If you are like me, when you hear the term tic-toc, you probably think of Captain Hook and Peter Pan or that time is rushing bye. But that isn’t the Tik Tok of the current generation but it is a way for you to reach out to your readers/audience. Tik Tok is actually a social media program, which originated in China, and hosts a never-ending cadre of 15 second tricks, jokes, dances, and other forms of entertainment. Initially, it was only Generations X or Y or Z that wrapped their arms around the network of users, but as with all things social media, it has grown in influence in the short six years it has been in use. 

You may be saying that’s all good but, “What does that have to do with me? I am a serious author.” Get ready for it. . . there is more to Tik Tok than the younger generation. If your readers are in the age range of say 15 – 50, then maybe it is for you. According to Wikipedia, Tik Tok has been downloaded more than 130 million times in the U.S. and over 2 billion – yes, BILLION – times worldwide. 

What was initially a networking program for the younger generation has morphed into a venue to reach almost all ages and there are variations now including Book Tok#, Author Tok#, Writer Tok# and so on. Several people have successfully created a name for themselves and have become influencers simply by using the app.

How could Tik Tok work for you as a serious author? Consider making a short video – choices are 15 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes and 10-minute options. Consider making a 15 second video simply showing the front and back covers of your book; or, flipping through the pages of your book while music appropriate to your book plays in the background. For a 10-minute video, maybe you could read a chapter of your book, one that you think would create interest and cause the listener to want to know more thus purchasing the book. 

There are even book reviewers on Tik Tok! Yep, book reviewers. Their entries are delightfully funny and challenging. If you want to see a few of them, just type in book reviewers# on Tik Tok and then sit back and be amazed at what they offer – don’t forget the hashtag. 

As a marketing venue, Tik Tok is rapidly growing in influence and has been successfully used by companies such as the Chipotle restaurant chain, ELF cosmetics and even the NFL. While those are big companies, don’t dismiss Tik Tok thinking it is only for them. Tik Tok may just be the venue to make you a big success in the authors arena. 

Until Tik Tok came out, the term ‘hashtag’ didn’t have a lot of meaning other than to Twitter users, but now the term seems to precede everything Tik Tok and is now a well -defined way of creating interest in the writing world. There is a particularly interesting article by Robert Lee Brewer, September 5, 2021, in Writer’s Digest, which points out the blessings of using Tik Tok as a new and growing arena for writers. 

As writers, we often find ourselves wondering just how we should split our time between advertising and promoting our books when our first love, desire and calling is to write. It is time consuming and challenging to find ways to keep your presence current on all of the social media sites and write as well. Perhaps you could find a young person in your home, neighborhood or local school that would like to make a few bucks by being the one who posts content on the various platforms leaving you time to write; believe me, they will know how to post on Tik Tok! 

No matter how you decide to use social media, remember, "We are here to help you and we make publishing easy!"