I just commented at that moment.
I’ve never seen your videos before. You popped up on my feed and I decided to check the vid out. I think the biggest issue now is that people no longer have time for longer vids anymore. When you have to work OT just to pay the bills or work two jobs, it really doesn’t leave a lot of time for watching 15 plus minutes of content. I think you’re looking at it the wrong way though. If you have 200 views that means 200 people care about what your reading. That’s huge! That’s something you should be proud of imo.
Absolutely, I think that’s definitely one of the many reasons! Short form content is so much more accessible and quick or consume, which isn’t a bad thing. I also think that because the typical booktube viewer 5+ years ago was either in college or high school (or even middle school) they had so much more time on their hands compared to now when they’re working jobs and having more responsibilities to take care of. And UA-cam just hasn’t found a way to appeal to the same demographic as before.
this was such a well done video!!! I have a feeling booktube/longform will make a comeback in 2024. There is something going on with the algorithm for sure (I've been getting pushed so many playlists lately which hasn't happened in so long.) I have also watched booktube since I was in HS (graduated 2012) did you ever watch Priscilla? (The Readables)?!?! Ugh, miss her! Hope you and other amazing booktubers stick around.
Thank you so much!! I definitely think we’ll see booktube flourish in 2024, and I couldn’t be more excited 😊 I totally remember Priscilla!! Early-mid 2010s booktube and UA-cam in general was so much fun!
Fashions come and go, there are now so many more creators on Booktube, there is still a thirst for information, for long form content, some of the staples of booktube are waning in popularity like wrap ups and tag videos but this video for example has almost 10K views far more than the '200 views' you mention. Hope you find your place in this social media wild west...
I’ve seen a lot of people saying long form content is dying and I kind of disagree. I think 10 minutes, 20 minutes long videos are dying but the 40 minutes to 1 hour long videos are certainly being pushed. It’s either 10s videos or a 3 hour podcast imo :)
You made me think of a quote from Alan Watts that I really love. "When you have enough, it's a feast" and I hope that you continue filming for yourself and have fun with it, just think of a writer showing up to a book reading and signing and there's 1 or 2 people in the audience in a sea of empty chairs, as tough as it is I think the author should proceed with the reading and engage as if every seat was taken. So staying true to you is the best thing you can do. There is only one you out there and that should be celebrated. I actually found you through another channel, Reading This Life ran by MJ who commented below too :) and just wanted to say that people care, they share, they spread the love :) I hope you stick around and do your stuff :) sorry for long comment, I can be a chatter box :P
What a great quote!! And you’re so right. I think ultimately it’s about the quality of the connections I’ve made through booktube and less about the quantity. I’ve made so many great friends here and love getting to talk about books, and I’m happy with it even with a very much changed community.
@@alliewithbooks It's like they say, the only constant thing is change, thank you for writing back :) I'm watching your previous videos now and love the way you analyze books and at the same time you make it feel like I'm hanging out with a friend.
I don't think booktok (or any other form of incredibly short content) can ever really compete with booktube. There's simply no way for people to go in depth when they only have a minute. Most of the booktok videos I've see basically boil down to "This book was good! Skip this one - it's bad" (without actually explaining why the creator thinks those books are good or bad) or lists of a bunch of books under a topic (ex. haunted houses), but the books are onscreen so briefly that I can't finish reading the title and author. But! There have been a lot more people becoming booktubers. So when they are so many options to choose from, it makes sense that individual creators aren't getting as many views as before. Over-saturation is the problem.
I think booktok is a fad that won't last long when it dies it will badly hurt booktube and it will shrink, but overall the few of us that are long time viewers will keep it from burning to the ground.
This is the first time I have watched your channel. This video is by far the most popular recently. Why? I assume UA-cam is highlighting the book tube dying subject. The decline in booktube since covid was inevitable.
I feel like I joined too late. I've been on here for three years, and, with 600 subscribers, I'm still getting as low as 13 views. I'm okay with slow growth, but not being able to get at least 20 - 50 views after three years doesn't feel like ANY growth, so I can relate. If my average holds, it should take me...another two to four years to hit the thousand subscriber mark. I don't plan to quit, but, if I ever do hit ten thousand, it will probably be when I'm fifty. I clicked on this video, because one of the videos I'm planning is literally titled "booktube is dead." We're all feeling it. Even bigger booktubers, like Jessethereader, who has 300000 plus subscribers, are only averaging a few thousand views and he's expressed sadness over his own dipping engagement.
This makes me sad, but I will not be downloading Tik Tok. I also deleted my Instagram because it got taken over by videos like tik tok. Hope You Tube can hold on. 🤞
I think dying might be the wrong descriptor. Transforming would be a better descriptor. Don’t give up. Let’s see what happens. 10 years ago I thought there wouldn’t be an independent bookstore in my town. There are still and they are doing fine.
Same thing is happening with UA-cam movie critics or UA-cam political channels. There're too many people doing it and corporate money is getting more in this space. I think it's a combination of things of people talking about too many of the same things and it's becoming less honest because of that corporate money. Chris Stuckmann won't even give bad movie reviews anymore.
I feel like long form content is dying because of TikTok and Reels, and it horrifies me
And I notice this too for all types of creators I follow!
Yeah I see it all over this platform! Even the bigger UA-camrs I love aren’t getting the same amount of views/comments that they would normally get.
I don’t have tiktok, hate UA-cam shorts, don’t watch reels. Like I am the prime audience for long form content (though I do watch at 2x speed) and I have been feeling like longer videos are going to become less popular simply because a) there’s SO MUCH content out there to consume, people will prioritize being able to watch more shorter videos than watch less longer ones and b) after being stuck inside during the pandemic, people are much more aware of what their time is worth now (“life is short”) and want to spend 6 hours doing something other than watch a rabbit hole deep dive that’s padded out just for midrolls.
I don’t want shorts and reels to be the solution, but I think 10-20 minute videos are the sweet spot right now
I don’t even go on tiktok anymore tbh. I read and use youtube
Me, too. I hated it during the Vine era as well.
I think part of the reason for booktube declining is that too many creators are pushing out the same videos over and over again. A lot of creators have limited themselves to monthly wrap-ups, anticipated releases, and talking about the same handful of books everyone else on booktube and other sites are talking about. I don't want to hear about the same book from every other person for months at a time no matter what site or app I'm on. I get being involved in the hype of the book, but there has to be a point where people talk about literally any other book lol. A lot of the bigger booktubers keeps talking about how we need to use our libraries and support indie authors, but then you never see them with a library book, they only talk about whatever books came in a pr package that they don't even read most of the time, whatever is trendy on tiktok, or whatever author is super popular. What they're saying doesn't add up to what they're creating. Idk, it feels like a lot of booktube lost its creativity or is in a rut. There used to be a lot more people being creative by making games, using book tags, being involved in challenges, bringing the community together with live streams and collabs, but not so much anymore. I know it's not going to be the same as when covid had us all inside and seeking community on here, but it's like once things got back to semi-normal that whole side of the book community kinda went away. And the new people coming in are making the same videos everyone else has been making the past few years, which is boring tbh. I just want booktube's creativity back. I don't think I'll stop watching booktube completely, but I sure as hell do skip large parts of videos that either feel like a 10 minute long ad or talk about the same books I've heard about dozens of times already.
I agree with the repetition. I skip massive parts of videos when it’s SJM, Brandon Sanderson, or whatever the new thriller of the week is.
Yep! this is why i love booktubers like booksandlala. She creates community by holding live shows with smaller booktubers, has lots of creative video ideas, and reads books across genres (many of which i had never heard of before or had never seen other booktubers talking about). Would definitely recommend watching her if you're not already!
I think this is a very good point! I also tend to skip over videos where I see people talking about the “typical” books like SJM, JLA, etc. I love the booktube staple kind of content like wrap ups, reading vlogs, etc. but I could definitely see how for some viewers they can feel repetitive. I think because booktube has become so insular and less popular, there’s less incentive for creators to try different things because of the risk. As a creator, I have to think about how a video is going to perform before I even bother to sit down and film it, you know? If I can count on a reading vlog or wrap up to at least bring in a certain amount of views, I’m probably more likely to go with that than an untested video idea. When there were more eyes on booktube, I felt more of a cushion and freedom to try new ideas. So I think that if viewers want exciting and different content, they need to engage with the booktubers they love.
Totally agree. It’s why I stopped watching book tube for awhile
I am just starting out with making book content and I have a focus on marginalised authors. Probably not the shiny quality of other creators but definitely not the blockbuster books everyone is talking about
I’m GenX and a lot of people in my generation and older are starting BookTube channels. And that’s amazing! We are having fun and I think that’s all that matters. I’m 3 years in and have no plans to leave. My philosophy for all channels is to keep creating and keep growing. I think this video may give you the growth you seek. 😊 Nice to meet you! - 📚MJ
i love this!
I came here from your video, thank you MJ! Had to sub to Allie immediately, love the personality and genuinely interested in her content after even a quick glance on her page.
I think that’s awesome!! For me, as long as I’m having fun I want to be here. I feel like you can kind of tell when a creator is just done with engaging and would rather be doing anything else, and I never want my content to get to that place. I hope it won’t, since I feel like I’ve made so many great friendships and connections here. But I’m excited to see booktube shifting and going through a growth phase 😊 makes me intrigued to see what if will be like even a year from now!!
hard agree :)@@alliewithbooks
Hi MJ!
UA-cam is the only social media I have. Booktube will forever be my cozy place. It got me through my bachelors degree as I put videos on in the background, and it’s gotten me through half of my current masters program. I absolutely love long form content, the longer the better!
Keep doing what you’re doing!! Only if you love it, of course… because we love it!
When it comes to books I love long form content and reading vlogs. I think it’s why I really enjoy hosting reading sprints because it’s long form that lets me enjoy chatting about books and other things at length.
We just have to continue to create videos and content we love and those who love it too will find us! ❤
I left around 2017 due to some mental health issues but after my mom died in 2020 I decided to restart my channel so I came back in 2021 and it’s been the best thing I could’ve done! Booktube is a big part of what makes WhimsicalNarratives what it is even though I’ve branched out YT is and will always be my OG homebase
So so true!! I think there are definitely people out there who want content like this but with the way the algorithm is set up and the popularity of tiktok it’s harder to get through the noise.
@@alliewithbooks yup I gained more subs with my short yesterday than with my regular longer vlog but we just got make what we enjoy at the end of the day.
I hate that there is less long form content now. I love watching a one hour vlog or 40 minute wrap ups. I don't like short form content honestly or how any media surrounding books has become something comercial (in my opinion). Like, I just want to see someone talking about the book they're reading and not have them try to sell me a product. COME ON. Ok, that's the end of my rant. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
I totally agree with you, and I think that’s one of the reasons I don’t love making bookish content on tiktok. I feel like the format makes me simplify my thoughts too much and I feel like I’m promoting a product instead of having an in-depth discussion about a book.
I love long form content too! The longer the better imo.
This makes me wanna delete TikTok. Booktube got me back into reading. It’s sad that UA-cam is going through this. Also, I’m so glad I’m not the only one that realized that booktok doesn’t mention booktube, it’s really sad 😞
I think booktok is great and has its purpose, but I just have such a special love and appreciation for booktube 🥲 it’s wild that booktube gets almost no recognition!! I’m on the mailing list for a few publishers and even in their google forms they send out they’ll put spaces to link to your social media accounts but won’t have a spot for booktube.
I just made a booktube channel and UA-cam is the only place I get my book recommendations bc booktok I feel like is so saturated with books everyone has seen before.
With UA-cam changing, it can bring out all the genuine creatives with all the fun video ideas and weed out the ones that only give reviews from their pr packages 🥺 maybe the change can be a good thing 💌💐
I would love to see that happen!! From this comment section alone, I have a good feeling that 2024 will be the year of a booktube renaissance. I’m excited for it!!
Just to add my two cents, but I think Booktube is declining (I believe temporarily) due to the repetitiveness of the videos and book recommendation. I mostly watch booktube vlogs where someone is sharing a multifaceted view of their life, how they integrate reading into their daily living, what foods they make throughout the week, their immediate reactions/experiences of reading, how they romanticize a fall reading night, etc. I find myself skipping through the wrap-ups (especially if the books were shown and talked about in a vlog) and I rarely watch tbr videos. I think booktube needs to adapt a bit - if people can get tbr and book recommendations in a faster, more “instant gratification” style on TikTok, then I think what booktube community needs to think about what makes UA-cam unique. We need a youtube user study or to develop user profiles to tailor our videos to. Anecdotally, I come here for companionship and inspiration. I think that’s the unique lever UA-cam has that TikTok won’t be able to replicate.
I'll watch and make wrap-up videos, but only those which are yearly, or follow a theme (like autumn). Otherwise, you can end up with a lukewarm response to a bunch of books. With a yearly video, whether that's a person's ten favourite books or ten least favourite books, at least you're hearing about the books the creator was most passionate about (as opposed to their random reactions).
Am a new Booktuber who has rediscovered her love for reading because am slowly coming out of the 'full-time parenting phase' so am just happy to be able to share this love here. All I can say is, your people will find you, just keep on creating as long as it makes you happy.
I’ve been on booktube since like 2015 and it has been such a wild ride but I’ve still got a million idea for videos. Really interested to see the next wave of booktubers and hoping the good ones stay as much as they can
It’s been so cool to see that there are a good amount of new booktubers popping up!! I hope it’s a good sign for things to come 😊
Booktube is my favorite book media. I hate Tiktok and the non stop scrolling.
I think that only longish video can fits books content. The short ones are just so empty.
+1 sub :) I’m new to the book tube party but I’m excited. I like your vibe :)
Thank you!! 🥰
As an old fashioned book blogger, I feel this so hard! I saw blogs give way to video and now video is shortening. It’s kinda scary and very disheartening. I just keep doing my thing though cause I genuinely enjoy it and the views are secondary now. Great video, I will always watch you as long as you keep making videos, you’re amazing!
I still love book blogs!! I used to be subscribed to so many, so it’s been sad to see over the years the way I get less and less emails about blog updates 🥺
Thank you so much!! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
I'm fairly new to booktube, maybe watching for about 2 years off and on. I found it after I retired and was needing to rest and relax after years of working. While I read and edited technical papers in my former positions, I'm not a strong or fast reader in my personal life. I watch because I want to learn about books and I'm fascinated by how many books people read in a week, month, year. I have learned a lot, but I still haven't figured out the genre I'm most interested in. I get the impression that the majority of booktubers believe their audience is strictly book people. I bet there's plenty out there who are like me. I look for the booktuber who is excited about a particular genre and makes it relatable. I guess that's because I'm still figuring my genre. I'm not on tiktok and don't plan on using it. I started to follow some book folks on the gram, but I already unfollowed because it's not giving me what I need in terms of information. However, if you're on both the gram and booktube, then I continue to follow that person because typically you'll get notification on the gram that a new video is out. Thank you for your video. I had no idea that booktube was declining.
Yes, retirement age, avid reader and UA-cam watcher/listener. I haven’t explored BookTube much. I’m interested to discover if there are any cross-generational channels. Your comment gives me hope there is.
@@katefarmerpallotta9710 You'll find some fun Booktubers out there. It just depends on what you're interested in. Mostly everyone has a monthly TBR so you can do a search that way and find what suits you. Folks are starting to post their April TBRs so it's a good time to see what everyone is reading next month.
@@katefarmerpallotta9710 I have a few more tips for you. If you like chunky books, search for march of the mammoths 2024. Also, when there's a bookish tag, the booktubers will typically list those who they're tagging for a set of questions to answer. I always check out who they tagged. I recommend checking out Gina Stanyer. She has a lot of fun reads, and she participates in a lot of tags. You can check out her previous videos on that. I also like to look at the new booktuber tag videos. There's a fairly new booktuber that you might like. Her channel is called The Unhinged Woman Book Club. I hope this helps you get off to a good start in finding your booktuber people.
So glad to have stumbled upon your video! I love these kinds of discussion videos. I’m going to check out your other videos because I definitely need some more booktube content on my feed!
I used to have a bookstagram account and recently actually decided to start a booktube because of how fast and superficial short form content can be. Reels and TikToks, although fun, aren't really able to go in depth and discuss books at length and that's something I was really missing. I also just like watching long form content. It allows me to really get to know a person and their taste in reading. It's more intimate in a way.
That’s what I love about long form content as well!! I love getting to know more about people and their reading tastes, and booktube really allows me to live vicariously through other people’s tastes 😅 I love watching people who read completely different books than I do!
I got into booktube because of booktok. Genuinely, I forgot how much I LOVE reading until I was reminded via booktok. However, slowly and slowly, I'm getting more disinterested in booktok because I find a lot of books recommendations are SO misleading. 😩 Maybe it's the condensed format or the fact that those videos have one sole purpose, and it's to really get the viewers to read a specific book that I find a lot of video recs are so generalized that it's inaccurate.
So I got onto booktube because I love hearing people's long conversations ABOUT the book. What they like about, what they don't, and if their reaction to the book is like mine. I don't see that a lot on booktok. So please keep making these videos because I'm sure those who started getting introduced to books via booktok will eventually find their way onto your channel and booktube! 🧡
That is a really great perspective!! I always think about talking about my booktube channel every once in a while on my tiktok account, but I always feel awkward self-promoting like that 😅 but maybe I should just go ahead and do it!
(And I agree about the booktok recs! I think the quick format where you don’t get to hear people’s in-depth thoughts/analysis of the books lends itself to a more open interpretation of what expectations people will have going into the books people recommend.)
I think that long form content we'll always have its place- it may go through periods of low views/high views like anything else, but I don't think UA-cam is going anywhere. However, it is important to note for those of us who do make our income off of UA-cam the odd cents, and UA-cam have made some really crappy changes in 2024 to CPM and how we are paid. Most people have talk to you the revenue is down 30-60% which is a HUGE hit to income. So it'll be interesting to see how this impacts long form creators going forward this year because it's really frustrating when your subscriber count keeps going up your views keep going up but you're being paid less than you were a year ago.
I think that UA-cam is just always evolving and I honestly love having these sorts of discussions! If anything, I think that short from content will slowly die before long form, does because short form content doesn't give you the same sense of community, sitting back and relaxing watching a video etc- it's more instant gratification. And if anything, I think shortform contact is a more toxic place to be in as a creator. I feel like my long form community (which luckily is my main one) I just a lot nicer and kinder and supportive. People on TikTok and Instagram reels can just be cruel lol.
I don’t think booktube is necessarily dying. New people are doing well. What they all have in common is that they are doing book content in lifestyle/ challenge or drama/podcast form. I think it’s the algorithm change. UA-cam always struggled with book videos and who to push them to. It’s obvious when you look into analytics and see which videos your video is recommended on. The pandemic period when long wrap ups and read with me sessions were favored is clearly over. It’s either aim for every video to have some kind of a virality element or being okay with smaller part of our audiences watching the video because the algorithm won’t push the videos even to them at an appropriate tempo for it to do well.
This!! I also think the "booktube staples" just aren't entertaining people enough anymore, because everyone does them so they aren't attention grabbing.
The things I see with a ton of likes and comments are like challenge vlogs where there is an element of risk or surprise to it, like "I try books from popular authors I've hated" or "-blank- controls my tbr" or "I blind date with a book my own tbr"
Like wrapups and unhauls are MY personal favorite content but I think I'm in the minority judging by the comment sections.
@@librarianlirael personally, I looove a long reading wrap up. The longer the better but I also work from home and have the time.
@BooksWaffles I don't work from home but I like to put them on like a podcast while I do housework. A 45 minute wrapup is perfect for cleaning the kitchen!
I agree with the basic thesis of this video, that YT has made changes that are hurting BookTube channels across the board. I've seen impressions are way down for my channel at the same time as subscriber count continues to rise and interaction increases, which strongly suggests UA-cam is not pushing my channel as much as previously.
It's really disappointing to see my view count going down (not just on my latest videos but on my catalog) and uploads barely getting any impressions, but I've taken steps to counteract this by making links with other BookTubers, starting a Discord server, encouraging subscribers to share, etc. Fingers crossed something changes.
I’m not sure that it’s dying so much as it’s changing. It’s definitely not what it was in 2018. Tags and traditional content don’t do as well, but there are some really creative people thinking outside the box and doing really well here!
I've been taking a break from BookTube for health reasons, but I've been starting to feel up to content creation again and honestly this video has helped me feel more excited about coming back, weirdly enough haha. I'm glad you're sticking around bc I really enjoy your videos! I'm also partial to long form content, I just feel like that's what my brain does better. It can be discouraging to see BookTube lose momentum, but hearing you talk about how much you love it, reminds me why I do too! ☺
That’s honestly really awesome!! I didn’t want my video to come off as totally nihilistic, so I’m glad it’s inspired you in that way 😊 booktube has given us such a great and sturdy community, I’m really hoping that more people will join us in the near future!!
It’s strange because book tube is the only section of UA-cam that consistently brings this topic up. Other channels I watch never mention anything like this. (Art, gaming, music, politics). I hope you keep making content because I love reading and I’m glad I discovered you!
I think we tend to bring it up more publicly, but I’m good friends with other creators outside of the booktube niche and they do talk about it more privately. I think there’s a bit of a stigma around talking about declining viewership/engagement for a few reasons, so a lot of creators will publicly ignore it. I think it’s an interesting topic, so I’m glad I was able to open up the discussion here 😊
Anime side UA-cam is also really all about the newest titles coming out as well. It used to be different (a long time ago), but what you’re describing (seasonals for anime) have taken over the anime community online as well. And this loss of entertainment YT. Anitube. Booktube. Even popular anitube creators on YT making content sometimes also have very little engagement throughout all their content across all years active.
There used to be more engagement even with older videos. At least whatever engagement they may get isn’t reflected in the comments. The comments cut off the same year or time frame the video is post marked at. Not many new comments past that. I do think people still watch, but possibly a more casual audience and they are quite quiet in viewership if that is the case. Casual lurkers.
YT Creators all get views by making content content content as much as possible and just not expecting an audience past a certain point. (Sometimes also about a month out as well going off what I can see as a viewer.) By always having a new video of the next new thing. That used to only happen to the seasonal specific channels. Anitube also has a “dead” feel as well. There’s a few anitubers still around and some new creators, but nothing like it used to be. Going on a few years now.
I think UA-cam overall is being effected (and we had a rocky start to the year with a bunch of creators quitting), but BookTube is hit the hardest, because it's already a niche community and it's competing with itself in terms of BookTok or Bookstagram. It's not a good look, either, when typing "booktube" into the UA-cam engine pulls up a bunch of videos of booktubers quitting...but, there are those of us who plan to hang in there. I don't enjoy the other platforms the same way, and other booktubers I've watched have tried BookTok and it wasn't for them.
My fellow Aries ♈ I'm so happy you made awareness to this. I follow a makeup artist on here and she's recently expressed things that you touched on and I agree with you both. She's so bomb with her makeup, but her views now are never what they used to be and she's super consistent. This is my first video of your's I've seen EVER and I'm here to stay!!!! I enjoy long form videos, especially about books! Booktok became so boring FAST imo. My issue with book tube was it pushed the same 5 creators and even after searching high and low I still ended up at the same 5 people. Just recently I've been seeing so many new and old channels and I've definitely been back in my booktube/UA-cam binge era. See you at 10k 💕
Aries twins!!! ❤️🔥❤️🔥
I totally get what you mean about encountering the same handful of channels! It really feels like the algorithm prioritizes certain channels over others, whatever the reason may be. It feels like growth is so difficult. But either way I’m so grateful for the community I have right now 😊
Thank you for giving my channel a chance!! It means a lot 🫶🏼
I love long content and reading vlogs.. I'll keep watching as long as my favorite booktubers keep making them. I also love discovering new favorite smaller channels.
Graphic novel tube is alive and thriving I’d say. Those are actually my favorite channels these days. Just getting to hang out with everyone in a 3h live show
Love this!!! I was just talking about this over the weekend because so many of my friends are leaving because their videos aren't being pushed or engaged with :/
I totally agree with everything you said. I also think that during quarantine, there was a big boom of growth because everyone was stuck inside, so I also wonder if we never recovered from post-quarantine. TikTok definitely has something to do with it and tbh most of the growth I've seen is from UA-cam shorts. I'd love to get back to the OG booktube days where the content isn't all about what gets the most views but just talking about books. I've come to just accept that I make content for me and to share about queer books and if a couple people see it, then that is worth it. But, it took a long time for me to come to that conclusion.
You’re so right!! It’s so surprising how many views Reels get, bc I feel like I rarely see people talk about watching them. But I will say that when I do post them they get a good amount of views/engagement.
I think I really miss how loud and exciting booktube used to be as a community. I would love to see it get back there, regardless of what happens to my views/engagement, bc I just really enjoyed watching new channels pop up all the time and there being constant discussions about books.
yes! i think too the mainstream youtubers turned booktubers definitely don''t help lol like i'm glad people are making more booktube content even if they're mainstream, but i feel like that has really changed what booktube was and it sucks! i am glad too though that there are new channels still coming up, so it's not dead unless there are still people here. @@alliewithbooks
It’s interesting to hear this as I just found BookTube. I didn’t know it was a thing! I don’t have TikTok and since keeping IG off my phone (generally), I have found myself coming back to UA-cam and spending time on longer content, which I think is great. I’m so happy to have found people talking about books and I hope this place continues to flourish.
I think the cycle of social media platforms was a great point, and what's currently going on in the US regarding TikTok could have major implications across all platforms in terms of new or returning viewers. I've been a part of booktube since 2010 (I privated my old channel) and while your views might imply that the concept of long form content is dying, I think it's just a lull. This community has proven it's longevity and adaptability from platform to platform. Creators who are able to stay consistent and flow with the currents will always have an audience and community who supports them. Another great point someone made below is how repetitive booktube can be. I think some channels who have created a niche discussing authors behaving badly or other newer concepts are doing exceptionally well because their content stands out. But ultimately it's about doing what you love, regardless of trends or analytics.
Just found your channel and subbed! I love your energy and vibe. I just started a channel in December (not booktube) and found your take on this interesting. I have never heard the view count to sub ratio, and that seems like a good metric to measure with. I'm sure the "death" of booktube applies to other communities on UA-cam too. I also love long form content. I'm going to check out some of your other videos, and make my TBR even longer 🙃
Thank you!! And yes, it definitely applies across the board as I’ve talked to many other UA-camrs in other niches and they’re experiencing similar drop-offs in engagement.
I’ve never seen your videos before, but I was really pleasantly surprised at the level of nuance and analysis you brought to this topic.
Thank you!! I tried my best 😅 now I feel like I could’ve made an even longer video, I have so much more to say lol
@@alliewithbooks You should do "Part II" :)
My favorite booktubers do fun reading blogs and challenges. They read popular and also books I've never heard of, they are upbeat typically, and they never tell me what to do, like delete goodreads or unfollow someone. I love seeing collaboration and read alongs. I promise you, booktube isn't dead.
I never said it was dead 😊 just discussing the idea that it might be falling to the wayside and doing a little bit of clickbait 😅 But yes, there are so many great booktubers out there still making engaging content!
Hey! I am glad UA-cam showed me your video today. I will be watching now!
Great video, thanks for being so open and honest. I started a Booktube channel 3 months ago with the intention of creating a fun and innovative way of reviewing vintage SF books from relatively unknown authors because it seemed like no one was talking about that old stuff which always interested me. I'm still very small, but growth has been consistent and the feedback I get is that it's because there was a niche of a niche that was unrepresented but still had a fanbase. Being so new, I can't really give advice, but finding that untapped zone of Booktube while having fun has been incredible for me. Cheers and good luck @alliewithbooks, stay honest, integrous and keep having fun and growth will continue.
Wow what an incredible and insightful video! Thank you so much!! I’m a new debut author coming late to the party, and BookTube is definitely my preferred format over Bookstagram or BookTok, despite all the valid reasons you pointed out. Stay strong and keep being awesome! You definitely earned a sub from me :)
I’m so grateful you’ve continued to post💛
Thank you 🥲🫶🏼
The reason you think your channel may not have gotten as big as others is the exact thing about you that gave me courage to show my face and start making bookish videos. You inspired me just the way that you are, and I'm grateful to have found your channel 💜
That really means a lot 🥹🩷
There are so many booktubers at this point,it's getting difficult to stand out and grow i think.Books are very popular ,more than ever before almost.I don't think booktube is dying ,only slowing down to a smaller level.I collect movies on blu-ray and dvd,that niche is
getting hit after hit.Books and booktube are much stronger.Your channel is new for me,i'm subscribed to a couple of channels because i also like books,my favorite bookchannel is Elliot Brooks,i'm also subscribing to your channel.
I have been making booktube content since 2015 and growth has always been difficult for me but i have especially noticed in the last couple of years that i have seen no significant growth and it has been super frustrating. Most of my videos struggle to even hit the 100 view mark and it is discouraging. But same as you, i love booktube dearly and the short form content just doesnt work for me as well
Same!! Things have really slowed down in recent years and it can be so discouraging. It feels like if your channel wasn’t already big before, there’s little to no chance at growth now. But I’m glad you’re here and still making content you enjoy!!
This is really interesting to listen to your perspectives. I stumbled upon this video and it piqued my curiosity because like you, I wondered about the page views and how UA-cam figures it all out. Im not on any social media (flatly refuse to get back on them since I deleted my accounts 3 years ago - also refuse to do Shorts or use AI) but I love YT. It means that promotion is harder but not impossible. I wonder if it means we just need to alter our expectations (just like you mentioned) and decide on unique ways for us and our community here and not follow trends or what the algorithm wants us to do. I’m figuring it out but have no answers except to keep creating content you and your community loves but if it’s a business, don’t put your eggs in the one basket with these platforms. Wish you all the best in your channel. It’s such hard work to plan and create these so I hope it continues to inspire you. Good luck.
A lot of booktubers have stopped posting, too. Myself included. I started my channel in 2017 - so this year would be my 7th year, but I stopped posting in 2022 because it just became a little toxic and demanding on what people should post about. I keep thinking about coming back and I record videos but never post them because I'm not sure I want to wade back into all that.
Also, I am not a short form creator. And it is hard to be original and come up with new ideas when talking about books. There is only so much you can do. lol.
Thank you for this video. I was feeling down by the plunging views on my channel. I am considering quitting because I will be 74 this August and will celebrate four years on BT. I don't have time to talk into a void. However, I would miss my subs and friends. Aloha.
I haven’t really been on booktube for years now, I stopped uploading years ago and haven’t been on insta/Twitter in a long time either (due to person reasons/needing a break) so I don’t really talk to any booktubers anymore .
I’ve been wanting to come back but I’ve noticed that booktube seems to be dying, a lot of people who I’ve been subbed to haven’t made videos in 1-3 years. It’s so sad to see but I can guess that everyone has shifted to booktok
I’m happy there are still old booktubers around and a few new ones too but can definitely see how different it is now
I’ve noticed the same thing as well. So many of the booktubers I enjoyed watching 2+ years ago either very rarely upload or don’t upload at all, which is fine! People move on or have person stuff happen, etc. But I feel like we’re experiencing less newcomers than in years past so it feels like we’re losing more creators than we’re gaining. Hopefully that changes soon!!
As a new consumer of booktube i will say that I'm finding it hard to find all the creators!! When i search, youtube always suggests the same 5 ppl and i don't understand why?? I want to watch creators go to the bookstore, listen to their recs, and watch hour long videos about books! I've been curious what's going on and started to think there were only 5 creators lol
Ugh yes!! I hate that about the algorithm. It really latches onto the same handful of already popular booktubers and suppresses everyone else. That’s why I have to do so much promotion on Twitter, Instagram, threads, etc.
This is such a fascinating topic and I agree with so much of what you said. I also am making booktube content for myself and the community of booktube friends who engage with my content - focusing on growth is just too disappointing. It seems like a lot of bigger booktubers have recently started also making booktok content, so I do think short form content is here to stay, but I also prefer long form book content and appreciate all the booktubers who still make videos 🩵
I love a good balance between long and short form content. I think they both have their merits!!
I love you tube, and book tube in particular. It’s my only social media. I know there is a great push to ban ticktock in the US and I must admit, I hope it’s successful.
Same to be honest!
youre on to something allie!
Great video and you make so many good points. Could it be that the number of creators are increasing? I find there are so many booktubers so it’s impossible to follow all of them or even watch every video of the ones you do follow, if you have anything else that you need to spend time on in your life. I don’t think reading, meaning consuming stories, in some form, will ever diminish because of how we are wired as humans. And we also want to share experiences and discuss what we read. So the form of it all might shift, but I don’t think there’s anything dying. Just changing, like others are saying as well. I started my channel about a month ago and I’m having so much fun, but I also noticed myself falling into the systems that are in place, and that’s not what I want, I want to read how I want to read and create videos for fun, for my own ideas, rather than fit the template of booktube. I also have so many thoughts on evergreen content, but I’ve already written an essay here so… subscribed and will watch more from you 😊
Allie, I just started doing booktube. Honestly I didn't even realize it existed because I'm not as cool as your generation. So I'm still catching up. Lol. I have always been a reader but very picky on what I will read or write (writer as a side job) I subscribed recently with this account but have been enjoying your content a while from my personal account. I like hearing your take and opinions.
I make shorts for my channel right now. Since I'm still learning as well as have chronic illnesses to navigate. Hopefully we can keep booktube thriving. ❤
And we'll see how the political process goes on tik tok / book tok. Maybe youtube will get big again.
I love knowing that people are still excited and engaged with booktube!! Especially getting to see new creators join our community, it really warms my heart 🥹
I think it will be interesting to see what happens to booktube and UA-cam as a whole in the next few months/years! I could totally see it having a resurgence.
My recommended page has gotten so bland (I watch one video on a topic and it is my entire recommended page... which is kinda fine, but I do like other things too lol) so now I exclusively watch vids from my subscriptions (which I guess I should have done from the start)
I am relatively new to joining booktube (also I'm Gen X so I've been reading for decades) and it's also the main content I consume. Since I read a variety of genres (basically all but Contemporary and Romance), I never get bored with content. I always find new smaller channels and discover new books.
I enjoy giving my unique perspective on some of the more well-known books, I tend to notice and say certain things about them that others have not, and I also share a lot of quotes (which other people rarely do). I especially enjoy sharing lesser-known books or books that it seems nobody has talked about yet. No better feeling than discovering a hidden or underrated gem and sharing it with others .. especially if they end up loving it!
The booktube community is an overall positive experience and so glad to have "met" other bibliophiles here. Love this topic for discussion - you gotta sub outta me! 💛
Hello! This was a great discussion. I do think You Tube is headed the way of Facebook. I believe younger people are moving to faster media sources. I have only discovered Booktubers and have been so inspired to create my own library through Book of the Month. I wish you the best of luck!
There are so many new YT channels that are actually corporations who are pretending to be individuals with a passion for making videos. Their videos are highly produced, have a ridiculous amount of market research behind them and have expensive production values etc…so the first problem is that it’s getting more and more difficult for us “new” viewers to even FIND your “genuine” videos in such a HUGE sea of content constantly being uploaded. Your average YT viewer these days expects the ridiculously polished and catchy thumbnails (personally I still prefer clicking on thumbnails that look like just a random one generated by YT 🤣). Not to mention YT is a company that wants to make money and they’re going to push the things that make them money 🤷🏻♀️. Secondly, I don’t think TikTok killed Booktube so much as now that there are other options for people who prefer short form content that they have migrated away from UA-cam 🤷🏻♀️. Personally I can’t stand TikTok and don’t use it..but to each his own.😊
I think you said it in the beginning of your vid, that it is something that reaches beyond the book stuff.
But I would not worry too much if I were you. It is just that there are so many content creators now and multiple platforms that it spreads the audience out.
It is not that people don't want to talk books or watch your vids specifically. They may just be a little busy w all the available content.
I am always here for a chatty video.
I think you hit it on the head when you said that social media platforms have cycles of popularity. I think as the new platforms reach equilibrium w older platforms as far as types of content goes, we'll see things even out. I also think that at least on my end, there are still things I can try to get my videos out to new viewers. I'm going to be playing around w shorts and such so that I have content that can cross over to reels and TT. (Side note: my most recent short video TT was like, HEY DID YOU KNOW THIS COULD BE LONGER???)
I talked about this a little in my 5 (?) year anniversary video, but I'm of the same mind as you. I'm here to talk about books and as long as I've got my little community and I'm participating w them, I'm pretty happy. (I also have my own ideas about why my channel didn't/isn't growing as fast as people thought it should, tho probably very different from yours.)
I'm happy that you're here, tho 💜
I feel a little like a circus monkey when I’m trying all of these different ways of getting people to my channel 😅 or like I’m racing agains the algorithm. But yeah, finding new and interesting ways of getting our channels out in front of people is more than half the battle.
Building community is truly one of the best things about booktube, and I think that as long as people show up and want to talk about books, I’ll be here.
@alliewithbooks yeah, I think a lot of people push it like it's supposed to be a business (and I definitely try to at least treat it a little like that, bc I like when people watch my stuff 😅), but I keep reminding myself that this is a hobby. Ya know? I'm trying to reclaim the fun in my channel. Or st least having fun creating for my channel.
It does frustrate me to see all YT's talk of wanting to male things better for smaller creators, when most smaller creators struggle so much.
New fan and subscriber here! Love the content :) keep it coming
I can totally see the difference between when I used to make videos back in 2014 when youtube was really "in" and I also did beauty and other random tag videos, my subscriber/views/likes count went up so fast compared to now
Right now I have 370 subscribers and around ~60 views per video and only one or two of those click like and leave a comment (I used to get ~40-70 likes before). It's so discouraging but like you said I still do it since I really like to talk about books and just film and edit!
Stick with it. You are doing great!
I'm not on tiktok and never will be on tiktok. I prefer the longer content, especially when I'm cleaning or doing chores. Sometimes, I'm not in the mood to listen to an audiobook, and I need to feel that I'm home with someone and not by myself while my kids are in school. I get scared. Lol
I have really gotten into reading last year only and thats in large thanks to booktube so will always be grateful to it for that and i love watching the booktube videos despite the popularity of tiktok. Lomg form content >
I don't necessarily think booktube is dying its just evolving has it always has. I've noticed a more dedicated adult SFF booktube community grow over the years. Lots of lifestyle youtubers like Haley Pham and Jack Edwards pivoted to booktube and from what I can tell are bringing new non reader audiences into the space.
However as the community (and the algorithm) changes lots of my personal favourite youtubers have quit, pivoted to different types of videos, moved to different platforms or have drastically reduced how much they post. This makes it feel like booktube is dying but when I look at it from a broader perspective I find channels with 100k+ subscribers and tens of thousands of views in their videos I've never even heard of before. If I'm being honest I don't watch as much booktube as I used to but mainly because my faves don't post as much. But regardless of my participation there will always been an online community of readers out there in whatever form and I think that's really special.
You just gained a new subscriber! Lovely content, keep up with the good work!
Hi! I just stumbled across your channel! Im very much a booktube only viewer, i've deleted tiktok and I dont use Instagram for bookstagram. I very much consume long form content as the majority of my content. Im hopeful that there are still users out there like me - maybe its an age thing? Im 28 and have been a loyal UA-cam user for probably over 15 years! Im happy to have found your channel :)
I’m 28 as well 🥰 I definitely agree that part of it is an age thing. I think a lot of younger people see UA-cam as a “millennial app” and TikTok as a “gen Z app”.
I go through phases with reading back in 2020 i was reading and even in a book club then i just stopped. Didn't read or pick up a book for years until now in 2024. Now i'm getting back into it. I do enjoy short form content. I noticed my attention span is shorter. While i do like UA-cam for book recommendations i do enjoy tiktok fast, simple to the point. I do wish people would review "older" books from previous years or books they truly liked instead of what's popular at the moment but that's just me maybe trying to make up for lost time. I think creators go through phases as well. I've seen a bunch of "big" youtubers who are ending their channel. It's just burn out or not interested in UA-cam anymore. It was bound to happen 7:10
I used to create booktube videos in 2013-2015 and it was such an exciting and different time and it was so new and the content was still new too. I really miss it, but I still watch booktube and I love booktube content now. in fact, when I watch booktok, I always think "man I wish this creator would make long form content and go make booktube videos"
I think the content I really enjoy are these types of discussion videos or reading vlogs. I really enjoy watching content where I can follow along with the reading experience of content creators because it makes me excited to read my own books. I think the reason why I do like booktok and bookstagram is book list type of videos or recommendation videos I can consume quickly and in shorter bursts.
all this to say that I think that booktube still has an important place in how we consume media and books and I hope that everyone keeps making videos because I will still watch them
I have the same thoughts when I watch people I love on booktok!! I always want to hear more of their thoughts, which is why I truly hope that booktube (and UA-cam in general) gets to have a resurgence at some point. It would be great to see!
I've had my channel for almost 2 years, trying all sorts of different videos but trying to grow my community with other book lovers just to geek out and talk about books has been nearly non existent. 😢
This is the first video of yours that I've come across. You seem pretty cool! Consider me subscribed.
I love long form videos, especially about books.
Aw thank you!! I really appreciate it 😊
I've tried so hard to make shorter form content and I just hate it...and maybe it's something wrong with me but I also haven't felt like there's a place for me in short form communities like booktok. But I will always love booktube. If other people don't, that's okay. It's a safe place for us and I love it for that
Agree 100%!!
Hi Allie. I have just discovered your channel today and have subscribed. Loved your video.
You're right about the algorithm being a strange beast... a beast that has been getting stranger and stranger over the three years since I first started watching videos on UA-cam.
I'm getting much odder combinations and suggestions of videos to watch in my timeline and more and more advertisements to scroll through, which can be off-putting.
Also, I've found that channels I loved when I first got into UA-cam (minimalism and financial journeys out of debt) have grown hugely, but only after changing their content into something far more generic (such such as fashion and beauty) which didn't interest me. Presumably they made the changes in order to please the algorithm and to monetise their channels.
Additionally, the advertisements that are leaders into videos are getting longer and weirder (less relevant) and the advertisements that break into videos midway through viewing are becoming more frequent and longer. For example, I had three longish advertisements cut into your video, and your video was pretty short.
UA-cam as a company is making it harder to enjoy content because of the lengthened advertisements and the relentlessness of their advertising, I feel.
Ugh yes!! I totally agree about the change in advertisements 😫 About a few months ago UA-cam completely changed the way creators were able to control how many ads were placed in our videos. Now we have zero control over it and can only decide whether we want our videos to be monetized or not. If we choose to monetize them, it means ads will be placed in our videos and we have no idea how many of them there will be or what type of ads they will be. It’s sad. I wish creators had control over it!!
This is so interesting to watch. I'm an author first, booktuber second (and a librarian), and honestly dislike both booktok and bookstagram but have to do both for my author page. I feel like I open booktok and it's the same 6 books over and over that I didn't like. Bookstagram is beautiful but that's like saying you like gardening when you really just like looking at pictures of pretty flowers. With alllll the tiktok stuff going on, I think there might be some new viewers coming over to youtube, but maybe they'll just hop to instagram. Whatever happens, if you love talking about books keep doing it!! ❤❤❤❤ (I loved when you said you were in high school in 2013 🤣 that's when I had my first kid)
I’ve been watching booktube since around 2015 and I personally really dislike the content on other platforms when it comes to books. Maybe it’s because they’re all trying to create viral videos and so much of it is repeat and we never actually get to *hear* about books. Especially less known books. It’s just acotar lately (which was already booktube popular back in the day 😅). But I really love longform book content. It’s much cozier to me.
I was a booktuber for five years and honestly booktube has always been stagnant. There are outliers, of course, but on the whole the community tends to avoid innovation in favor of "what's always worked" and constantly seeks validation from the traditional system. I've spoken to so many indie authors that felt ignored or outright pushed out of the booktube space because so many booktubers wouldn't even take a chance on indie books. When booktok popped up with a much greater emphasis on indie, the switch was inevitable. Now, booktok has the levels of support booktube *could* have had, if it had been willing to take a chance.
Not to mention right now is a terrible time to be historically connected to trad publishing.
I don’t have Tik tok so UA-cam still the main social media platform I watch. Short videos or second clips are fun to watch but I preferred longer videos especially if their about book reviews like I need the reviewer to elaborate I don’t want to just hear omg this is so cute, omg this books it’s so good, omg a must read like please tell me why 😂
I completely agree!! I like to hear people’s real thoughts and opinions on the books they read, and I feel like shorter form content doesn’t lend itself to that kind of discussion.
Hi Allie, I've been on BookTube for over a year now with an Italian speaking channel and the 'booktube is dying' is a huge topic that has come up in recent weeks due to the fact that the most popular book show in Italy has declined to hand out 'passes' (or credits, not sure what they called it) to booktube creators as they've did in previous years, in favor of IG and TikTok creators. The Book Tube Italian creators took a stand and we formed a group to launch an initiative which I hope can sparkle some interest, creating a Book Tube Italia award (I believe there may be something similar in other countries). I know we live in a fast world of fast consumers (and scrollers) but I am sure there are people out there who appreciate the slower pace, the longer videos, the quality vs quantity. I've been really enjoying being on the platform so far, so much that I have just launched my english speaking channel just yesterday 🙃 I am not really looking at algorithms as for me this is simply an hobby but I do realize that for some creators looking to monetize their time and efforts this trend affects big time. But trends come and go, and hopefully the quality vs quantity will be back on trend soon. I look forward to connect with creators through this new channel and see what's out there outside our little (but quite stubborn) Italian community. xoxo Daniela
Oh wow, I had no idea about this!! Thank you for letting me know. It’s crazy to see how quickly the book community switched up on booktube, especially the publishing industry itself.
@@alliewithbooks You're welcome Allie, it'll be interesting to see where this will lead us. Let's stick to what we love, I am sure anything that's done with passion will be appreciated.
I've never had any interest in TikTok and I love long form content, in my opinion the longer the better.. most videos I listen to or watch are 30 minutes to 3 hours long (I'm usually doing stuff.. eating, working, walking, driving, etc.. sometimes I listen to an audiobook) and I can sit and read a physical book for hours straight so I have a long attention span.. which sadly seems to be less common nowadays.. hopefully booktube remains and continues to grow.
I love a good long video to put on while I do housework or whatever 😊 it’s so comforting lol
@@alliewithbooks yes it is! makes doing dishes etc more tolerable lol
We're being Woody dropped!! This scares me so much, I watched a lot of videos on this topic in the last few days and I'm such a small channel that it makes me feel like there's no point in keeping going :(
I personally don't feel Booktube is dying, in fact I'd say it's growing as evident by the new booktuber tag getting a revival this year. But I will say the quality and diversity of content hasn't been there. Everybody's got a TBR jar, some are "reading" for stats, trashing popular books has become a sport, and do I really need to make a commitment to watch a 40 plus minute reading vlog when the person doesn't even talk about the book(s) they're reading. There are people who I can't watch their videos without a pen and paper because I know they'll be reading something I want to read or make a recommendation for a book I may want to buy. I've unsubscribed from three channels because all they do is complain most of their videos. I read for enjoyment and I only want to watch people who enjoy reading as well.
I think that’s definitely valid!! I think 2023 was a bit of a slump year for booktube, and hopefully 2024 will be the fresh resurgence we need. I touched on this on twitter, but I think a big part of the reason we’re not seeing creators take risks and instead fall into creating a lot of the same content is because of the declining viewership/engagement. Creators are more likely to put out “tried and true” typical booktube content where they know they’ll get a certain amount of views/comments instead of trying something new where it might completely flop. Hopefully if more people continue to tune into booktube, there will be more of a cushion for creators to engage in trial and error 😊🤞
I’ve noticed lately there are more ads before you can see a video. Sometimes I just don’t want to wait the extra time if it is a new channel. I think this is discouraging us from finding new channels we might like.
I feel like this video is going to be some hard truths
Please keep posting yo0ur videos! New subscriber. As much as I love Twitter & Instagram, I much prefer longer videos. I am someone who WILL watch older videos. I'm also a crafter & I follow a LOT of different channels. So I just get behind,
Yeah i struggle to make short form content too. I much prefer to watch long in-depth videos. I don't use TikTok and I don't care for it personally. It's just not for me. I've seen quite a few booktubers leaving the platform which makes me so sad. Sometimes i miss the old days of booktube.
Yea no tiktok for me either, honestly seems like a waste of time. I get much more value out of long form content.
I really think that we are seeing the affects of too many creators and more everyday joining vs. viewers. It's oversaturated with channels. For me and my friends we have unsub from a lot of channels because we are tired of trying to keep up with new releases and what is popular now. We also have massive piles of books since 2020 we haven't read but we keep buying new ones. So we are just not interested in book hauls at all which a load of channels do a few times a month. Now, when I read a book it's from my TBR and then I just look up the book on youtube and watch old videos.
This is so interesting to watch! I’ve only recently really joined in on Booktube (I don’t use TikTok but saw things here and there about book tok) so I don’t have a lot to compare today too. This is reminding me of a wired article about platforms called ‘the Enshittification of TikTok’ which I’d highly recommend! I’m curious how it might be affecting UA-cam and in the near future affect TikTok’s popularity
I’m definitely going to look up that article!!
It's hard for me to know if Booktube is dying or if my cohort of creators I follow are just aging and showing down because of the new life stages they are. I hold out hope that creators trying to earn money from their videos will always come to UA-cam because it has the best split but that doesn't account for the creators who are hobbyists.
Well... if TT goes down, that leaves folks with YT and IG for videos.
Get over the fear of being seen. You're doing fine. I know watching analytics tank is frustrating, but keep going. As long as it gives you joy.
I’ve been making videos since 2015, I love being seen 😅 maybe I’m misinterpreting what you mean?
@@alliewithbooks You were talking about how, at one point, you were thinking "I don't know how to talk about books. Nobody's going to listen to what I have to say"etc. You've obviously gotten over that, but I just commented at that moment.
@TheDarqProject ahh thank you for explaining!!
I’ve never seen your videos before. You popped up on my feed and I decided to check the vid out.
I think the biggest issue now is that people no longer have time for longer vids anymore. When you have to work OT just to pay the bills or work two jobs, it really doesn’t leave a lot of time for watching 15 plus minutes of content.
I think you’re looking at it the wrong way though. If you have 200 views that means 200 people care about what your reading. That’s huge! That’s something you should be proud of imo.
Absolutely, I think that’s definitely one of the many reasons! Short form content is so much more accessible and quick or consume, which isn’t a bad thing. I also think that because the typical booktube viewer 5+ years ago was either in college or high school (or even middle school) they had so much more time on their hands compared to now when they’re working jobs and having more responsibilities to take care of. And UA-cam just hasn’t found a way to appeal to the same demographic as before.
Me, a new booktuber: 🥲
Makes me so happy to see people still joining booktube 🥹 it can’t die as long as we have people willing to create their content!!
Just subscribed💙 I'll watch some videos when getting ready for bed later🤍
this was such a well done video!!! I have a feeling booktube/longform will make a comeback in 2024. There is something going on with the algorithm for sure (I've been getting pushed so many playlists lately which hasn't happened in so long.)
I have also watched booktube since I was in HS (graduated 2012) did you ever watch Priscilla? (The Readables)?!?! Ugh, miss her! Hope you and other amazing booktubers stick around.
Thank you so much!! I definitely think we’ll see booktube flourish in 2024, and I couldn’t be more excited 😊
I totally remember Priscilla!! Early-mid 2010s booktube and UA-cam in general was so much fun!
Fashions come and go, there are now so many more creators on Booktube, there is still a thirst for information, for long form content, some of the staples of booktube are waning in popularity like wrap ups and tag videos but this video for example has almost 10K views far more than the '200 views' you mention. Hope you find your place in this social media wild west...
I’ve seen a lot of people saying long form content is dying and I kind of disagree. I think 10 minutes, 20 minutes long videos are dying but the 40 minutes to 1 hour long videos are certainly being pushed. It’s either 10s videos or a 3 hour podcast imo :)
You made me think of a quote from Alan Watts that I really love. "When you have enough, it's a feast" and I hope that you continue filming for yourself and have fun with it, just think of a writer showing up to a book reading and signing and there's 1 or 2 people in the audience in a sea of empty chairs, as tough as it is I think the author should proceed with the reading and engage as if every seat was taken. So staying true to you is the best thing you can do. There is only one you out there and that should be celebrated.
I actually found you through another channel, Reading This Life ran by MJ who commented below too :) and just wanted to say that people care, they share, they spread the love :) I hope you stick around and do your stuff :) sorry for long comment, I can be a chatter box :P
What a great quote!! And you’re so right. I think ultimately it’s about the quality of the connections I’ve made through booktube and less about the quantity. I’ve made so many great friends here and love getting to talk about books, and I’m happy with it even with a very much changed community.
@@alliewithbooks It's like they say, the only constant thing is change, thank you for writing back :) I'm watching your previous videos now and love the way you analyze books and at the same time you make it feel like I'm hanging out with a friend.
I don't think booktok (or any other form of incredibly short content) can ever really compete with booktube. There's simply no way for people to go in depth when they only have a minute. Most of the booktok videos I've see basically boil down to "This book was good! Skip this one - it's bad" (without actually explaining why the creator thinks those books are good or bad) or lists of a bunch of books under a topic (ex. haunted houses), but the books are onscreen so briefly that I can't finish reading the title and author.
But! There have been a lot more people becoming booktubers. So when they are so many options to choose from, it makes sense that individual creators aren't getting as many views as before. Over-saturation is the problem.
Just found your channel and love your vibe! Looking forward to your future videos 😃
Thank you 🩵🩵
I think booktok is a fad that won't last long when it dies it will badly hurt booktube and it will shrink, but overall the few of us that are long time viewers will keep it from burning to the ground.
This is the first time I have watched your channel. This video is by far the most popular recently. Why? I assume UA-cam is highlighting the book tube dying subject. The decline in booktube since covid was inevitable.
I feel like I joined too late. I've been on here for three years, and, with 600 subscribers, I'm still getting as low as 13 views. I'm okay with slow growth, but not being able to get at least 20 - 50 views after three years doesn't feel like ANY growth, so I can relate. If my average holds, it should take me...another two to four years to hit the thousand subscriber mark.
I don't plan to quit, but, if I ever do hit ten thousand, it will probably be when I'm fifty. I clicked on this video, because one of the videos I'm planning is literally titled "booktube is dead." We're all feeling it. Even bigger booktubers, like Jessethereader, who has 300000 plus subscribers, are only averaging a few thousand views and he's expressed sadness over his own dipping engagement.
This makes me sad, but I will not be downloading Tik Tok. I also deleted my Instagram because it got taken over by videos like tik tok. Hope You Tube can hold on. 🤞
I think dying might be the wrong descriptor. Transforming would be a better descriptor. Don’t give up. Let’s see what happens. 10 years ago I thought there wouldn’t be an independent bookstore in my town. There are still and they are doing fine.
Just doing a bit of clickbait 😉
Same thing is happening with UA-cam movie critics or UA-cam political channels. There're too many people doing it and corporate money is getting more in this space. I think it's a combination of things of people talking about too many of the same things and it's becoming less honest because of that corporate money. Chris Stuckmann won't even give bad movie reviews anymore.