#BookTok influencers bind their own publishing house

The Future. Startup Bindery, a “Patreon for books,” wants to bring the new bestseller to the world with the help of TikTok’s #BookTok community, creating a system where creators help creators. Considering how big the movement has become in recent years, the next NYT bestseller may thank influencers for propping it up. 

User-generated novels
#BookTok is turning a new page with Bindery.

• Bindery lets creators set up paywalled membership clubs to distribute their writing.
• Creators have the opportunity to publish their books, with Bindery sharing unpublished works with “influencer partners” (likely to get some #BookTok goodwill).
• Bindery will then publish and distribute works chosen by #BookTok gatekeepers alongside third-party partners.
• The startup also promises published authors will get better royalty rates than those in traditional book deals.

The hope, according to Bindery co-founder and head of product at Patreon Matt Kaye, is Bindery can fill in the niches overlooked by the big publishers and amplify the genres that’ve become popular with TikTok’s community (like the ones that make people cry on camera).

Of course, Bindery may have stiff competition from none other than TikTok itself.