Geezer on the Clock App by Marilyn Barr

 

I didn't think I was old...until I joined "the clock app."

I’ve learned a lot in my 40+ years on this planet and much of it applies to my adventures on TikTok. Many of my friends thought I lost my marbles when I joined TikTok, claiming our kids are more likely to be on the app than my ideal readers. There is a small corner of the clock app where book lovers congregate and where even the geekiest author can find stardom. Booktok is full of women who love to read. They are looking for new authors, books outside the mainstream favorites, and besties who love books too. Booktokers are so influential that they bamboozled the experts who predicted paperbacks would be obsolete by 2023. They are whale readers (read more than 100 books per year according to Goodreads) who are ravenous for paperback books to make videos, live stream readings, and shelfies (photos and videos of what's on your bookshelf). So how did this geezer find a way to fit in? Here are my TikTok TakeAway Hints:

 

1.     I kicked off my feed with a video stating I was from Jurassic Park. While I love using the ‘simple makeup’ CGI filter to disguise my inability to put on the goop, there is no hiding my age. I didn’t want to mislead followers into thinking I would be dancing on camera anytime soon. No bikini shots either. My first piece of advice is to have fun with your generation. There are trends corresponding to every age group from Boomers to Gen Z. You just have to find them by searching your hashtag.

Sound and Video effects are property of TikTok

 2.     Make bookish friends before you collect author friends. Who is following the hashtags of your genre, and why aren’t they your friends yet? These followings serve two purposes. First, they are your ideal reader. TikTok’s algorithm will suggest new friends based on current friends and you want those to be readers of your genre. Second, and IMHO more importantly, they will show you the templates, sounds/songs, and videos that are popular with your ideal readers. The point of TikTok is to use the popular trends so don’t worry about “getting in trouble” for “copying.” Speaking of trendy friends, do you follow me yet? Find me here - https://www.tiktok.com/@marilyn_barr_author

 

3.     Stitches and duets are some of my most popular videos on TikTok. This is where you add to an existing video made by someone else. After we were released from quarantine, it seemed that every niche group scheduled a convention. These conventions are filled with magnificent cosplayers of any book character you can imagine. I was skeptical until I found an all-female, pirate-punk band whose lead singer is an exact match for Magda of my Walk the Walk series. My duet where I hold the book cover next to a promo clip for their band is my most viewed TikTok to date. I’m literally holding my book while they display musical, artistic, and cosplay talent.

 

Duet is with Cassandra Cosplays and the Derina Harvey Band

4.     CapCut is a simple app used for video editing. It downloads onto your phone and uses a lot of the same video embellishing tools as TikTok. Until recently, TikTok has suppressed video distribution of TikToks with CapCut watermarks. However, CapCut has branched out into making TikTok templates, and these are taking the clock app by storm. Authors who aren’t comfortable showing their face love using these templates to create movies containing their book covers. Find CapCut here - https://www.capcut.com/

 

5.     Many authors are hesitant to add “one more social media app” when they are already juggling 3-4 of them. It is a lot of work to maintain relationships with fresh content every day when all you want to do is write. I challenge those authors to use the SnapTik app to remove the TikTok watermarks from their TikToks and upload them to their YouTube channels as shorts or Instagram/Facebook reels. Caution: If you use copyrighted songs in your TikToks, Instagram/Facebook will put a note on them (no big deal) but YouTube will restrict who can view your video based on licensing and country of origin. Find the SnapTik Downloader here - https://snaptik.app/en

 

6.     TikTok allows for pinned videos just like Instagram. These spots are great for professional book trailers and video resumes. Using the ‘timer’ function, you can start and stop recording at preselected points in your favorite song for quick costume/book changes. Presenting all your books in one video gives potential followers your resume without individualized contact. The more info you make available, the more inviting your feed will be. Check out my TikTok video resume. 

Song by Meghan Trainor but the clip belongs to TikTok.

 

7.     Are there trolls like on Instagram? You know who they are – two photos (one with a puppy) on their feed, private account, or just flower emojis as their bio, and they slide into your DMs with “hey” and nothing else. Are those bozos on the clock app? Yes. Do they steer clear if you add “wife” to your bio? Also yes. It’s worth the 4 characters in the 80-character limit to avoid them. Also, the “promote it on” commenters aren’t on TikTok…yet.

 

8.      How can you sell books if there aren’t buy links to your posts? Once you have 1000 followers (which is easier than you think with the welcoming Booktok community), you can put one link in your bio. Just like on Instagram, making the most of that link is key to your success. I highly recommend creating a Linktree with all the links you wish to highlight at that moment such as BookFunnel or StoryOrigin group promotions, pre-order buy links, and links to your favorite blogspots like Paranormal Romantics. I also recommend having a link to where Booktokers can buy autographed paperbacks directly from you. Nothing makes an unboxing video collect hearts quite like an author’s signature. If you have a “call to action” in your daily video, you can easily change out your Linktree for something more specific and change it back once the video distribution slows down. Plant your link tree here - https://linktr.ee/

9.    TikTok NOW. This feature is the newest and the easiest to use in TikTok. You enter the NOW feature by clicking "Friends" at the bottom of the screen. When the window changes, the top of the screen will have two options: Friends (the videos of people you follow) or NOW. You can't view the NOW posts without posting in the last 24 hours. When you elect to post a camera window appears. If you tap the big red button it takes a picture of what is in front of you. If you hold down the button, you can take a short video. After your front short, the timer starts counting down. You have 5 seconds to move your camera before it takes a selfie. This is great if you are reading, writing, or watching TV. Your followers are with you in the moment through the post. Since I have two black cats, I love to play with this function with one cat posted on each camera angle.

Whether you are 8 or 80 years old, there is a group of TikTokers waiting to welcome you—even paranormal romance readers. Just like every other performance art, the key is putting yourself out there as far as you are comfortable. If your video is cringy because dancing with your book cover under a full moon isn’t your thing, your video won’t go far. However, if your main character’s name is hard to pronounce and you make a contest where everyone guesses the pronunciation—you can strike gold. The best part of the TikTok algorithm is that each video is rated, distributed, and shadow-banned individually, so every video you make is a fresh start. Ready to build your following of paranormal romance lovers? Why don’t you become one of mine? Follow me here and we can show each other the latest trending videos in paranormal romance. I look forward to seeing you on the clock app.

 

Note: I have no affiliation with TikTok, the other social media platforms mentioned, the creators of the sounds in my videos, or the trolls who comment ‘promote here.’ The above article is just my experience, and may not be reproducible by everyone.