It’s Time for a Chat About BookTok Overconsumption

I stumbled across the BookTok community about two years ago when I first got into fantasy books and was looking for recommendations. It wasn’t long before my For You Page was overtaken by not just book recs, but huge book hauls, limited edition unboxings, and impressive bookshelf tours.

I ate it up, a sucker for beautiful special edition books with gorgeous stenciled edges. Up to this point, I read most books on Kindle, but soon I began dreaming of having my own home library of beautiful books and thus my book-collecting journey began.

It seems many people have been similarly influenced; according to statistics on wordsrated.com, BookTok was credited with helping sell about 20 million books in 2021.

But it started getting out of control pretty quickly, and I cringe to think how much money I spent in three months before I came back to my senses.

It turns out, there’s a thin line between book collecting and undiluted consumerism spurred by BookTok overconsumption. And it’s important to know the difference.

What’s the Harm in Buying Lots of Books?

There is nothing inherently bad with buying or collecting books or broadcasting your book hauls online. It’s your money, and if you enjoy it and can have the disposal income for it, who am I to say you can’t have the home library of your dreams?

But it becomes a problem when your hobby has gone from something that genuinely makes you happy to something that is bankrupting you or causing stress because you’ve fallen for the insidious marketing ploys of the publishing industry.

Thanks to BookTok and Bookstagram, the publishing industry has figured out that many of us will buy anything that has a beautiful cover with sprayed edges, and so they have begun supplying that demand like never before.

Unfortunately, the quality of some of these books leaves something to be desired. I won’t call out any specific authors or publishing companies, but some of the books I’ve purchased in the last year were only because they were pretty “special editions.” But then they turned out to be less than stellar reads, with typos, poor editing, and uninspired storylines.

They’re like the fast fashion of books.

What Does the Overconsumption of Books Look Like?

How do you know if you have crossed the line from book collecting to pure consumerism? There’s no hard and fast rule, but I’ll share some of the habits I fell into. Many of these things by themselves are harmless, but if you are relating to a lot of these at once, it might be time to evaluate your book-shopping habits.

Buying Books out of FOMO

Are you buying the book because you genuinely want to read it, or are you caving into all the hype? Some publishers are really good at making you think you need to pounce on their newest limited-edition sale, and if you’re easily swayed, you will inevitably acquire books you don’t even want to read.

On more than one occasion, I splurged on a limited edition book simply because of the hype around it, even though I barely knew who the author was or what it was about.

Rarely was I glad I spent the money.

Book subscriptions can be just as bad. I have written before about how I think subscriptions can be worth the money, and I still stand by that, but you need to be mindful of it.

Because while a book subscription can be a fun way to discover new authors and create an aesthetic bookshelf, I know a lot of book collectors who are subscribed to many monthly subscriptions at the same time, and end up not having any time to read the books. I’ve even seen some BookTok videos where the owners of these books decide to sell them off without reading them because they’re just taking up too much space.

Routinely Buying Multiple Copies of the Same Book

I winced a little just now as I typed this subheading because I am definitely guilty of this. I have already preordered two different editions of Brandon Sanderson’s upcoming book Wind and Truth, for instance.

However, I have become a lot more mindful of this, and I limit the acquiring of multiple editions to my favorite authors only, and even then I limit it to two copies; one for reading and annotating, and the other as a collector’s item.

I don’t need every single special edition of a popular book, no matter how pretty they are. In fact, I have made a point of reading the majority of my books on my Kindle, and then I will only buy a physical copy after it if it is a five-star read and something I am certain I will want to read again down the road or annotate.

Reading Has Become a Competition

Overconsumption isn’t just about purchasing physical books – it also manifests as a pressure to read as many books as possible. Monthly reading wrap-up videos are very popular on BookTok, and I am flabbergasted by how many books a month some of these book influencers are consuming, with some averaging 25-35 books per month!

Again, there’s nothing wrong with reading that much per se; some in the book community are speedy readers, and/or read for work.

But I can’t help but wonder how many of these BookTokers truly enjoy reading that much, or if they feel they have to in order to keep up with other creators on the app.

At that point, are you still enjoying your hobby if you are forcing yourself to read an entire book per day?

I originally made a goal for myself to read 100 books in a year, and to try and “stay ahead” I was reading 9-10 books per month at one point. But it equated to 3-4 hours of reading per day and it wasn’t sustainable.

I had to ask myself, why am I putting a timeline on how quickly I read books? So I can justify buying more books? So I have more to talk about on BookTok?

How to Be More Mindful About Your Reading Hobby

When I identified that I was falling victim to excess consumerism, I had to be honest with myself about how I was going to address it.

Like with many things in life, it’s about finding a balance. Here are the things I did that you might find helpful.

Go on a Short Term Book Buyin Ban

I started by going on a short-term book-buying ban. This self-imposed ban on buying new books is a way to give your credit card a rest while gaining some perspective.

I didn’t buy a single book for nearly two months. I also unsubscribed from all my book subscription boxes.

And it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. It gave me a chance to catch up on my physical TBR pile, and even at the end of the ban, I never felt the need to resubscribe to any of those book boxes.

Now I only buy books when I know I’m going to read them in the immediate future, splurging on special editions only if I’ve already read and loved the book. (No more buying books just because they’re pretty!)

Set a Book Budget

At one point, my book-buying habit was costing me hundreds of dollars a month. (I know, it’s crazy.)

Now, I have a much more modest book-buying budget. In fact, some months I don’t buy any books at all. Every time I think about buying a book (especially the expensive limited edition ones) I ask myself if there’s anything else I’d rather be spending that money on. If the answer is yes, I forego the splurge.

Consider Taking a Break from BookTok

If FOMO hits you the hardest when you’re scrolling through TikTok, admiring everyone’s home libraries and latest book hauls, it might be time to take a break from the app.

If the idea of setting aside your daily scroll feels too depriving, look at other content besides book-related content. If you go to “Settings” within the app and select “Content preferences,” you’ll see the option “Refresh your For You feed.” This will wipe what the algorithm believes are your viewing preferences and will show you content as though you were a brand-new profile.

Get Your Reading Material from Libraries or Used Bookstores

If you haven’t downloaded the Libby and Hoopla apps yet, consider this your sign to do so. These apps allow you to connect your library card and read books for free on your mobile device or tablet. (I believe in the United States, you can even download Libby ebooks to your Kindle, but we don’t have that option here in Canada.)

Of course, the apps have their limitations. For example, most popular books have a wait list (sometimes several months long), and you only get two weeks to read the book once you borrow it. But if you are patient and plan well, you can have a steady rotation of books to read for free without even having to visit the library.

I have only been borrowing books with these apps since April, but I’ve already saved myself a few hundred dollars by not buying the books new.

Used bookstores and thrift stores are another way to find new reading material for less. I have even heard of people finding rare, out-of-print editions or signed copies of books in such stores!

Try Supporting Authors in Other Ways

If you want to show your support for your favorite authors, (especially indie authors) you may feel like you have to purchase everything they release. But you can also support them in ways that don’t cost anything, like sharing their social media posts or writing a flattering review for them on Amazon or Goodreads.

Final Thoughts

There’s nothing inherently wrong with BookTok. I still love it and am a BookToker (and BookTuber) myself. But I don’t need to buy a gazillion books to be part of the book community or to feel fulfilled, and neither do you.

Remember why you started reading in the first place; if reading is something to do to relax and escape the pressures of day-to-day life, then your joy in it has little to do with special editions and book hauls. In fact, overindulging in these things is more likely to diminish your joy.

So the next time you visit the bookstore or feel influenced to buy more books, take a minute to ask yourself if this is something you actually want, and why.

You will be surprised how effective a moment of self-awareness can be in the battle against overconsumption.

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