School of Humanities BookTube and the publishing industry: A study of the commercial relationship between YouTube content creators and publicists Kirsty Horton 20043865 This thesis is presented for the Degree of Master of Arts of Curtin University October 2021 Curtin University Security Classification: PUBLIC CRICOS Provider Code 00301J Version Date: 25/10/21 Table of Contents ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................................... 4 UNDERSTANDING THE BOOKTUBER: CONTENT CREATED ON BOOKTUBE .......................................... 4 RESEARCH INCIDENTALLY DEALING WITH BOOKTUBE ....................................................................... 7 FOREIGN LANGUAGE BOOKTUBE ...................................................................................................... 10 BOOKTUBE AND BOOK PUBLISHING .................................................................................................. 11 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 16 METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................................. 17 INTERVIEWS....................................................................................................................................... 17 Interviewing BookTubers ............................................................................................................. 17 Interviewing Publicists................................................................................................................. 19 Participation and risks................................................................................................................. 20 SURVEYS ........................................................................................................................................... 21 ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................................................... 23 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 23 FINDINGS............................................................................................................................................ 25 SURVEY ............................................................................................................................................. 25 Sourcing books ............................................................................................................................. 25 Reading preferences..................................................................................................................... 28 BookTube content preferences ..................................................................................................... 31 BookTube-related purchasing decisions ...................................................................................... 39 BookTube engagement preferences ............................................................................................. 42 Conclusion: Survey ...................................................................................................................... 45 INTERVIEWS....................................................................................................................................... 47 Content creation........................................................................................................................... 48 Publisher’s expectations .............................................................................................................. 55 Challenges in the working relationship ....................................................................................... 65 Conclusion: Interviews ................................................................................................................ 69 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................... 72 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................... 75 Curtin University Security Classification: PUBLIC CRICOS Provider Code 00301J Version Date: 25/10/21 List of Figures FIGURE 1: THE PLACES WHERE BOOKTUBE AUDIENCE MEMBERS TYPICALLY SOURCE THEIR BOOKS .............................. 26 FIGURE 2: WHERE BOOKTUBE AUDIENCE MEMBERS SOURCE THE MAJORITY OF THEIR BOOKS .................................... 27 FIGURE 3: GENRE PREFERENCES OF BOOKTUBE AUDIENCE MEMBERS ................................................................... 29 FIGURE 4: CONTENT VIEWING PREFERENCES ON BOOKTUBE OF AUDIENCE MEMBERS .............................................. 31 FIGURE 5: LENGTH OF VIDEO PREFERRED BY BOOKTUBE AUDIENCE MEMBERS. ....................................................... 33 FIGURE 6: IF BOOK COMPARISONS BY BOOKTUBERS ARE HELPFUL TO AUDIENCE MEMBERS WHEN CHOOSING TO READ A BOOK. ............................................................................................................................................. 36 FIGURE 7: THE EXTENT TO WHICH MERCHANDISE RELEVANT TO A BOOK AND FEATURED IN A BOOKTUBE VIDEO INCREASES THE APPEAL OF THE BOOK TO THE AUDIENCE MEMBER. ............................................................................. 37 FIGURE 8: AWARENESS OF HOW MANY AUSTRALIAN BOOKTUBERS AUDIENCE MEMBERS SUBSCRIBE TO. ..................... 38 FIGURE 9: TYPES OF CONTENT THAT HAVE INSPIRED BOOK PURCHASES BY BOOKTUBE AUDIENCE MEMBERS. ................ 40 FIGURE 10: IF THE STAR RATING A BOOKTUBER GIVES A BOOK INFLUENCES AUDIENCE MEMBERS ’ DECISION TO READ THAT BOOK. ............................................................................................................................................. 40 FIGURE 11: LIKELIHOOD OF AUDIENCE MEMBERS PURCHASING A BOOK IF A BOOKTUBER RATES IT 3 STARS OR LESS. ..... 42 FIGURE 12: HOW OFTEN AUDIENCE MEMBERS SEARCH FOR BOOKTUBERS ON OTHER PLATFORMS. ............................ 43 FIGURE 13: HOW OFTEN AUDIENCE MEMBERS USE BOOKTUBERS’ AFFILIATE LINKS. ................................................ 45 FIGURE 14: MOST VIEWED VIDEOS ON BOOKTUBE CHANNELS. ........................................................................... 48 FIGURE 15: FACTORS DETERMINING WHAT CONTENT IS PRODUCED EACH WEEK ...................................................... 50 FIGURE 16: AVERAGE NUMBER OF UNFINISHED READING COPIES SENT OUT BY AUSTRALIAN PUBLICISTS. ..................... 53 FIGURE 17: AVERAGE NUMBER OF FINISHED READING COPIES SENT OUT BY AUSTRALIAN PUBLICISTS. ......................... 54 FIGURE 18: KEY FACTORS THAT DETERMINE USEFULNESS OF REVIEWERS TO AUSTRALIAN PUBLICISTS. ......................... 55 FIGURE 19: WHEN PUBLICISTS WANT TO RECEIVE THE MAJORITY OF REVIEWS . ....................................................... 58 FIGURE 20: AUSTRALIAN PUBLICISTS’ EXPECTATIONS OF CONTENT PRODUCED WHEN SENDING SOLICITED REVIEW COPIES ...................................................................................................................................................... 60 FIGURE 21: AUSTRALIAN PUBLICISTS’ EXPECTATIONS OF CONTENT PRODUCED WHEN SENDING UNSOLICITED REVIEW COPIES. ........................................................................................................................................... 61 List of Tables TABLE 1: AWARENESS OF AUSTRALIAN VERSUS INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONALITY OF THE BOOKTUBERS THEY WATCH. ................................................................................................................ 38 TABLE 2: MOST TIME-CONSUMING VERSUS LEAST TIME-CONSUMING VIDEOS FOR AUSTRALIAN BOOKTUBERS TO PRODUCE......................................................................................................................................... 50 TABLE 3: COMPARISON OF EXPECTATION DIFFERENCES REGARDING TIMING OF REVIEWS FOR SOLICITED VERSUS UNSOLICITED COPIES. ......................................................................................................................... 61 Curtin University Security Classification: PUBLIC CRICOS Provider Code 00301J Version Date: 25/10/21 Abstract This thesis explores how BookTubers collaborate with publishing houses in Australia to encourage the BookTubers’ audiences to purchase books. The thesis discusses the background of this topic—including the rise of BookTube in the last decade— identifies a gap in research on the influence of BookTube as a publicity tool within Australian publishing and analyses the impact of current practices. The thesis describes 4 main methods for conducting this research. Firstly, by conducting a literature review and demonstrating a gap in research. Secondly, by examining audience engagement by surveying audience members of BookTube. Thirdly, by conducting interviews to investigate the nature of the working relationship between Australian BookTubers and publicists. Finally, by analysing autoethnographic research of the engagement of the researcher’s BookTube channel in publicity. The free nature of BookTube publicity makes it a powerful marketing tool in the book industry, and the Australian perspective has been underrepresented in research thus far. This thesis aims to clarify expectations between BookTubers and publicists and seeks to identify the value of using BookTube as a publicity tool. Results indicate the preferences of BookTube audience members, such as preferred video length, content type and number of books featured per video. Challenges are discussed, such as communication and discovery via YouTube that currently limit the potential of the working relationship between BookTubers and publicists. Thus, this research contributes to academic discourse on the role of BookTubers as a publicity tool within Australia, as well as providing valuable market research to publishing houses. Curtin University Security Classification: PUBLIC CRICOS Provider Code 00301J 1 Version Date: 25/10/21 Introduction In the early 2010s, a niche area of YouTube became dedicated to discourse surrounding literature and was soon after referred to as ‘BookTube’. There is content for any reader, across multiple languages—most notably English, French, Italian and Spanish—and content spans from book reviews to other types such as ‘hauls’, ‘read- alongs’, ‘TBRs’ and ‘wrap-ups’ (Perkins, 2017, p. 353). This online space soon became known to publishing houses who have striven to utilise BookTube as a form of publicity through collaboration with content creators. However, the nature of BookTube is ever-changing, and so it is difficult to pin down stable understandings of how to harness it as a tool. Yet, publicists are aware that networks such as these can significantly impact book sales, but a lack of available research results in guesswork to determine best practices between BookTubers and publicists. A 2005 study explored the collective knowledge on the correlation between exogenous ‘shocks’ and book sales, exploring foundational ideas that the formation of a network between people is an integral element in propagating opinions that influence book sales (Deschatres & Sornette, p. 1). One year later, Chevalier and Mayzlin addressed a gap in research on the topic of books sales and online user reviews, noting that there was no literature drawing a connection between them, despite suspicions that there was important interplay here (2006, p. 354). However, over 10 years later, a 2017 study echoed similar conclusions, stating that there was ‘considerable scope’ for further research on new platforms, such as BookTube, about book culture (Throsby et al., 2017, p. 32). By 2019, Spanish academic José M. Tomasena conducted some of the most thorough research yet on this topic, focussing Curtin University Security Classification: PUBLIC CRICOS Provider Code 00301J 2 Version Date: 25/10/21 on Spanish-speaking BookTube, but confirmed that the alleged gap in research still existed by stating ‘that research about BookTubers is relatively scarce’ (Tomasena, 2019, p. 5). It is evident that in over a decade since the initial development of BookTube, research is lagging behind in determining its commercial role within publicity for the book industry. The importance of knowing the intricacies of how this relationship works is paramount to the financial elements of running a publishing house. Aside from maximising sales profits, publicity does come with some costs, such as ‘the cost of providing books or other materials for bloggers’ (Nelson, 2006, p. 10). For an industry with tight budgets, knowing the most effective use of these materials could reduce wasted time, effort and money. Additionally, Cisco predicts that video will make up 79% of all mobile traffic by 2022, which highlights the importance of harnessing YouTube in publicity (Parker, 2021). The ever-changing nature of influential forces for book-purchasing necessitates continual research to address new elements that play a significant role within this system. BookTube is one of these influential forces dictating the purchasing habits of consumers as it is an integral intermediary between publishers and consumers. The granularity of this topic has allegedly been neglected in research thus far, consisting primarily of research on what defines the concept of BookTube, and only some examples of specific research, such as that conducted on Spanish-speaking BookTube. This project will analyse the Australian perspective, it will also consider how BookTube can be better used to inspire sales, boost audience engagement and provide clarity on the BookTuber-publicist dynamic. 3 Literature Review There is a gap in research on how the relationship between BookTuber and publisher functions within the book industry. This review is divided into 4 thematic categories that demonstrate this relationship within the literature reviewed. These themes are: understanding the BookTuber, foreign language, incidental research with a broader focus and specific research about BookTube and publishing. While much of this literature does not solely focus on the commercial relationship between BookTube and the publishing industry, this review will consider the relevant parts of the literature in great detail. Additionally, this will demonstrate the gap in research that this thesis aims to fill. Understanding the BookTuber: Content Created on BookTube This section will look at research that aims to define ‘BookTube’, the nature of its participatory culture and who the content creators are. The research varies in length, from short documents to a PhD, but the commonality between this research is that the primary focus is never on the commercial role of BookTube. However, it is useful for this thesis as it helps to define the broader context of BookTube. In particular, it helps to capture the limited and often education-specific lens through which contemporary research is conducted, and once again shows the need for more in-depth studies to be conducted from a commercial perspective. Many studies conducted thus far on BookTube aim to serve as an introduction for those unfamiliar with the community, some only a handful of pages long. Common features in these types of research are break-downs of common vocabulary (such as ‘readathon’ or ‘ARC’) as well as the types of videos that one would typically see on BookTube (Anderson, 2020; Ehret et al., 2018). Many of these are of an investigative 4 nature to understand viewers’ responses to the videos being made. Notably, a study conducted by Ehret et al. (2018) focussed on analysing the researchers’ own responses to the videos they studied. Perkins (2017) offers a 5-page concise overview of the structure of BookTube through brief lists of the types of content, a small section listing notable BookTubers from the United States of America (USA) and a short look at communities dedicated to books on other social media platforms. The article does little more than discuss the popular American niche of BookTube, but it helps to construct an idea of people’s understanding of what BookTube was in 2017. Meanwhile, a PhD study completed in 2020 explores in more depth the concept of what BookTube is through ethnographic research as well as focus group interviews with 3 BookTubers (Anderson, 2020). This study is considerably longer than all other research in this section, however it is dedicated to understanding the concept of BookTube, and the machinations of how and why content is created, rarely aligning with the commercial focus of this thesis. Hence, it is grouped with other research that also defines BookTube but does not provide deep analysis on its role in book publicity. Both Perkins (2017) and Anderson (2020) describe BookTubers as a type of microcelebrity, and that those enjoying the attention of publishers have the privilege of free products and brand-building opportunities. Both Anderson (2020) and Ehret et al. (2018) spend significant portions of their research (though their research greatly varies in length) discussing the educational value of BookTube, rather than its commercial value. However, the research also raises awareness that it is not always enjoyable being a ‘prosumer’ due to problems arising from this microcelebrity status (Anderson, 2020, p. 2). Some questions are raised over the feasibility of the participatory culture of BookTube, in terms of what privileged microcelebrity-status 5 BookTubers are afforded that their audiences are not (Perkins, 2017). Additionally, pressures that BookTubers face in lieu of their microcelebrity status could diminish the original enjoyment of participating in this community (Anderson, 2020, p. 141). One key issue raised in Perkins’s (2017) article is the over-representation of socially and ethnically privileged BookTubers as the ones most likely to work with publishers in the promotion of books. This ties into other problems raised, such BookTubers who can invest in a time-consuming hobby that usually produces no financial gains. Anderson’s more in-depth research elaborates on this topic, asserting that socially and ethnically privileged individuals will therefore be more able to participate in this community as prosumers. This is due to the fact that even though they are not earning money, they have the resources available to build their brand, which ‘allows a BookTuber to successfully monetize his or her channel in the future’ (Anderson, 2020, p. 144). Furthermore, there is also geographic privilege to be considered. This is seen largely within the USA and the United Kingdom (UK), whose populations dominate the online space of these creators, often causing Australian creators, for example, to be difficult to find in their minority. The book industry is a global market, but publishers are likely to seek out local BookTubers who align with their product to gain the benefit of ‘free or low-cost publicity through word-of-mouth advertising directly between users interested in their products’ (Anderson, 2020, p. 140). But publishers and audience members are unable to filter their YouTube searches to show Australian-only creators which hinders Australian BookTubers’ ability to grow. 6 The research discussed in this thematic category defines aspects of BookTube, such as what is needed to become a BookTuber (the setting, video openings, vocabulary needed, etc.), but this research does not consider the commercial relationship between BookTube and the publishing industry. From this research, an increased awareness of how the community functions in relation to reading practices is gained. Research incidentally dealing with BookTube To understand the relationship between BookTube and the publishing industry, this thesis provides an overview and analysis of brief references made to this topic. This is due to the gap in research on this topic resulting in a limited number of topic- specific research articles. The following discussion therefore focuses on research that incidentally deals with BookTube. Firstly, Nelson (2006) addresses an important aspect of publicity, which is understanding the ‘buzz’ that word-of-mouth creates through social media platforms. The focus of this research is on the increasing importance of blog reviews during the rising popularity of the ‘blogosphere’. However, the discourse relating to the power of online reviews can be applied to the study of any social media platform, such as YouTube. Nelson outlines 2 key areas of online communication of which publishers should be cautious: that creating ‘buzz’ is to engage with a conversation out of the control of the publishers, and that with ever-decreasing attention spans, it’s important to engage with influencers who genuinely want to interact with their books (Nelson, 2006, p. 11). The importance of the latter has only increased as time has passed, and there is an increasing challenge to capture influencers’ attention so they contribute meaningful content and create ‘buzz’. 7 Secondly, a 2010 study established that the literary consumer’s sense of value in the opinions of official reviewing mediums, such as journalism, was declining in favour of that of online content creators (Tian & Martin, p. 158). This research focusses on the risks and impacts of the Australian book industry’s transition into the digital sphere, considering both digital reading formats and online sales. Tian and Martin’s research opens up the conversation of the burgeoning prospects of a truly participatory culture online, which saw BookTube take power from publishers and place it into the hands of users and their own networks (Tian & Martin, 2010, p. 155). The ideas that Tian and Martin discuss complement those of Nelson, in that there is a strong suggestion that publishers need to start ‘listening’ to influencers on social media to spot trends—which is different to pre-social media eras where trend- spotting was more complex and less accessible in its nature (Nelson, 2006, p. 9). Furthermore, by 2015 a Publisher’s Weekly article discussed publishers’ shift in focus from publicity in the form of the online written word, such as blogs, to newer forms of expression on platforms such as YouTube. Five years after the initial genesis of BookTube, creators were transitioning in the eye of the publisher, as Tian and Martin earlier predicted, as a legitimate source of publicity behind which people could rally in their support of authors and their works. Particularly within the Young Adult (YA) age bracket (14+), BookTube was attracting the same audience that publishers were seeking, as it was determined that ‘that’s where the kids are’ (Burling, 2015, p. 1). While this article has a BookTube-specific focus, it has been included in this section due to its brevity—it is a work of journalism rather than research. It should also be noted that this article represents a limited understanding of BookTube, as it portrays this community as new even though by 2015 BookTube 8 was well established. Moreover, despite being a work of journalism it is treated akin to academic work by being published in a leading industry publication. Furthermore, a 2017 study of Australian readers confirmed this transition of power from traditional media to online networks, stating that one-fifth of readers found official reviews or literary awards to be important, but that ‘almost twice as many indicate these factors as being unimportant’ (Throsby et al., p. 18). This study also found that 31% of people engage with books via social media, and that specifically 8.5% of people are accessing BookTube (Throsby et al., 2017, p. 22). This locates BookTube in a place of significance online in terms of the role it plays in distributing opinions and recommendations about books within the Australian online community. It is worth noting that the largest age bracket of readers engaging with BookTube are those under twenty (19%) (Throsby et al., 2017, p. 24). This research highlights the need to understand the reading preferences of those watching BookTube considering the statistics suggest there is a significant captivated audience to be accessed through this platform. This information could provide key information that would guide the content created by BookTubers, and the ways in which Australian publicists engage with BookTubers to promote their products. To summarise, the articles that incidentally deal with BookTube indicate certain trends within reading communities. Firstly, an understanding that BookTubers, rather than publishers, can determine what books are publicised and therefore which ones are read. Secondly, research establishes that it is necessary for publishers to harness the use of social media to get their books out to this online community of passionate readers. The literature reviewed in this section indicates a lack of comprehension as to the full extent of BookTube’s power to be used as a tool by publishers to better promote their products and engage with readers. The incidental nature of the 9 mentions indicates a gap in research on this topic and a need to explore the full potential of BookTube as a publicity tool. Foreign language BookTube Having established the limited amount of research specifically dealing with BookTube and the publishing industry, this thesis will next consider foreign language research, particularly Spanish- and German-speaking nations, that deals more specifically with the nature of BookTube. However, it must be noted that even then research still draws conclusions about BookTube’s role within the education scene as opposed to the commercial scene. While this is the most current research, it contributes little to the English-speaking world’s understanding of the relationship between publisher and BookTuber. This section will highlight the need for similar, and more in-depth, research to be conducted in English. Four recent studies between 2019 and 2020 were published in Spanish and German discussing significant ways that BookTube impacts and alters people’s reading habits (Brendel-Perpina & Barbara, 2019; Contreras Pulido et al., 2019; de la Torre- Espinosa, 2020; Prado Alves Silva, 2020). This research is more readily available in these languages than in the English language, but it focusses on understanding consumer preferences and not how to deliver books to the right consumers using BookTubers as intermediaries. Four key themes can be identified from these texts: developing skills beyond school, identifying reading practices, identifying reading preferences and the participatory nature of BookTube. Firstly, there is BookTube’s role as a place to develop literary analysis skills beyond school (Contreras Pulido et al., 2019). This research indicates that people are left to develop their own literary skills after school and that 10 BookTube can act as a guide to aid people, portraying the commercial value of BookTube. Secondly, German research analyses BookTube’s worth as an interest- based community that promotes conversation mostly among young adults and teens, before ultimately focussing on its use to understand German learning practices (Brendel-Perpina & Barbara, 2019). Once again, this research follows suit in its preference to examine BookTube’s value from an educational perspective. Thirdly, Spanish research conducted in 2020 questions BookTube’s use for understanding the reading preferences of those studying at university (de la Torre- Espinosa, 2020). This study highlights how BookTube promotes a participatory culture among readers, but contrarily notes the amateur nature of BookTube to be one of its drawbacks. In this sense, this article analyses the community value of BookTube without evaluating the value of amateur reviews in a commercial sense. Finally, a second Spanish study conducted in 2020 focusses on what BookTube can reveal about the multifarious reading practices of consumers (Prado Alves Silva, 2020). This study analysed comments made on BookTube videos to better understand the Spanish-speaking community’s reading preferences. Once again, this follows the theme of understanding the consumer, but does not consider the commercial relationship between the BookTuber and publisher in any real sense. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is greater coverage of research about BookTube in foreign languages, but that this research does not address BookTube’s commercial role. BookTube and book publishing This final section will now look at the few instances where in-depth research has been conducted with a specific purpose of analysing BookTube’s commercial role in 11 the relationship between publishers and consumers. The extremely limited pool of research—most notably that done in English by a foreign language academic— highlights the need for more research to be conducted in order to better understand this phenomenon. Research in this section looks at how publishing is an ever- changing industry, particularly as it is involved with the online world which often inspires quick change and the need to adapt industry methods on a frequent basis. This section supports the need of this thesis to increase the knowledge on this topic and highlight the need for more to be done. Negotiating collaborations by José M. Tomasena José Tomasena conducted research on the BookTube phenomenon within Spanish- speaking BookTube in 2019. He explored autoethnographic and reflective methods by creating a BookTube channel himself and networked with other BookTubers to understand their experience. Through interviews, Tomasena engaged in discourse that provided clarity and revealed trends in the ways that BookTubers negotiate collaborations with publishing houses and other interested parties. Tomasena’s research labels BookTubers as ‘key players’ in the publishing industry and analyses how they negotiate collaborations with publishers that attract readers through digital platforms (Tomasena, 2019, p. 1). The research also explores the transference of capital that BookTubers gain through these practices into other cultural industries. A central theme to the research is that ‘the battle for attention is not a secondary issue for publishers; it is one of its core problems’, which acts as a key motivator to Tomasena’s research (2019, p. 3). The study is most closely related to the purpose of this thesis: to understand how this online community works within a commercial setting. 12 According to this study, in 2019 the average print run (number of books printed for a single title) was 2,749 copies, which has decreased from pre-internet eras (Tomasena, 2019, p. 3). It discusses the underpinning motivation for publicists to find reviewers as coming from an acute need to increase a book’s exposure through the world wide web, with the need ‘to create “buzz” [which is] key for promotion, especially if the publisher paid a high advance for a book’ (Tomasena, 2019, p. 7). This research is highly relevant and useful as it explores the navigational methods of Spanish-speaking BookTubers in determining which books and promotional material to accept for review from publishers. This links into the purpose of this project in defining the relationship between BookTubers and publicists in Australia, and determining their potential worth. Furthermore, the research considers the sense of community within BookTube, stating that there is ‘a strong sense of community, both in the sense of their followers and other BookTubers’, emphasising this element as being integral to the creation of BookTube’s success in promoting products (Tomasena, 2019, p. 1). This confirms the need for this thesis to also explore the Australian perspective through surveying audience members to ascertain the degree to which BookTubers engage with the literary community. Tomasena’s research also offers insight into the criticisms faced by the Spanish- speaking BookTube community. He extrapolates from interviews conducted that there is an underlying pressure to review all books sent to them that BookTubers suffer from. This is as well as exploring other pressures, such as the concept of ‘habitus’ where BookTubers feel compelled to understand ‘what is the game about ... and what they have to do’ (Tomasena, 2019, p. 6). This habitus is seen throughout YouTube as a whole, but Tomasena points out the irony of its place within BookTube, stating that it ‘is not a great business in economic terms’, questioning the 13 need of a content creator to worry about this habitus in the first place (Tomasena, 2019, p. 6). Furthermore, the research also addresses the negative attitudes expressed by traditional reviewers borne from a prejudice against the lack of ‘intellectual credentials’ held by BookTubers (Tomasena, 2019, p. 6). To summarise, this study captures the essence of BookTubers’ worth in concluding that their worth lies within their ‘social and symbolic capital’ (Tomasena, 2019, p. 7). Much of Tomasena’s study can be used to support trends identified within the Australian BookTube community in this thesis as his research lays down foundational ideas by establishing the need for publishers to engage with social media influencers. The idea of the BookTuber torn between passion and capital value is something this thesis will explore within the Australian BookTube community to understand if it translates across regions and languages, and to understand how these pressures impact BookTube’s role within the publishing industry. BookTube and the formation of the young adult canon by Melina Hughes In 2017, a study on American BookTube was conducted which partly explored the influential role of BookTubers within the literary community. This study involved interviewing 8 BookTubers to develop a sense of understanding about how BookTube might consider its place in online literary communities, as well as considering the actual impact creators collectively have on reading habits. Hughes (2017) found similar conclusions to Tomasena’s research, stating that ‘there is still social and symbolic capital being generated through these reviews’ when reflecting on BookTube’s ability to dictate bestsellers among the total population of readers (Hughes, 2017, p. 13). 14 Hughes establishes that many BookTubers, big and small, frequently work with publishers to some degree. She finds that ‘larger BookTube channels with [sic] have paid promotions or collaborations with publishers, while even smaller BookTubers ... often receive from them ARCs and review copies’ (2017, p. 8), indicating that reviewing books is the main role that BookTubers play when engaging with publishers. Hughes discusses the importance to remain true the BookTube ethos, which she defines as having ‘real discussions about books with fellow book-lovers’ (Hughes, 2017, p. 8). This involves producing honest reviews that establish and maintain trust between BookTubers and their audience members. The ethos of remaining truthful can cause issues within their working relationship with publishers who are fearful of the negative impact of bad reviews, and as Tomasena (2019) suggested, may lead to publishers requesting bad reviews be taken down (p. 7). The research helps to further understand the identity of a BookTuber and how they view their importance as a commercial entity. Drawing from multiple interviews, Hughes establishes that there is a significant degree of self-importance found within individual BookTubers who believe ‘they had an influence on what books become popular’, suggesting that BookTubers are aware that they have commercial influence (Hughes, 2017, p. 13). This study provides useful information in the context of this thesis as it establishes the role of BookTubers from an American perspective and their perceived influence. This is an identity that, due to its dominating presence within even the Australian BookTube audience, is likely to be reflected in the mentality of Australian BookTubers. A large portion of this study, however, focusses on the interrogation of the existence of the ‘YA canon’, which is irrelevant to answering the question posed by this thesis. As such, this research is partially useful in revealing some aspects of 15 the American perspective of BookTubers’ self-conceived role within the publishing industry, but still leaves much to be addressed in terms of the finer details of this commercial relationship and how this translates to an Australian sample. Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear from the literature reviewed that there is a significant gap in research on the topic of BookTube’s commercial role within the Australian publishing industry. It has been established that research exists to understand the nature of BookTube and create discourse on its attributes as an online community of passionate readers. Evidence has also shown that foreign research exists, notably within German- and Spanish-speaking nations, that considers BookTube’s role within the educational realm to understand the reading and learning practices of those nations. This review has also focussed on key research incidentally dealing with BookTube’s role within the literary scene, both in terms of forming online literary communities to promote reading practices but also creating awareness around the commercial role of the community. Finally, this thesis has established there is limited research that specifically analyses the nature of BookTube’s influence within the commercial sphere of the publishing industry. This research considers how this YouTube can be used as a form of amateur reviewing and discourse-generation to promote books at a low-cost level for publishers in order to reach passionate reading communities. The scarcity of this research indicates an acute need for more research on this topic, particularly as it highlights the lack of research conducted on an Australian population. 16 Methodology In order to collect the relevant data, 2 primary methodologies were used. The first method was conducting interviews and the second method was conducting surveys. Analysis of this data was then carried out to determine findings. Interviews There were 2 groups interviewed for this research: BookTubers and publicists. Interviewing is an important methodology for publishing studies research due to the unique form of interaction it invites within the academic realm. As Per Henningsgaard states, Interviews with publishing professionals have the potential to generate ‘authentic’ research questions (in other words, research questions that publishing professionals themselves would like answers to) (Henningsgaard, 2019, p. 671) This indicates that there is much to be gained through conversations conducted through interviews, particularly in relation to this research. It invites discourse from publishing houses about the questions being investigated in this thesis, which has the potential to create opportunities to discuss questions they may have that I had not considered, and that which may prove to be useful. Interviewing BookTubers One key methodology was to interview BookTubers and discuss how they manage their channel as well as their experiences interacting with publishing houses to promote books. Interview participants were sourced in 2 ways, and the requirement was that they reviewed books and that they were Australian. There were 6 BookTubers interviewed and they had a range of followers between 900 and 17 200,000. They review a broad range of book genres, from fantasy to literary fiction, and typically produce between one and 3 videos per week. All review books for publishers, but varied on whether their contact with publicists was direct or indirect through third parties. There were 2 primary ways I contacted these BookTubers. Firstly, from my contacts through my personal social media reach, predominantly on Instagram and YouTube. If I did not already have access to a BookTuber’s email, I messaged them via Instagram Direct Message, blog contact forms or Twitter Direct Message to request their best email address. Participants were frequently happy to discuss other Australian BookTubers they followed and who they could recommend that I reach out to for an interview. This is called snowball sampling, as it generates ‘a pool of participants for a research study through referrals made by individuals who share a particular characteristic of research interest with the target population’ (Frey, 2018a). This method is useful because of the established connections with referees which in turn can build rapport more easily with the interviewer. Additionally, this method may encourage those who would otherwise have hesitated to volunteer, as they trust the referrer. Secondly, interview participants were also sourced through my own efforts to discover Australian BookTube channels I previously did not know of. This involved watching BookTube videos and following video recommendations prompted by the site’s algorithm until I came across another BookTube channel that met my criteria for interviews. 18 Interviewing publicists Another aspect of this methodology was interviewing publicists about their involvement in working with social media influencers, and if they had experience working with BookTubers how that particular relationship worked. With a lack of awareness surrounding the use of Australian BookTubers in promoting books, it was anticipated that some publishing houses would not utilise this avenue. These publicists were still invited to participate in order to build an understanding of why publishing houses might not use BookTubers. Participants were asked to take part because they publicise books for a publishing house that works with social media influencers. I interviewed 5 publicists from both big and small publishing houses, and all were Australian. They typically published a range of book genres, from just children’s fiction to all genres, and some worked with international teams, while some worked in a local team of as few as 10. The method for recruiting publicists for interviews mainly involved emailing my personal contacts who I liaise with for reviews on my BookTube channel to see if they were interested in participating. When I had exhausted this source, I made contact via general publicity emails and asked that my proposal be forwarded to the appropriate person. Recruitment via this method presented several challenges, including refusal on the grounds of confidentiality preventing participation or lack of interaction with BookTubers. Due to this, I emphasised in my recruitment emails that reasons for not engaging with BookTubers were also relevant, and this reduced refusals for that reason. 19 Participation and risks Participation for both parties involved either an interview conducted online via a secure video conference platform, or in one case the answering of a survey if they did not have time to interview. There was no cost for taking part in this research and participants were not paid for taking part. A digital audio/video recording of interviews was made for transcription purposes, which all participants agreed to. For BookTubers, questions were asked about what books they review, content they create, and the engagement levels of various types of videos. For publicists, questions were asked about how they work with social media influencers, and specifically BookTubers if applicable, as well as their expectations of these interactions. There were minimal risks expected for participants, but they included career risk and inconvenience. Firstly, career risk for BookTubers came from the potential that research outcomes could indicate that some creators are more successful than others, triggering a response from publicists who may favour creators that adhere to the findings. However, as the majority of BookTubers are hobbyists who create content for free, no financial harm is anticipated. It’s also feasible for affected creators to adapt to the types of content that are deemed successful. Secondly, one aim of the research is to potentially determine the monetary value of a BookTuber’s work. Therefore, research could initiate a change in the industry where content creators can subsequently demand pay for their work. This will inconvenience publishing houses who would then have to pay for a previously free service. However, the benefit of BookTubers receiving financial compensation for their work outweighs the inconvenience to publishing houses of paying for content 20 from BookTubers. It is also considered unlikely that this change will take place as a consequence of this thesis as its main focus is not to argue this point. One other perceived risk for publicists was the disclosure of potentially sensitive business information. All responses recorded were codified and anonymous to reduce this risk, but professionals may have yet limited their responses to further mitigate this risk. Surveys Surveys were a useful methodology for gathering general readership information of BookTuber audience members as I was reaching out to a large, global community. It was less important in this section for participants to be Australian, with emphasis instead placed upon how they interact with content found on BookTube in general. This method was most appropriate as surveys allow researchers to collect a large number of responses quickly and concisely (Frey, 2018b). The publishing industry can be defined by its interdisciplinary nature, ranging from economics to literary studies, and so a hybrid approach to its analysis is appropriate. Research conducted on the publishing industry within the academic discipline of publishing studies indicates that a ‘hybrid of literary analysis and quantitative methods’ is often the most appropriate course of action for providing a fresh perspective on reception history within this field (Mannion, 2017, p. 123). Quantitative research therefore opens up the opportunity to collect easy-to-interpret figures and simplifies the analysis process, which results in arguably more objective results rather than subjective interpretation. Surveys were conducted on general audience members of BookTube. Participants were asked to take part because they watched BookTube videos. The survey 21 consisted of 27 questions that asked participants about watching BookTube, such as how frequently they watched and what influences their book-purchasing decisions. The survey involved answering these questions using the survey software Qualtrics either via direct link or QR code, taking no longer than 10 minutes. There was no cost for taking part in this research and participants were not paid for taking part. The QR codes were produced by the Qualtrics software and were distributed on flyers which could be scanned by software familiar to all Australians (e.g. SafeWA), thereby posing little risk of participants not knowing how to use a QR code. The flyers were displayed throughout the Joondalup Library network and in bookstores, such as Crow Books, White Dwarf Books, Dymocks, Diabolik Books, Rabble Books and Lane Bookshop, for a period of up to 4 weeks. The direct, anonymous link was shared via my book-related social media accounts and was subsequently re-shared via contacts I have on those accounts. These were displayed in Instagram highlights and stories, in permanent widgets on my blog, and in the information section of YouTube videos. The accounts used were my Instagram account (instagram.com/ozbooksnail), my blog (ozbooksnail.com) and my BookTube account (youtube.com/upsidedownbooks). I have been involved in the online literary community for over 6 years with a combined cross-platform following of 4,000 followers. On BookTube, I have over 1,000 followers and post once a week and produce content such book hauls, reading wrap-ups and TBRs (to-be-read). I started this platform later than my others, posting my first video in 2017 after being a long- time watcher of larger channels, such as Peruse Project, Katytastic and Little Book Owl. Autoethnographic research is an incredibly useful method of exploring the way 22 this platform interacts with the reading world as it places the researcher in a position of direct engagement. As Tomasena (2019) notes, autoethnographic research includes direct observation, mediated interaction, semiotic-discursive video analysis and descriptive statistics (p. 2). This places the researcher in a unique position and privy to information otherwise unobtainable, which is invaluable in the wider picture of research analysis. Filters were put in place to ensure that any participants under the age of 18 years would not be able to progress with the survey due to ethical restraints. Additionally, anyone who has never watched a BookTube video but happened upon the survey was directed down a limited path of questions to ascertain their reading preferences, but their responses have been recorded separately so as not to skew the data. Analysis Qualitative data gathered from interview participants was converted using Microsoft Excel into quantitative data. Data was organised into thematic categories and commonalities were used to created graphs that represented this information. Responses were codified to preserve anonymity. Data collated from survey results was produced in report form via the Qualtrics software and presented in graph format. Responses were anonymous via the Qualtrics software, and responses that did not meet criteria (underage or did not watch BookTube) were separated from the relevant results that have been used in this thesis. Conclusion Through interviews and surveys, the research for this thesis has been collected before conducting analysis of findings on software such as Microsoft Excel. The purpose of 23 these methods was to collect data in a meaningful way that engaged participants and sparked their interest in the research being done. The result of this is the gathering of authentic material that provides new insights into the topic at hand while simultaneously initiating further interest from all parties in the future through newly established networks. 24 Findings Survey The survey involved 119 people and all were over the age of 18 years, with 61% of participants living outside of Australia and 39% living in Australia. Participants were asked to answer 27 questions pertaining to their engagement with the BookTube community, which in turn discovered the content they preferred and the types of content that inspired them to purchase books. Over 50% of those surveyed said they watched BookTube very frequently with 46% stating they watched occasionally or frequently, and 3% who watched very rarely. Less than 1% answered that they did not watch BookTube and these are excluded in the below results. Sourcing books How they hear about new books For this question, participants were able to select multiple answers that represented where they typically find new books. Social media was a leading method, with over 86% of respondents saying this was where they found new books. With other research showing that 19% of people use YouTube when deciding to purchase a product, the combination of social media as somewhere to browse and inform your decisions makes it influential from a commercial perspective (Smith et al., 2018). This was followed by browsing online or brick-and-mortar books stores, with 67% of respondents saying this was their primary method of discovering new books. Friends and family also made up a large percentage, with 36% of people hearing about new books this way. 25 Social media Browsing online or in store Friends and family Other Advertisements 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Figure 1: The places where BookTube audience members typically source their books, multiple choice allowed. Less popular were advertisements and other methods, with 5% using advertisements and 8% relying on alternative ways of discovering new reads, book clubs being a common response. A few outliers responded that book blogs, Goodreads (a book- specific social media platform) and BookTube were ‘other’ ways they found out about books, forming 8%. This reflects people’s understanding of what platforms classify as social media and suggests that the percentile for social media as a source for discovering new books is even higher than reported. Frequency of book purchasing Participants were asked how frequently they purchased books and were allowed to select one answer. Of those surveyed, over 64% responded that they purchase a book at least once a month, indicating a high majority of readers who watch BookTube are very frequently purchasing books. This was followed by 32% of respondents answering that they purchase books at least several times a year. This leaves a low percentage (approximately 4%) of BookTube audience members who infrequently purchase books. This result alone tells us that people engaging with the BookTube community are very likely to commit to book purchases that may have been 26 influenced by their engagement with BookTube, demonstrating a captive audience to which publishers can promote their books. How they get their books Participants were then asked to select one option that represents where they source the majority of their books. Responses indicate that the most common sources were those that provide monetary compensation to publishing houses, as opposed to those operating independently from the industry. Approximately 59% of participants indicated that they purchase books firsthand from online or brick-and-mortar retailers, with the second highest category being over 18% borrowing books from libraries. Just over 17% responded that they purchase books secondhand and less than 1% borrow from friends or family. The collecting culture associated with the online literary community as determined from my personal experience aligns with these results—meaning that people engaging with BookTube content often buy, rather than borrow, books to participate in the library-building ethos of this community. In short, BookTube audience members are more willing to spend money to feel ‘a part’ of this community, and this is represented in the overwhelming demonstration of a book-buying culture. 1% 5% I borrow them from a friend/family 17% Other I buy them second-hand 59% I borrow them from a library 18% I buy them first-hand Figure 2: Where BookTube audience members source the majority of their books. 27 The remaining 5% indicated that they source the majority of their books elsewhere, or equally from multiple of these categories. Book boxes and discount stores (such as The Book Grocer or The Book Outlet) were notably mentioned among this 5%. The results demonstrate that at least 77% of respondents are sourcing books from retailers and libraries, which provide financial kickback to publishing houses, noting that book boxes (falling outside of this percentile) also provide financial compensation, and therefore the actual reality may be higher still. This suggests the promotion of books via BookTube for publishing houses is a worthwhile endeavour as it promotes a healthy reading culture, and the majority of sales will result in profit. Reading preferences Genres read BookTube is often thought of as a social media platform that mainly focuses on YA fiction, and they are often considered together in research (see: Hughes, 2017). My results challenge this stereotype by suggesting that YA fiction is not the only category of literature that BookTube is primarily interested in, but that there is a tendency for audience members to engage in all fiction. Participants could choose multiple answers to represent the genres they read the most. While the YA age bracket represents the highest percentage of BookTube audience members’ genre preferences, it is not a landslide lead, with the adult age bracket for fantasy/sci-fi following closely behind. Of the 5 categories representing non-fiction, their combined total represented 24% of participants, with a particular interest in memoir and history. This suggests that the reading habits of participants are more varied than typically stereotyped, though one can reliably predict that YA fantasy/sci-fi will form part of the majority’s genre preferences. This firmly debunks that BookTube audiences are only interested in YA fiction. 28 The top 2 responses of YA fiction (including fantasy/sci-fi) and adult fantasy/sci-fi, made up 84% of all responses, with a 70% overlap in respondents who enjoy both. The next highest genre was mystery/thriller/crime at nearly 44%. This is contrary to other research which found mystery/thriller/crime to be the most read subgenre of fiction, followed by fantasy/sci-fi (Throsby et al., 2017, p. 13). This would suggest that within the BookTube community there is a variance in reading preferences from the general populace, or that crime has decreased in popularity in the last 4 years. Other notable responses included general fiction/contemporary (37%) and romance (36%). Participants could also provide additional responses for genres falling outside of the options, and the most frequent alternative response was for middle grade fiction, representing 35% of responses for ‘other’. Young Adult Fiction Adult Fantasy/Scifi Mystery/Thriller/Crime General Fiction/Contemporary Romance Historical Fiction Comics/graphic novels Literary Fiction Horror Other History Memoir/autobiography Food & drink Crafts & hobbies Self-help 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Figure 3: Genre preferences of BookTube audience members, multiple choice was allowed. 29 How many books they read per year When considering the number of books participants read per year, it is first important to consider surrounding factors such as accessibility that may impede some BookTube audience members’ ability to read as many books as others. In Australia, 9% of readers report a ‘physical or health condition that makes reading books difficult or challenging’, and it is worth noting that accessibility is one example of where publishers should focus their efforts to allow as many readers as possible to read their books (Throsby et al., 2017, p. 8). Nonetheless, Australia has a healthy reading population, with only 8% classified as ‘non-readers’ and most Australians spending on average 7 hours reading per week (Throsby et al., 2017, p. 6). This tells us that as much as people are buying books, they are also reading them. Respondents were asked to place themselves in one of 4 categories that represents the number of books they read. The statistics revealed an overwhelmingly high number of books being consumed by this audience, with 34% of participants reading between 10–49 books per year, and 32% reporting higher at 50–99. Closely following this, nearly 28% of respondents reported that they read over 100 books per year, leaving the minority of just 6% of participants reading 1–9 books per year. This indicates a trend of committed and avid readers who are engaged with the BookTube community. In conjunction with the buying habits of these participants, it can be concluded that, while many BookTube audience members enjoy collecting books, they are also reading a very high quantity of books per year. This is a very positive trend and captures a niche category of readers, as other studies have found that 51% of Australians are classified as ‘occasional’ readers, reading in the lowest of my categories (1–9 books per year) (Throsby et al., 2017, p. 6). However, when considering Australian participants only, the highest category was 30 10–49 books per year at 50%, followed by those reading over 100 per year (24%), with the lowest category being those reading fewer than 10 (11%). This indicates to publishers that Australian BookTube audiences read more than the average Australian by a significant margin. BookTube content preferences Content they enjoy watching Participants were asked to select the type of content that they enjoy watching on BookTube, and they were allowed to select multiple answers. The leading category was book recommendation videos where BookTubers suggest books in the format of ‘if you liked that, you’ll like this. The results for this category represented over 69% of participants. Recent reads or monthly wrap-up videos came in second, representing 64% of participant. The following 3 categories all represented close to 58% each of participants: monthly book purchases (book hauls), reading vlogs (video log, a very casual video format) and book reviews. Challenge videos, where BookTubers participate in a game of some sort, represented nearly 49% of audience members’ viewing preferences, and the remaining categories reported significantly lower numbers. Book recommendations Wrap-up discussions Book reviews Monthly book purchases Reading vlogs Challenge videos Author interviews Q&A/live Other 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Figure 4: Content viewing preferences on BookTube of audience members, multiple choice allowed. 31 Videos that were least likely to be viewers’ preferred content included author interviews (22%) and question and answer (Q&A) videos (20%). Some types of videos were not represented in my multiple-choice questions and, of the 19% reporting ‘other’, the most common write-in answer was TBR videos—specifically TBR games, such as deciding a month’s reading goal by selecting titles from jar, like a lucky dip. A separate investigation of the interest in TBR videos was conducted through autoethnographic investigation of my own channel, with results showing that 50% of my 12 most popular videos as determined by numbers of views were TBR jar (game) videos. This would suggest that, had TBR videos been an option in this question, it may have provided useful insight on the popularity of this type of content. These results suggest that the interest of BookTube audience members lies within the personal reading experiences and preferences of the BookTubers they follow, rather than the extraneous information such as that relating to the author. It could be determined from this that value is placed on the personal connection with a BookTuber that an audience member feels, thereby presenting BookTubers as worthwhile tools for publicity in garnering trust with potential readers to give a book a go. Length of video Participants were given the option to choose one of 4 categories that best represented the length of video they typically enjoy watching. Results showed that videos 10 minutes or longer were the clear preference: • 33% 15-minute video • 32% 20-minute video 32 • 31% 10-minute video. 4% 33% 31% 5 minutes or less 20 minutes or more 10 minutes 15 minutes 32% Figure 5: Length of video preferred by BookTube audience members. If we consider videos 10 minutes or more as ‘longer’ video lengths, this means that an overwhelming majority—95% of participants—prefer a longer video format. This is despite the fact that it is a commonly accepted hypothesis that there is increasing competition for people’s leisure time (Throsby et al., 2017, p. 11). In fact, only 4% of respondents stated that 5-minute videos is their preferred time. Research supports this, showing that optimal video length is between 7 to 15 minutes (Memon, 2021). Therefore, it can be concluded that BookTube audience members are happier with longer-format videos and that they are invested in spending their leisure time consuming this content. Number of books in a video The number of books in a video may include any type of BookTube video and is not specifically related to reviews; the latter result will be discussed in the next section. Participants were asked to represent their preferences in one of 2 choices: one book or multiple books. The overwhelming majority shows that 89% of audience members prefer more than one book in all videos that they watch. 33 This is in contrast to 11% of audience members who prefer discussions in videos to be focussed on a single book. This aligns with statistics represented on my own channel, with 66% of my most popular uploads being videos that contain more than 5 books. Worth noting, however, is that the remaining 33% are videos containing just one book—and these are typically reviews. Number of books reviewed in a video Following on from the previous section, participants were then asked how many books they prefer to see reviewed together in a single video, participants could choose one answer. Once again, there was a leading response representing 43% of audience members stating that 5 or more books per review video is their preference. The next highest category represented 28% of viewers who prefer 3 books per review video. The remaining categories fell significantly behind these, with just over 15% preferring 4 books, nearly 8% preferring 2 and just 6% preferring one. One important consideration when analysing these results is how people engage with review videos, particularly those featuring a single book. While this is the lowest category, many review videos remain relevant over a long period of time and the result is that they eventually outperform other videos. People may not engage with every single-book review and therefore consider it as their lowest preference. This may be because they have not yet read this book and do not want to be spoiled or are uninterested in a discussion surrounding it. But this could change as soon as they read the book. Studying analytics of my own videos we can see this trend in action, noting my current number of followers is around 1,100. A single-book review that has been live for less than one month only has 45 views, 75 less than my channel’s average. This 34 represents a 1.3% click-through rate (how many people saw the video thumbnail compared to how many then actually watched it). Contrast this against a single-book review published on my channel 10 months ago and the statistics are very different. The older video has 1,800 views, well above my channel’s average, representing a 7.6% click-through rate. An even older single-book review that was uploaded 3 years ago has 3,100 views, proving that this difference in engagement over time is consistent with other review videos, all showing an upward trend of significantly higher growth than other types of videos the longer they are live. What can be deduced from these results is that audience members typically enjoy 3 or 5 books reviewed per video, but even then, book reviews remain uniquely relevant over long periods of time in ways that group reviews do not. This slow-burn effect highlights the importance of generating discourse around a specific book and therefore should not be disqualified as a successful format of video reviewing. Book comparisons Participants were asked to select one option indicating if they found it helpful when deciding to read a book if a BookTuber compares the book to other popular, similar titles. The responses to this help understand what elements of book reviews are useful to audience members, and therefore could be something publishers encourage BookTubers they work with to do. The data showed a considerable positive trend, with 40% stating that comparisons would probably be useful in helping them decide to read the book, 37% stating ‘very probably’ and over 12% stating ‘definitely’. Overall, this makes up nearly 89% of audience members who find book comparisons in videos useful in helping decide to read a book. 35 3% 8% 12% Definitely not 40% Probably not Definitely Very probably Probably 37% Figure 6: If book comparisons by BookTubers are helpful to audience members when choosing to read a book. Just over 3% reported this was definitely not useful to them and approximately 8% stated ‘probably not’. It is quite clear from these results that comparisons by BookTubers to other popular, similar titles is considered useful and is therefore desirable in recommendation or review videos to aid audience decision-making relating to book purchasing and borrowing. Merchandise influence Publishers occasionally send BookTubers merchandise relating to a book they are promoting. This merchandise is then typically revealed through an ‘unboxing’ video, where a BookTuber opens the package on camera. Participants were asked to select one option that represented whether unboxing videos including merchandise makes the book(s) the merchandise relates to more appealing to them. Approximately 36% of respondents state that merchandise ‘sometimes’ make the books more appealing. Those who responded negatively, either stating that it never makes books more appealing (26%) or that it rarely makes the book more appealing (30%), made up a combined total of 56% of respondents unlikely to be influenced by merchandise featured in videos. 36 1% 7% 36% Always 26% Very often Never Rarely Sometimes 30% Figure 7: The extent to which merchandise relevant to a book and featured in a BookTube video increases the appeal of the book to the audience member. Less than 1% of participants stated that merchandise featured in videos always makes a book more appealing, followed by 7% stating that it ‘very often’ made it more appealing. Combined with those that are sometimes influenced by this, 44% of viewers find books more appealing because of merchandise featured in videos. From these results it is clear that, with only 7% of viewers reporting a strong positive influence on a book’s appeal by merchandise unboxings, merchandise is not impacting potential consumers in a way that significantly drives sales, and therefore that merchandise is mostly for the benefit of the BookTuber. Awareness of nationality of BookTuber Participants were asked to select one category that represents how many of the BookTubers they watch are Australian. This data aimed to situate the prevalence of Australian BookTubers on the international stage. It also highlights the general awareness of audience members when it comes to nationality and comments on the usefulness of using Australian BookTubers to access audiences who want to read Australian literature. 37
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