TikTokThe Irish #BookTok community has truly found a friend in Ireland's largest independent bookstore, Chapters. Located on Parnell Street in the heart of Dublin, this iconic bookstore has become a symbol of Ireland's rich literary history.
When the bookshop shut its doors for the final time in January 2022, after 40 years of trading, everyone assumed that was the end - but a couple of months later, book lovers everywhere rejoiced when the store re-opened under new ownership.
Since re-opening, Chapters Bookstore has established a thriving community on TikTok @chaptersbookstoredublin and is a cherished part of the #BookTok community in Ireland. Now, Chapters Bookstore has been recognized for its exceptional contribution and has been shortlisted for the TikTok Book Awards UK and Ireland 2023 for Best Indie Bookshop Of The Year! The full shortlist can be found here.
We caught up with Chapter's Manager, Sara Phelan, to learn more about Chapters' TikTok journey and discover what drives them, who inspires them, and how they engage with their online audience.
Q: What first inspired you to create content on TikTok?
A: Chapters reopened its doors under new ownership in March 2022 and our first TikTok was created that May. As soon as we recognised TikTok trending titles gaining sales momentum, we thought about using it as a fun and interesting staff-led way to engage the burgeoning BookTok community.
Q: How does it feel to be shortlisted for the TikTok UK and Ireland Book Awards?
A: It gives me such a sense of pride in our team. We’re so lucky to have such a creative, hardworking and fun team in store and it’s so great to see them get this recognition. The community of book lovers that TikTok has created across Ireland and the UK take such pride in curating their own content and libraries. That our hard work and creativity continues to champion the amazing nominated authors who appear on these bookshelves gives such a wonderful sense of self.
Q: How do you decide what content to create and share on your TikTok account?
A: Our TikTok is a collaborative effort by our entire team. We see it as a way for everybody to have fun during their work day, to share their creativity all while showing our followers some of the great titles and editions that we have in store. There’s a real sense of who we are as a team in our videos. We definitely keep an eye on the trends but don’t get too tied down with them either.
Q: Tell us about Chapter's journey with TikTok/BookTok?
A: It all started with Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. We noticed that it was consistently selling very well for a novel published in 2011; we also noted that it was a particular demographic of customer buying. I decided to ask one such customer where they had heard of it and they said BookTok. I misheard it as ‘Book Talk’ and scoured my podcast app to find the podcast so I could keep up to date. Very quickly I realised that BookTok was this wonderful sub-community on TikTok. We built one small stand highlighting the handful of titles that were trending at the time and that has now grown to two full bays at the very front of the shop.
Q: Which other BookTok creators on TikTok inspire you?
A: @j.f.Murray is great - he’s that balance between ‘pure Irish’ & booky! His Mum reacting to Dancing Queen makes me smile every time! I love seeing the Toks created by visitors to shops like @ropeslitjournal & @dublin_book_review - seeing the store through their eyes is both really enjoyable & commercially useful!
Q: What is your favourite TikTok video you have made to date and why?
A: My personal favourite was our take on the Wes Anderson trend. The team went beyond the style that we saw in other creators' videos and put together a short film that told a complete story. It was so creative.
Q: If you could recommend one Summer read for us, what would it be?
A: Oh wow! That’s hard! I think you should watch Hayley’s Tok about Rainy Day Romance & take any of them!!
Q: Finally, what advice would you give to bookstores who want to establish a presence on TikTok?
A: Have fun. Don’t be afraid to show your personality. Watch the trends for inspiration, but then be yourself. We save our TikToks & use them on other platforms - TikTok’s tools allow us to make great content & we have consistency across our social media, with some tailoring. That in turn drives our followers onto TikTok to see what else we have done!
