Old Guy Spent 3 Months On BookTok

I was wrong about BookTok. I thought it was just Romantasy, drama, and teenagers squealing into ring lights. So to punish myself, I spent three months as a BookToker. BookTube told me BookTok was a toxic cesspool of drama, infighting, and sprayed-edge obsession. So, being the awkward contrarian I am, I had to go find out for myself. What started as a one-month experiment turned into a three-month deep dive — from zero followers to over a thousand, from dread to genuine appreciation. In this video I break down everything I learned: how TikTok's algorithm actually works for book content, why my Discworld reviews exploded on BookTok when they underperform on YouTube, the creators who proved me wrong, and whether the "toxic BookTok" reputation is deserved (spoiler: it isn't). BookTok isn't what I was told. It's a lot like the cave on Dagobah — what you bring with you is what you find inside. Books & series mentioned: Terry Pratchett's Discworld (all 41!), Something Wicked This Way Comes, Between Two Fires, Children of Strife, Dune, At Swim-Two-Birds, Barchester Towers, Les Misérables, War and Peace BookTok creators I recommend: @clarkies_bookstuff — classics, very funny, similar age to me @popesbenedict — independent bookshop owner and stand-up comedian, brilliantly sardonec Find me on TikTok: @the.book.thing 📚 My Discworld Definitive Ranking:    • It's Been A Year Since I Finished Reading ...   📚 Children of Strife Review:    • Does Children of Strife live up to Childre...   📚 Between Two Fires (mentioned):    • Dune by Frank Herbert Review | I Didn’t Ex...   ⏱️ Chapters: 00:00 — The toxic cesspool I was promised 01:05 — Day 4: This isn't what I expected 04:47 — The algorithm figured me out 07:25 — Discworld explodes on BookTok 09:16 — The surprise viral hit 11:40 — Slowing down (life gets in the way) 14:21 — What I actually learned 15:44 — BookTok vs BookTube for creators 18:07 — The Dagobah cave #BookTok #BookTube #BookReview #TerryPratchett #Discworld #ReadingCommunity #BookRecommendations