Response Video: The Perils of BookTok!

New to your channel. It's so refreshing to know that I am not the only one who feels this way. I've questioned whether many Booktubers actually read the books they say they do. It's as if they read some reviews and decided to make a video. Especially when their opinions are not original in the slightest, they say what the other popular Booktubers say.

Everything you say is correct. It took me quite some time, in fact, to find channels like yours, and to breathe a sigh of relief, "ah, an actual reader, with – and here's the rub – something to say about literature, books and reading". The rest is gloss.

Thank you for making content and contributing. Your videos make me believe better discussion about books on the internet is possible!

It's pretty easy to spot the fakers IMO. The way they act in front of the camera is the 1st red flag. They act so ridiculous I can't imagine them being that way in real life. Another red flag is if they hold up the same 6-7 books that everyone else does. And the best one yet....if they hold up an 800 page paperback and said they read it in 2-3 days, but the spine isn't even cracked a bit. There's zero chance they read it. And in their review, they regurgitate shallow one-liners like "The characters where awesome!" that give no insight onto "why" they think they're awesome. Oh, and Daniel Green makes my skin crawl, but Merphy isn't all that bad.

I made a Tiktok a while back because I thought it would be fun to chat about books on it. I deleted it shortly after because I thought a few minuites wasn't enough time to talk about a book you are reading. I decided having a BookTok was pointless!

Everything about Jack Edwards makes my stomach turn

That's why I watch the majority of my you tube on my browser. Adblock gets rid of the un-skipable ads. Never watched any Book or Tik Tok from when people share videos from there it has no appeal. I'm probably too old and no one would want to see me dance!

I am fascinated by these big channels, especially the ones that are very defensive whenever there is an article like this. It will be interesting to see what happens if YouTube starts pulling the plug on some channels, or if YouTube just bottoms out like other social media before them.

One of the earliest channels I watched on BookTube was Bazpierce! Barry was great!

Hey Steve! Thanks for reacting to my video and for the fascinating response. I appreciate you not tearing me apart hahaha As for the “it’s not our fault” point that I was making, the “our” is was referring to is the modern reader. I know a lot of people outside the internet who consume Colleen Hoover books (or insert any mainstream author) like it’s their last meal, and while I’m sure they got the recommendation from the algorithm, if they enjoy those books I don’t like the idea of someone looking down on them as if they are “bad readers” or in some way a part of the problem for enjoying something that may be shallow to a more seasoned reader. I 100% agree with you about the large creators of book content though. I do watch a handful of huge creators, and with any of them I absolutely have to take their opinions with a grain of salt. I definitely fall for the “they are just like me!” marketing thing that all social media influencers do, and it wouldn’t be too crazy to suggest some of my points were perhaps too biased in their direction (although I really do like Merphy). It was very interesting to hear from someone with a lot more time in the book social media space and I hope you don’t mind if I stick around :)

You mention big and professional booktube channels and you don't include yourself? The audacity.

When The Book Leo does a video on their new eReader do they tell you that it's just a sponsored ad for a particular brand and platform?

Six blocks of unskippable adds??

Steve donoghue talking about an article by theeee Bazpierce??i dont knowww how i missed tis videoo

I am trained, experienced and have real expertise in researching, writing, shooting, editing in such. I actually have no issue with a literary channel having really good production values and strong technical qualities. Poor audio recording, poor lighting, poor framing and poor editing can indeed exceed a viewer or listener's patience and make it less likely that they will be receptive to your message. I think our objection to these booktube channels is that they are flash with no substance. There is no message. Their production values and aesthetic are to distract you from a lack of substance. It doesn't matter how many takes and how many jump cuts they have. It never results in a coherent, reasonable thoughtful line of reasoning. I'm very dismissive of the "I likes what I likes. I dislikes what I dislikes" attitude. Nobody is unaware that readers have many different preferences. But if you can't intelligently tell a viewer why you like or dislike something or even demonstrate that you understood the author's intentions and intended audience then why share it at all? Why should anyone care if you like or dislike something? What value is that to potential readers trying to make decisions about they are considering to read? You are right. There is no content. They want to be influencers. And they'll dismiss the old gate keepers. They'll dismiss "the haters". There are intelligent, thoughtful, accomplished people who watch, listen to and read drivel, trash guilty pleasures. But they can articulate and defend the practice and even the merits of the works. If you can't do that then why bother? Oh because you want to be an influencer. You want to say "Look at me!" The algorithm is no replacement for curation. Yeah, the western canon is under attack. There is a group of young people that wants to tear down everything and start all over again. But rather than examine what may or may not be wrong with the authors, publishers and ideas in the canon they perform book burning by another name. I love Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. And the author is problematic. No matter how many times they have modified the story of Wonka's workers it is problematic. Charlie's world that has some for of universal basic education, but lacking in a social safety net is troubling to me. A crazy old man who puts children through a series of trials for his own goals is somewhat troubling to me. But along the way I find out what I believe in and try to understand why I find these ideas disturbing or concerning. I'm forced to defend my world view or question my own values. Tell me that a typical successful booktuber could write up their episode, stare into the camera and clearly and coherently put forward their ideas. They don't have an original thought in their heads. Their tea cups, bookshelves and accessories are all props. I didn't become less of a reader or less thoughtful after I passed thirty years of age. I didn't become less curious about the classics or new works as I aged. i didn't become less flexible or less adventurous in what I choose to read.

the way daniel greene tried to fight so hard on the hill that brandon sanderson "changed publishing forever with his kickstarter" is still so laughable. it's obvious he knows nothing despite being an author himself

Steve.... Come on.... If someone randomly started slandering you like you've gone on in this video (and many other videos) you would be quitting YouTube...again.... Why can't we live and let live?

We are not able to access tik tok in India ( I think )...am I missing something ?

Is that a new biography of Anthony Burgess? I am squinting trying to make it out but it's too blurry to see (the books lying around in the background are one of the minor pleasures of Steve's videos). I like it when Steve gets out his whacking stick and starts going after fellow BookTubers. I didn't realise Merphy Napier was in his bad books, I always thought she was too bland to warrant much negative criticism, but I haven't seen enough of her to have much of an opinion.

Hey now, you mean that ignoring an audiobook of one of 800 nearly identical, trope obsessed YA books playing at 2.5x speed while scrolling on your phone doesn't actually count as reading? How will they get some content to put between their ads now?