There seems to be an almost mythical force that gets young people reading. The phenomena known as BookTube has grown and evolved over the last few years, reaching hundreds of thousands of readers. But what is it exactly?

What is BookTube, and Why Should I Care?
BookTube is a community on YouTube dedicated to the discussion of books. It tends to be YA fiction-centric and reach primarily pre-teen and teenage girls. BookTubers make videos about books, but the types of videos they make are various. They include reviews of a specific book, roundups, book trailers, parodies, reading challenges, bookshelf tours, book hauls, book-related games and tag videos, and many other book-inspired ideas. Some BookTubers even partner with publishing houses and book publicity companies to present cover reveals.

What makes BookTube such a force to be reckoned with is the sheer ravenousness of the fanbase. BookTubers encourage engagement, including participating in discussions in the comments, getting their viewers more excited about the books and wanting to read the books in the video.

Who Should I Watch?
While there are literally thousands of BookTubers, only a few reach hundreds of thousands of fans. If you’re interested in getting to know some of the biggest BookTubers around, these channels are a good place to start:

Christine Riccio aka polandbananasBOOKS

• 394k subscribers
• Posts twice a week
• In English

Sasha Alsberg aka abookutopia

• 371k subscribers
• Posts once a week
• In English

Fa Orozco aka laspalabrasdefa

• 355k subscribers
• Posts irregularly
• In Spanish

Claudia Ramírez aka Clau Reads Books

• 349k subscribers
• Posts once a week
• In Spanish

Jesse George aka jessethereader

• 290k subscribers
• Posts twice a week
• In English

If you click on the home button under the profile picture on any of these channels, you may notice that on the right are a list of other channels. These lists are curated by the BookTuber, and are related channels: their favorite BookTubers, people they collaborate with, and other channels they own. If you find someone you like, that list on their channel is a great place to start if you’re looking for more.

How Can I Get in on the BookTube Action?
As an author, you should talk to your publicist. BookTubers are among their media contacts, so see if they have anyone that they think your book might make a good fit for. Many of our SparkPress titles have been featured this way. Most recently, a couple were featured on channels such as Kassidy Voinche as part of BookSparks’s #ReadbytheSea2018 book tour.

This video includes The Leaving Year by Pam McGaffin.
This video includes But Not Forever by Jan Von Schleh.
This video is an unboxing of the books on the tour.

What Other Ways Can I Get Involved?
Subscribe. Find BookTubers that you like and follow their channels. You will definitely be exposed to books you wouldn’t otherwise have found, and you may discover a new favorite!

Leave Comments. There’s no better way to participate than leaving a comment. Tell them which of the books in the roundup is in your To Be Read pile. Express your anticipation for a book. Disagree with their review. Start a discussion.

Attend a Convention. Yes, BookTubers go to conventions. In that sweet spot between literature and YouTube, many of the larger BookTubers attend both book conventions like BookCon and BookExpo America, as well as YouTube conventions like VidCon and Summer in the City. Meet your favorite BookTubers and other fans, make connections, and just enjoy the company of people who love books as much as you do!

Start a Channel. If you’re an author and are just looking to promote your book, this is probably not the option for you—teens can smell an ulterior motive a mile away, and your channel won’t have the wild success you’re imagining. However, if you’re passionate about books and want to talk about them all, then this can be a fun endeavor. Also, as an author there is a smaller offshoot of the BookTube community called AuthorTube that may interest you. It’s mostly authors making videos for other authors and aspiring authors. These videos are usually more centered around writing tips and the publishing process, although there is some overlap with BookTube, such as cover reveals. Some BookTubers are also authors or aspiring authors and make writing videos as well.

Who is your favorite BookTuber? Let us know in the comments!