The average UK resident spends about one hour and fifty two minutes on social media each day (Binns, 2024). Now imagine how much time an influencer spends on social media and think about how you might crave some screen-free time after nine hours online (Carufel, 2019).

UK residents spend 1 hour and 52 minutes on social every day

The marketing team for The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson imagined just that when devising their promotional campaign. Senior Marketing manager at Farshore, a division of HarperCollinsUK, Emily Sommerfeld and Marketing Director Olivia Carson outlined their award winning campaign at the 2024 Bookseller’s Children’s Conference, and though all their strategies were effective, the most innovative was their “connect with readers as they disconnect” initiative (Carson & Sommerfeld, 2024). Carson and Sommerfeld recognized that despite BookTok’s great success and large online community participation, many readers are craving connections off social media too. “Offline campaign moments,” they argued, “resonate with [readers] and build in-person excitement” in a way online content cannot (Carson & Sommerfeld, 2024).

This recognition of online fatigue comes at the same time reports of influencer burnout among BookTokkers is on the rise. A survey from the publishing marketing firm Tandem Collective found that 95% of book influencers have experienced burnout, 53% don’t feel supported by the publishing industry, and 67% don’t believe their well-being is considered as a priority by industry marketers (Bacon, 2023). Tight review deadlines and strict deal requirements can make ARCs and other exclusives “bittersweet” as influencers don’t have the time to appreciate them (Bacon, 2023). As feelings of discontent grow, some industry experts are even calling for a “radical rethink” of influencer marketing to combat “creator fatigue” and “consumer cynicism” (Wood, 2024).

Thankfully, some marketing campaigns are taking notice of online fatigue. In an effort to connect with readers offline, the marketing team for The Reappearance of Rachel Price set up three key offline moments: 1) a takeover of the HarperCollins booth at YALC 2023 (The UK’s Young Adult Literature Convention) with limited early proofs available for attendees, 2) a scavenger hunt with puzzles and cryptic clues for Holly Jackson’s “biggest champions to solve,” and 3) a month long photo booth installation at the Kingston Waterstones where customers could take themed photos (Carson & Sommerfeld, 2024). These three moments of connecting offline were a huge success with both everyday readers and influencers alike, “[highlighting] the demand for the experiential” (Carson & Sommerfeld, 2024).

In-person events for marketing campaign of The Reappearance of Rachel Price. (Carson & Sommerfeld, 2024)

So much of reading is independent and online communities like BookTok can only do so much particularly with burnout and fatigue around every corner. It is essential that publishers give readers the space and opportunity to connect in person and offline, forming relationships and memories with fellow booklovers as they enjoy exciting new books.

Bibliography

Bacon, N. (2023) ‘Battling creator burnout’, The Bookseller. Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/comment/battling-creator-burnout (Accessed: 17 october 2024.)

Binns, R. (2024) ‘Screen time statistics: 2024: Global increases/decreases, mobile vs desktop, and screen time’s effects on children’, Independent, 18 June. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/advisor/vpn/screen-time-statistics (Accessed: 17 October 2024).

Carson, O. & Sommerfeld, E. 2024. The Bookseller Children’s Conference. Waterloo. 30 September. Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/events/childrens-conference (Accessed: 17 October 2024).

Carufel, R. (2019) ‘New research shows influencers’ screen time is shockingly high’, Agility PR Solutions. Available at: https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/new-research-shows-influencers-screen-time-is-shockingly-high/ (Accessed: 17 october 2024.)Wood, H. (2024) ‘Jackson’s ‘gripping’ new standalone thriller revealed by Electric Monkey’, The Bookseller. Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/jacksons-gripping-new-standalone-thriller-revealed-by-electric-monkey (Accessed: 17 october 2024.)