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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Darling, I’m a Titan Dressed Like a Pop Queen
Retailers have been looking for a way to bring Black Friday shoppers back to brick-and-mortar stores, and Target has just hit the motherlode: Taylor Swift will release her first official book, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Book, exclusively in Target stores on Thursday, November 29th. Listed at $40, the 256-page hardcover will include more than 500 photos, including never-before-seen images, from every era and will be accompanied by Swift’s personal reflections. In the understatement of the century, Target notes that the book, which will be available for online purchase the following day, is “expected to sell out quickly.” Target will also be the exclusive retailer for the vinyl and CD editions The Tortured Poets Department: Anthology Edition hitting shelves on Black Friday. Consider those doors busted, folks.
TikTok Parent Company to Publish First Print Books in 2025
It’s been more than a year since TikTok’s parent company ByteDance launched its own imprint, 8th Note Press, which has published about a dozen digital-only titles in the romance, YA, and sci-fi/fantasy genres. The initial announcement caused a lot of chatter and concern. Would the social media giant, which has admitted that it manipulates what goes viral, put its thumb on the scale to turn its titles into #BookTok hits? We can’t know what TikTok has tried, but the results so far have not born out publishing’s fears; none of 8th Note Press’s titles has become a #BookTok sensation. That may be about to change.
Physical books are the cornerstone of social video—the more eye-catching, spayed-edge, special-edition-y the better—and 8th Note Press has announced that it will begin publishing print books early next year. In partnership with independent publishing company Zando, 8th Note will release 10-15 books each year, continuing to focus on the genres that are popular with millennial and Gen Z audiences. As the New York Times‘s Alexandra Alter notes, “The company’s move into print could make it more of a serious competitor to legacy publishers, particularly if 8th Note is able to engineer viral hits by boosting its authors on TikTok.”
That’s a big “if,” and it is potentially a multi-million-dollar (billion-dollar?) question. Visibility and exposure, which TikTok could certainly manufacture for its titles to generate sales, are just the first step. The books will still have to resonate with readers enough to motivate them to produce the kinds of videos that create viral trends, and there is significant downside risk if users end up feeling that they were manipulated into buying books they don’t like. This one’s going to be interesting.
Someone is Staring at You in Personal Growth
It’s been 35 years since Nora Ephron reinvented the romantic comedy with When Harry Met Sally, and while the film isn’t an adaptation, real heads know it has bookish vibes. Jeff O’Neal and I discussed this shared favorite on the latest episode of the Book Riot Podcast, and you should join us. Folks are saying podcasts are today what restaurants were to people in the ’80s.
