Navigating the new digital age is a minefield for many industries. Publishing is no different as BookTok has exploded on TikTok with over 370 billion views under the hashtag globally.The trouble is figuring out how not to be left behind by technological developments. Literary institutions have been going all in and grabbing the opportunity to reach new audiences. Never has this been more evident than at the iconic British Library - home of 13.5 million books - hosting BookTok Late in collaboration with TikTok.The Mirror’s resident book critic Dr Aimee Walsh went along to assess whether the hype is warranted. On entry, there were huge banners welcoming guests to the “world's biggest book club”. In every corner, influencers had set up tripods and lighting, speaking excitedly towards their cameras. The joy was infectious.‌On stage, one of the Big Five publishers, HarperCollins, was streaming on TikTok Live to hand-sell their books. A TikTok spokesperson told The Mirror that the approach to selling was interactive and adaptive. If a BookTokker commented on the live asking for romance fiction - the publishers could respond in real time to pivot to books which filled that need.Ahead of their stage times, authors and publishing professionals mingled in a VIP area, with totes bursting with viral TikTok books. Lucy Rose, author of the viral folk horror sensation The Lamb, was readying herself to take part on a panel about being on BookTok as an author, while culture journalist and non-fiction writer Jess Bacon was preparing for a live reading of her recently released book I’m Just A Girl.Speaking with The Mirror, both authors were delighted about the celebration of digital reading communities like BookTok. The pair said that they became “digital friends” through social media apps like TikTok.Sunday Times best-selling author Lucy Rose explained that “there is really a space for everybody” on BookTok. “It's become so much more than just a comfort for people. It's become a real source of friendship and [gives] a sense of belonging [and] community, when we feel very disconnected from each other.”‌She added: “I couldn't have done my publication journey without it.” Her publisher, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (W&N), understood the importance of TikTok as a stream for marketing her debut novel. Rose said this made “an enormous difference,” as “traditional marketing can only reach so many people… [TikTok] can be absolutely life-changing.”Rose’s The Lamb remains a staple of BookTok, with readers taking to the app to spill their thoughts on the novel. This experience for the author has been surreal. She said: “It felt like turning on television, and seeing myself in the Big Brother house.“You're just in your room, writing your books and then suddenly there's somebody you've never met or seen, and they're talking about your writing. So it's really surreal and quite overwhelming at times.”‌An exploration of the tension between reclaiming girlhood in a time of waning women’s rights, Jess Bacon’s book is incredibly timely. The feminist text hit bookshop shelves just last month, so Bacon is in the thick of this experience. She added: “I'm in the middle of a book tour, and it's been the most phenomenal fulfilment of a teenage dream.“It's really surreal to be tagged in stories and people are reading your books in parks or on the tube or just living their life, and then they've highlighted a line that you've written… It's so special.”From feather boas at a Harry Styles concert to swapping friendship bracelets on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Bacon stated that “women are having fun, but also being criticised for it.‌“Women really want to connect with that very joyful, playful, wild, feral side of themselves. It's been so wonderful to see women re-prioritise their lives around themselves… The world became the girl's bathroom, where you kind of compliment strangers, and everyone's really open to discussion and just really supportive.”This joy exists too on BookTok, as strangers who might otherwise not have met due to location or situation, share their enthusiasm and opinions on books. The fact that the British Library hosted the BookTok event is welcomed by both authors.Jess explained: “Anybody who has a phone can find BookTok… sometimes we can see traditional institutions in conflict with something like BookTok. But in order for the industry to survive, we need to merge both, because BookTok is so amazing at bringing people together.”She hopes that event will encourage BookTokkers to “make places like the British Library more everyday” instead of a “tourist attraction”. The feminist author added: “Actually you can come in here any time of the year and take out a book, and you can just enjoy the space and enjoy the archives.”‌This is a sentiment shared by the British Library. Helen Schulte, Head of Culture Programmes for the library said: "Seeing the Library filled with music, lively conversation and so many passionate book lovers was a wonderful reminder of how a love of reading brings people together. We hope it marks the beginning of a whole new audience finding their way to the Library and everything it has to offer."While TikTok UK’s Head of Operations Dominic Burns celebrated the new “revolution” in reading. He said: “BookTok Late at the British Library proved that what started as a digital community has transformed into a real-world literary revolution… BookTok is shaping the future of reading culture, and together, we are helping drive that momentum forward.”Love reading? Join Dr. Aimée Walsh and our community of fellow readers in the Mirror Book Club to dive deeper into the books everyone is talking about.