Episode Details

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Lets talk BookTok. 

What began as a giant virtual book club is now a major marketing force. Publishers watch it, authors build campaigns around it, and Audible has created a dedicated BookTok destination. In this episode, I talk about how follower counts are becoming part of an audiobook narrator’s professional currency (particularly in romance and LitRPG) and what that means for talented narrators who aren’t interested in becoming full-time content creators.

BookTok can help listeners find our work and create incredible career opportunities, but we need to use it intentionally, protect our boundaries, and remember that an algorithm shouldn’t get to decide whether our work matters.

SHOW NOTES:

00:20 Block Party Spark
00:51 What Is BookTok
02:30 From Book Club to Industry
04:12 Follower Counts and Casting
07:03 Citing Narrators in Reviews
08:47 Fandom and Parasocial Risks
10:30 When Critique Turns Cruel
11:47 Using BookTok Intentionally
12:53 Promotion as Paid Labor
14:18 Closing Thoughts

LINKS:

• BookTok Helps Sell More Than 50 Million Books Across Europe
• FTC Guidance for Endorsements, Influencers, and Reviews
• Julia Whelan Has Narrated 600 Audiobooks and Counting—So Why Isn’t She Paid Like It?

Good Aural is hosted by audiobook narrator and actor Brenda Scott Wlazlo. We talk craft, business, performance, and the weird little things that make an audiobook actually work.

Come hang out. Let’s talk about it.

Brenda Reads Audiobooks Linktree

 website: Brendascottwlazlo.com

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