ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, will begin publishing print books in February.
The company already publishes ebooks through its imprint 8th Note Press, but will begin selling physical copies in book shops early next year.
The imprint will primarily publish genres that are popular on BookTok – the buzzy corner of TikTok where users share book recommendations. These include romance, contemporary fiction, young adult and romantasy – a blend of “romance” and “fantasy”.
Books will be published in partnership with Zando, an independent publishing company.
8th Note Press’s first print title, On Screen & Off Again by Caitlin Cross, will be published on 4 February. Billed as a “romantic will-they-won’t-they debut with a Hollywood twist”, the novel follows childhood sweethearts Wilhelmina Chase and Daxon Avery, once the stars of a hit kids TV show, as they reconnect in their twenties.
The imprint’s second print title, released on 18 March, will be The Last Man in Paradise by Syed M Masood, which is about a young Muslim American man reconciling with his estranged family.
To Have and Have More, by Sanibel, will arrive on 15 April. “Told through the eyes of a Korean girl adopted into a wealthy white family, this darkly funny debut explores casual racism, privilege and the complexities of friendship,” says the imprint.
8th Note Press will be trend-led. “We’re thinking first: what do people like reading, who is reading these books, how are people talking about these books, how are these conversations happening online, and where?” Jacob Bronstein, head of editorial and marketing at ByteDance, told the New York Times last month. “Genre comes second.”
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TikTok has had a major impact on the publishing industry and bestseller charts in the last few years. For authors such as Colleen Hoover and Sarah J Maas, BookTok clout has translated to massive sales.
In May, the imprint will publish Learning to Fall by Peach Morris, which the publisher describes as a YA debut “about found family and queer awakening, set in the lively world of roller derby, perfect for fans of Whip It and Heartstopper”.
Other forthcoming print titles from 8th Note Press include Marina Adair’s Love to Hate You, described as a “modern twist on You’ve Got Mail”, and time travel romance The Lost Saint by Rachael Craw, both coming in June.
Since launching in August 2023, 8th Note Press has published ebook versions of a handful of titles including Gator Queen and Swamp Princess by Tara Lush, which are mystery romances, and Bespoke & Bespelled by Karen Healey, described as a “witchy” romance.