Join Indigo’s #BookTok Book Club

For the many of us who have been swept up in the #BookTok fever that has gripped Canadians with its massive popularity, Indigo is here to give us even more of what we love with its new virtual space, #BookTok Book Club, in partnership with entertainment platform, TikTok. Launched yesterday, author-led conversations, features, creator content and other exclusive content is coming to the viral app for all to enjoy, and users are likely to recognize some friendly Canadian celebrity faces in their feeds as well. We chatted with Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick, director, corporate communications and public relations, Indigo, to learn more. —Noa Nichol

Hi Madeleine! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

I’m an avid reader of historical fiction and a total sci-fi nerd. I love TikTok because it lets me see what’s trending all over the world and I rarely make a choice that doesn’t come with a reco. Outside of reading books, TikTok has taken over all other entertainment platforms in my house!

Indigo and TikTok Canada have teamed up to launch the #BookTok Book Club—what is this, who is it for and how does it work?

Indigo is the hub for book lovers across Canada. We want to help Canadians fall in love with reading and find their next great read, through great recommendations, shining a light on new and trending authors, and bringing important, authentic conversations to the forefront. Our partnership with TikTok is an exciting new space for the #BookTok community to come together to enjoy and celebrate new titles all summer long. Each month, exclusive content will arrive in-app for users to explore, including interactive Q&A features, creator content and more. Each month will also include an exclusive event hosted by that month’s author.

Why is TikTok an appropriate platform for this offering?

BookTok is a global phenomenon with more than 50 billion global views and an ever-growing community that inspires users to enjoy literature in all its forms. The #BookTok community has significantly impacted the book business, fuelling a reading resurgence in younger demographics, giving backlist titles new life and creating huge success stories for authors. In the wake of its increasing popularity, readers look to both Indigo and #BookTok to help find their next great read. Merging together in partnership is a natural step. This partnership celebrates Indigo and TikTok’s shared values of creativity, authenticity, and inspiring joyful moments, but also both our passion for establishing real connections through the curation of content and ideas.

When and who will the first book club author be?

The book club will kick off this May with Canadian author Xiran Jay Zhao’s Iron Widow. Xiran Jay Zhao is a first-generation immigrant from small-town China who was raised by the Internet. A recent graduate of Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University, they wrote science fiction and fantasy while they probably should have been studying more about biochemical pathways. Iron Widow is their first novel, a blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for young adult readers, published by Penguin Teen Canada. The first book club event will be held at Indigo Metrotown with Xiran Jay Zhao, and will be live streamed on TikTok at 6 p.m. PST on May 2.

What, ultimately, is the goal of this book club?

TikTok is a platform that helps readers discover authors and books, and partnering together is a wonderful opportunity for new voices to reach fans on a worldwide scale, to encourage a global love of reading while uplifting authors and creating an easily accessible community built on authenticity, connection and moments of joy.

While we have you, can you recommend some sizzling reads for summer 2022?

There are some incredible books for all book lovers this summer! We just released our Best Books of the Year so far. Some of our top picks are:

• Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
• The Maid by Nita Prose
• We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry
• The Diamond by Kate Quinn
• Running towards the Danger by Sarah Polley

And some other great reads trending on BookTok:

• It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Family of Liars by E. Lockhart
• I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

tiktok.com/@indigo.ca