✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Are Published Books Losing Quality?
The Impact of Social Media Platforms and Trope-Based Marketing

Prompts: Reading has become increasingly more “popular” due to platforms like booktok and bookstagram, which tend to promote certain types of books. It has also given rise to the “trope only” marketing trend. Do you think the hype that’s been created on these platforms has impacted the quality of books that are published these days? Do you think it’s impacting only certain genres or do you notice it across all genres? How do you think this will impact book quality and publishing in the years to come (i.e. is it just a phase or will it continue)?

This is a topic that I’ve seen quite a few people bringing up recently (like Tasya, Jananie, and 24hryabookblog) and that I’ve also been reflecting on this past year, as I’ve struggled to find books that reel me in the same way as before. Sometimes I feel like maybe I can’t really speak on this issue because while I’m semi-active on bookstagram, I don’t spend a lot of time engaging or scrolling, and neither am I on booktok or threads. So, can I really speak on how these platforms have impacted the quality of books? I guess this is me prefacing my meagre, shallow thoughts on this topic with a “I’m not really sure I know what I’m talking about” disclaimer. 😅 But I can’t wait to see what everyone has to say about it!

Do you think the hype that’s been created on social media platforms has impacted the quality of books that are published these days?

I think social media (booktok and bookstagram specifically) has had a big impact on the types of books being published and the quality of those books, but I also don’t think it’s the only contributing factor to these changes. It’s not only the hype being generated that’s causing publishing to churn out the same thing repeatedly, but it’s also decreasing attention spans, the deeper desire for pure escapism, and the need to just “turn off the brain” after long days of constantly being bombarded by stuff at every second and from every direction.

I think in recent years, (and at least to me) more noticeably in the last year, the combination of these things has led to publishers choosing to push out books that are increasingly starting to not only look the same, but read the same, too. Now, it’s about virality, and since they know they’ve got a winning formula with the high demand for certain types of books, of course, publishers would choose to stick with what makes them more money. I think the need for books to be released “when the hype is hot”, especially in genres like romance fantasy (‘romantasy’), has contributed a lot to the fast-fashion-ification of publishing.

With the focus turned to “marketing based on tropes”, that also means authors are writing based on tropes that will market well, and this comes at the cost of originality and quality. Readers are being served “relatability and likability” over depth, and I sense a growth in more “telling” rather than “showing”, which limits a reader’s ability to form deeper connections to the characters and their journeys. Throw in the “need for spice” in this formula, and it leads to books feeling more shallow and definitely much less substantive. I think this also feeds into the “low-effort” reads that have become more sought after, especially in fantasy, which I find translates to less intricate world-building, basic plots, and low character development.

Unfortunately for readers, all of this means that we’re just getting the “same book” packaged in different styles, and while I didn’t particularly care initially (I didn’t mind it, I didn’t not mind it), I’m finding it increasingly difficult to find something fresh, fun, and engaging in romance and fantasy, and especially in romantasy these days. A couple of months ago, I read a romance where the author placed emphasis on individual character growth as much as their growth as a couple, and it felt so refreshing because I feel like so much is “instalove” these days, and even a slow burn doesn’t always come with the deeper connection between characters.

All this isn’t to say that you can’t or shouldn’t read and enjoy the low-effort reads or the fun and sexy but (maybe) poorly written books! I mean, just as people can love trash television, you can love the book equivalent, but you can also acknowledge that it might not be well-written or that the characters aren’t very developed. I’m often one of those readers who wants to “turn off my brain” and read for fun. I love a good vibe time as much as the next reader, and yes, my attention span is “poor” on what sometimes feels like my best days. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to also critically engage with the things I read. I want to be challenged emotionally and mentally! I want to bask in intricate world-building and feel invested in complex and layered characters, and I want to read books that make me feel as if I’ve taken something from them.

Do you think it’s impacting only certain genres, or do you notice it across all genres?

As I don’t read very widely in other genres outside of romance and fantasy, I don’t think I can really speak to whether this change is as observable across all genres. However, in the genres I read, I notice it significantly more in romance fantasy due to its popularity on these platforms, especially with “newer readers” who are just discovering that these books exist.

How do you think this will impact book quality and publishing in the years to come (i.e. is it just a phase or will it continue)?

I want to be optimistic and say that it’s “just a phase”, but with the way the world is turning (dumpster fires literally everywhere you turn), I fear that this publishing trend will be here to stay for the foreseeable future. At the end of the day, it comes down to what readers are demanding, and if the demand is “give me fun-time books where I don’t have to think”, then publishers are just going to keep giving us the same thing repeatedly. Again, I’m not saying it’s bad to love these books or to consume them, and I’m totally with those readers who are just so tired mentally and have little capacity to engage at the end of the day. At the same time, it’s also okay to step out of your comfort zone and push yourself to read things that challenge you, and to demand those things, especially when readers pay as much as we do to read books!

Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers who joined the discussion this week! 👇🏽

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Shoto @ Magic & Maybes
Rachael @ The Green Tea Librarian
Tasya @ The Literary Huntress
Yolanda @ Past Midnight
Leyre @ Read You Leyre
Abyssal Librarian
LaRonda @ Flying Paperbacks
Dee @ Callie’s Tales
Laurie @ Laurie Is Reading
Lila @ Hardcover Haven
Julie @ Bookflowerpath

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If I’ve missed your post this week, don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments, and I’ll add you to this week’s list of community posts ASAP!

Again, I don’t know if anything I said made sense, and I’m very aware that I probably sounded like a broken record. But I’d love to know your thoughts on this topic! Do you think social media has impacted the quality of published books nowadays? Is this going to be “just a phase” for publishing or will it continue?

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