AUTOPILOTING IN BOOKTUBE | Let's Talk

[@Amerie.]

I love in-depth wrap-ups; probably my favorite kinds of videos. Discussions are great too, but I enjoy having those in real life so as to be able to bounce ideas back and forth in real time. Some people do skits and things, but as I don't really watch comedy channels on youtube, I'm not drawn to bookish skits either.

[@BookishlyRichie]

I wracked my brain for original things to do on my channel for months until I just finally sat down with myself and decided that I enjoyed the simplicity of our community circa 2010 and how cozy and awesome it was. So I'm trying my best to bring those feelings back and just keeping my channel simple, I still have my original content such as my Read This series and Bookish but I miss that simple, cozy, family-like feeling of booktube before it was even called booktube lol so in November I decided to take 2 months off to focus on myself and other things and in February or March I plan on returning, hopefully with those booktube 2010 feelings again :p I'm even watching booktube videos from then just for fun. It's great to see how far we've come and how we helped shape our community because we did, we were some of the first booktubers. Isn't that crazy to think about? lol I'm glad you're getting into what you really wanna do, kudos to you Priscilla :D

[@amandapearl2books]

+RichardDenney preach. book videos on youtube (not booktube) circa 2010-11 was my jam.

[@BookishlyRichie]

***** YESS I've been binge watching so many. :)

[@mycharliequinn]

I sometimes wonder if we'd talk more about books and analyse the content more if booktube didn't have such a strong anti-spoiler vibe in the community. it's hard to have a complex and creative conversation if you're worried about what you can and cannot say.

[@ChapterStackss]

+My Charlie Quinn Completely agree! I actually just made a video about this :)

[@DownrightBookish]

+My Charlie Quinn I agree. It's hard to give an in depth opinion on a book if you're worried about giving out spoilers. And it doesn't help you engage with those viewers who have already read the book and are looking for someone to talk to about it.

[@doireannhunt4205]

I totally agree with you! I started to watch booktube years ago, and it was the best community ever! My rate of watching booktube videos has gone own 90% because tags and wrap-ups have become more important than original content, I don't know why those kinds of videos get more views. It is sad that the feeling of community has been lost, but I don't see why it couldn't be brought back thanks to this video! You have definitely started an important conversation about it, and I think smaller booktubers and viewers could come together and bring that community back.

[@TomesAndTravel]

Firstly I definitely agree that you helped to shape the BookTube community a lot, and many BookTubers today need to thank you for that. With the wrap-up/in conclusions videos in particular, you definitely introduced something new, and a format that other people could use to talk about the books they've been reading. It's definitely true that sometimes creativity is hard to find - it isn't non-existent, however. It just happens that people tend to stumble upon the videos they search for, e.g. "book haul", "book tag", so if a video is different from the norm, people don't generally search for it and we only hear about more creative videos through recommendations. Maybe this is why people don't think BookTube is creative when in fact there are definitely creative people on here. I'd echo what you said about touching the surface on books and reading. I've not had as much time to make videos recently due to university, but when I have time again I really want to get back into doing more lengthy, evaluative review videos and discussions rather than short ones that are full of generalised comments (e.g. "good writing style, well developed characters"). If I do longer videos I have more room to be more specific about the book I'm talking about. I love talking about themes and links to the wider society - I recently did a video sharing some of my favourite Hunger Games quotes and tried to link things to the wider world rather than just focusing on the book itself. It was really fun to plan out that video because it felt like I was being more analytical than usual.

[@DauntlessBookReader]

+ReadingWithJack You make a good point about book reviews as I myself have been wanting to do more in that area and generally I get good feedback from them but thinking back I never really went in depth on them so I definitely feel there is room for improvement, and I like the idea of having longer reviews. There are some books I've read where I could talk about it to the point where I would need 2 parts but then again that's the struggle I'm not that long winded sometimes so I usually keep mine under 10 minutes.And yes I agree that BookTube is full of creative people but I think most of the time somebody can have tunnel vision and not see that. You really have to dig for the most part cause of all the new ones coming in, for me that's the fun part though I think I speak for a lot of us too :)

[@VioletaVLuna]

I totally agree with you Priscilla and I think that it is a thing that also happens in the Spanish Booktube community (but also in KZbin in general sometimes). I think that trying to criticize the community is important to make it more interesting and better. Great video! :)

[@CinziaDuBois]

This is the very reason I very rarely upload videos because I am a booktuber who strays from the standard type of videos and I feel like I've done a very good job of staying clear of the norm. However, it makes me a very unsuccessful booktuber in terms of popularity. But yes, I have ALWAYS felt the struggle. I tried to make those type of videos and just couldn't bring myself to do so as they just felt so autopilot. Although I will always watch others do them...it's really strange. Like I enjoy watching them, but as a creator they are too rigid and Unenjoyable for me.

[@MegaRaywin]

+C. A. DuBois (The Petite Britette) Your type of channel is so hard to come by! (And yes I was a creeper and watched a couple of your videos before replying.) For myself, even though I don't make videos, the reason I joined booktube years ago was because I wanted to have a wider exposure to books I might like. But as a viewer I've pretty much dropped out of viewing videos because not only have many book reviewers been pretty much following the same format time and time again (which isn't necessarily a bad thing if done correctly), I started feeling the books were basically the same. It feels like 95-99% of the time it's YA and 99% of the time it's contemporary, fantasy, or post apocalyptic. None of these genres are bad by any means. I've read and enjoyed books in those genres. The wrinkle here is that I prefer mystery in all its glory. May it be a gritty 1930's detective story, a sci-fi/fantasy, or even a YA mystery. I guess I choose a hard genre for booktube

[@kiya12309]

+C. A. DuBois (The Petite Britette) Your channel is fantastic by the way! I love your attitude and personality and the way you think through things in-depth. It just feels so much less scripted than other videos.

[@CinziaDuBois]

+kiya12309 bled should thank you ever so much! Though they probably feel less scripted because...they are entirely unscripted and fully spontaneous XD however because of this they are a NIGHTMARE to edit. They can take between 9 and 17 hours to edit one video XD so I wish I did script like others. xxx

[@MegaRaywin]

+kiya12309 While scripting what you want to say (especially when you don't know how to articulate your thoughts without it), I agree that C. A. DuBois does come off as a lot more authentic. And high five to me! The poor speller who spelled "articulate" and "authentic" correctly on the first try!

[@browngirlreading]

+C. A. DuBois (The Petite Britette) Honey with 12,000 subscribers you ARE a successful Booktuber. Keep doing what you do!

[@maureenkeavy]

I FEEL THIS SO MUCH. I love doing wrap ups and tbrs for me personally because it helps me set goals / keep track of things and remember my opinions over the course of the year, but I always feel like I could be doing things more creatively. I really want to start doing some different kinds of BookTube videos but I just DON'T KNOW! I did haiku reviews and I'm pretty proud of that and will probably keep doing it, but I'm wracking my brain of more creative ways to do things always. Hopefully something more comes of it! GREAT DISCUSSION!

[@oliverskywolf6640]

Hi, Priscilla! I feel as though this concern applies to all types of KZbin videos and not just Booktube. For instance, with tech videos, it mainly consists of product reviews and speculation (e.g. new Apple product reviews), similar to book reviews. Vlogs can have a wide range of topics, depending on the events happening in the video, but even those type of vids can become repetitive. I think it's just a case of seemingly monotonous content giving a sense of stagnant progress, when really it's not bad at all. Keeping things simple is smart. With that said, please don't feel as if you aren't being creative with your vids. You're a well known Booktuber for a reason; your videos are always refreshing and make my day whenever I get to see your reviews. Keep it up, Priscilla, and thanks for all you've done to help establish this Booktube community! You don't need to chance a thing with your channel. I also plan to make my own videos someday because of you. :) - Oliver Skywolf

[@kiya12309]

My fear based on viewcounts is that the booktube community doesn't even WANT more creative videos because there are smaller booktubers who are so creative, and so smart, but they just don't get as many views. I don't make videos myself, but I imagine it must be very discouraging to spend time making these really creative videos and then look at haul videos and realizd that sadly a lack of creativity is what is rewarded. It's not to say that all of the more popular booktubers are devoid of creativity because some of them are great, ans seem like lovely people, but sadly true creativity and out of the box thinking often doesn't have mass appeal.

[@padfootangus]

+kiya12309 i unsubscribed to some of the "bigger ones" because they never did anything different or obviously doing reviews for money. Now I have no problem with that, but when it feels like every video you do is sponsored i unsubscribe. That goes for ANY youtuber i watch not just book ones.

[@KatsLifestyle]

+kiya12309 But then again - people have to remember what the purpose of these book related videos is. Booktube videos are made to connect to other reader. If you have a small subscribtion group it'll be easier to connect, reply and discuss topics and books. If I made videos I wouldn't mind only having a small amount of followers because I might be able to make "friends" that way and really share my love for certain books :). (Excuse my english)

[@CarlaVillalbaG]

+kiya12309 Oh I totally understand this. I have seen a few booktubers who make wonderful discussion videos, debates, deeply reviews, etc., but they barely get views and I imagine it must be a little discouraging when they have no comments, video after video... Especially because they don't usually do "popular videos". I guess people prefer haul videos and thousands of reviews about the popular book of the month. (I apologize for any mistakes, english it's not my first language)

[@Tellz02]

+KatsLife I Tend to use the Bigger more popular Book hauling Booktubers to find the smaller fish so to speak. By filtering down through the channel listings on their channels. If you were to look at my channel listings for instance (i'm a viewer only not a creator) there are maybe half a dozen or so Tubers with subs of 20K+...all the others in my list are much smaller channels. It's the smaller channels that I tend to watch the most, But in all honesty I wouldn't have found any of them or known about Booktube in general if I hadn't come across Katytastic first and then filtered down from her channel lists and so on.

[@KatsLifestyle]

Tellz02 I'm not sure that relates to my comment? :) I just pointed out that people shouldn't feel bad about not having that many subscribers. Because then they might actually have time to reply personally to the posts of their viewers and discuss books instead of just talking to a camera without really getting a discussion started. I also personally both follow small and big booktubers but that is not the point og my comment ;).

[@byAmyGrace]

I am just getting to these vids now, and girl you are speaking to my creative in so many ways! I have followed you for a few years and have always respected your integrity in your work. The autopilot in creativity is such an easy rabbit hole to fall into and this year is my year to not do that! Thank you! I am hoping to make more KZbin videos but like you said... the lack of creativity in always planning the next one is something that can take away from the craft of 'creating'. You have given my little creative power hour some motivation. Thank you xo

[@priceiswong]

SORT OF filmed a video response to this! Next month I've been doing this for 3 years. And while I had a lot of passion for it the first two years, my channel has turned incredibly boring the past 6 months.. maybe even the past year. I don't put much time into it and never do discussions any more. Just doing the expected wrap ups and hauls. I've been thinking for months this needs to change... I talked about it more in my video (uploading now) but I'm kinda going back to doing what I loved doing at first. Focusing more on discussions, creative lists and tags, etc. Creating what I would want to watch. Great video! I think many BookTubers can relate to this! I've always loved your channel and videos, and look forward to seeing where you take your channel in the future!

[@94vanillasnowflake]

hey priscilla, this was a really interesting thought provoking video! I'm so glad you're back doing videos that are not just book reviews. I think you have some really interesting thoughts and perspectives and I'm really glad you're sharing them!!! can't wait to see more.

[@JustEssayIt]

I definitely feel the same. I was on autopilot for a long time, and I realised that I had lost any sort of passion for what I was doing. I just grew so used to putting on my booktube voice and face and do those hauls and wrap-ups, it was easy to keep going. But it didn't give me the same satisfaction as it used to. And then there's the fact that I'm a student and oftentimes I have a lot to do, and when I'm stressed, I simply don't have the time and energy to come up with more original videos. After taking half a year off, I grew more excited again about reading and working on my channel, trying to make more original videos. But it's hard. Especially since I've never really learnt how to work with my camera and editing software more expertly, so when it comes to doing visually creative things, I reach my limits pretty soon. But yeah, I do feel like watching as well as making booktube videos can get very same-y and repetitive after a while...

[@karodino]

I know exactly how you feel. I just recently started booktubing, and I've been doing the whole Top 5 Wednesday every week, wrap up/tbr and all and I don't know, that's fun, but it's not what I want to do here and I find it hard to talk about other things. The thing is I want to discuss literary movements, and I want to discuss related themes in different books and how they're portrayed or executed. But sometimes I feel like I just don't have a whole lot of time to think about those subjects if I want to get out content every week. But maybe I should take a step back and maybe do only so many videos a month if that implies getting more creative stuff that I'm really interested in. I think your video is very important for our community, because it's all the same and it's fun to see new things once in a while.

[@TheBookTuber]

SNAPS thank you for this video. I would love to start delving deeper in my own videos, and to see more like this in the community. Auto-piloting is a great way to put it - it's like we do the same tags and answer the same questions every video. I feel inspired by this video!

[@padfootangus]

Lindsay Rey is GREAT. She loves fantasy and she makes videos consistently. She does author explorations and weekly wrap ups.

[@padfootangus]

+Jessyca Z I also like Jean BookishThoughts and MercyBookishMusings. These are two that also read books that aren't super hyped on booktube and I get a LOT of recommendation from these two ladies. They also discuss it more than just "OMG THIS WAS AMAZING LIKE SO GOOD YOU GUYS 5 STARS"

[@serenity8910]

+Jessyca Z Love Jean and Mercy! They read really interesting books with a good mix of classics too.

[@padfootangus]

elepop yep. I got tired of the same old book of the month that EVERYONE was reviewing. Their reviews also have more depth :)

[@Maikenkb1]

+Jessyca Z Jean and Mercy are two of my favourites! I also really like Jen Campell, and Lesley from WordsOfAReader. They all make more creative videos.

[@Popsplaining]

It's a bit of a conundrum at times because in one sense everyone says they want "different" types of videos and calls for diversity, but then on the other hand, the smaller BookTubers do this and no one watches their videos because they're either not high quality or they give an adverse reaction to what the general public thought about a popular book. Book Hauls are fine to me because they show me new books that I may want to read or buy in the future, but it would be nice to see people do ,ore than just haul books or gush over books. I really enjoy book review especially the ones where someone vehemently hated a book because I actually learn more from those book reviews than positive book reviews. I'm really excited to see what you come up with because you always have an interesting take on books.

[@kpredd13]

Im not a huge reader but i like to hear people discuss books, I havent been super into 'booktube' because its all just hauls and spoiler free content, and tags ect. Your ideas about discussing tropes in our society or finding links between books made me so intrigued. I love to really analyse anything i read or watch, and i wish people made videos like that. I hope you are really exploring some of these ideas! I will definitely be back to watch if you are.

[@thereadinglist_]

I totally agree with everything you are saying! This is so true. I definitely have found myself struggling to find a way to be more creative with content. There is so much potential with the Booktube community. We have so much creativity within us, and we need to tap into that more through our videos. Great video!!

[@rinceyreads]

I can definitely understand what you are talking about. Recently I had to pull back on the number of videos I make on my channel and I felt like all I had time for were the usual videos. But I decided to do vlogmas this year because I had a slight backlog of videos I wanted to make that are not necessarily the normal reviews. I think those types of rules (a video every day) can do a really good job of breaking up the monotony and force people to be more creative with what they put out there. Also, I have to say in general I feel like I don't see the monotony as much because I subscribe to so many different channels (booktube and not) and I don't force myself to watch every video. If everyone is doing a tag that I'm not that into, I just skip it. I almost always skip hauls at this point. So while I can see that there are patterns in booktube, I don't have to watch any of it. In terms of recommendations for more variety in your feed, check out Ron Lit, The Storyscape, Climb the Stacks, Jean from Bookishthoughts, librarianfanmail. They are all people who I feel like put out some of the typical stuff, but also mix it up a bit.

[@AurasBookBox]

Hi Pris. Aura here, formerly AurasBookBox. This video gives me the chills. When I first started doing booktube years ago, there were maybe only 10 or 15 of us at the time. I'm coming back but I'm really glad I watched this video because my biggest concern was content and what I wanted to say. It's amazing to see how things have changed and how your content has evolved and grown. I can see why you want to change things up a bit, but be proud of everything you've done. It's been amazing to watch you and everyone evolve :)

[@bookswithdylan]

I really enjoy making and editing videos, and trying to be creative in that. So I like the staple videos, because I can adapt and change them in different ways. And still get some structure in what Im making, which I think is important for me. The thing I struggle with though, and sort of autopilot on, is being active in the community. I don't talk to people as much as I want to. I don't know, commenting is hard, and its just easier to focus on making videos. I definitely need to work on that more.

[@browngirlreading]

I totally get what you mean! I prefer doing reviews because that's what I feel the most comfortable with, however Booktube is small. Really small and slightly incestuous in a way. Eventually everybody does the same videos, reads the same books, and unfortunately say the same things about them. Pulling back on a regular basis is a good way to stay focused on what you're aiming for. I try to stay in my lane and to perfect what I like doing. Book tube is a lot like treading water and trying to keep your head above water.

[@akaMissFierce]

I love that you brought up this topic. You were the first booktuber I ever watched and I almost feel like if anyone can change the community (for the better...not that it isn't already great but as you mentioned it does feel a little stagnant and a little below it's full potential) it would be you.

[@jennnieeeeee]

I'm so glad someone feels the same as me. This is why I've just decided to branch out with my videos. I feel like the confines of Booktube are too restricting on my creativity!

[@BohoBookworm]

I love your content - awesome to know that you formed the wrap ups etc here, that is really cool!! I really hope your feelings about autopiloting isn't a hint that your channel may be coming to an end soon or something because I only recently found your channel and really do enjoy your videos.

[@LampSunnies]

I couldn't agree more! I'll admit when I started watching Booktube and really getting into it, the majority of the content I was watching were the hauls and the wrap ups and the more formula/structured content and I was completely happy just watching that but eventually it just didn't cut it for me. I found booktubers who made more creative content and I loved it and that was part of the reason why I started my own Booktube channel. I wanted to be part of the discussions. But I've since found myself not completely happy with my own content either. I want to be consistent with uploading but I also want to have content that I would enjoy watching myself and so I've been struggling with coming up with ideas on a regular basis. I realised its a whole lot easier to say you want to make more original content than it is to actually make it. And I think that might be a problem others have as well. I look back on some of my videos and think why did I make that video when I'm really not saying anything with much substance? But I also think at least I'm talking about books and that's really at the core of what I wanted to do, to talk about books and share it with other people who are passionate about books. Another thing of course as well is that sometimes the more creative content doesn't get the views and that's obviously going to be discouraging to the content creators. I mean, the fact that it was harder for me and took more time and effort to find Booktubers who made creative and out of the box content kind speaks for it self, the content that viewers are looking for. I guess it's the whole 'supply/ demand' thing.

[@multicraftual]

I really needed to see this. I have taken a hiatus from book tube because I felt like I didn't feel satisfied making videos. This gave me the courage to be creative.

[@WhyMermaids]

I've felt that staleness on my channel before too, and I've only been doing this a year. Some months I just feel like I'm stuck in a rut with my videos, but others I feel very proud and happy with what I've created. I try to challenge myself with Vlogmas and VEDA and do videos that aren't necessarily book-related, and I have a big collaboration idea that I've been playing with for months but just haven't had the time to execute (I'm hoping next year!). I do think that a lot of the really creative booktubers are overlooked because most people/viewers are just looking for those staple videos (hauls do bring in the biggest numbers, and some people focus a lot on that). All that being said, those video types are staples for a reason. People like watching them. They offer helpful info when you're looking for new book recommendations, and they're also a place to gush over a book you just read. I would love to add more creative bookish videos to my channel, but like you, I'm at a loss as to where to start.

[@babybluangelz]

loving your discussion videos girl. Can't wait to see the new direction for your channel ♡♡

[@archivedandnoted]

personally the reason i joined booktube is talk about the books i'm reading and why i love, like or dislike them. i just love reading and devouring books and stories so much. so i'm content with the "staple videos" BUT i love to watch the creative videos and discussion videos that i've seen on booktube. more specifically i love discussion videos like this one ;) haha but some really great booktubers that i love who do great discussions and interesting videos are marines of mynameismarines, sam from thoughtsontomes, the book riot channel, daniellabooks (she puts alot of emphasis on writing and books she reads, she specifically reads to improve her writing and is critiquing ya books that way), and more but i have to go through my subscriptions. great video priscilla! :)

[@DaniellaBooks]

+bookishandnerdy

[@CarlaVillalbaG]

I agree with everything you said. And this happens more often in the spanish booktube community, it's so hard to find interesting discussions, everything it's about hauls, booktags and wrap-ups. But as it happens in the other youtube communities, these kind of videos are the ones that get more views, so it seems like people prefer them. Also, I think that the "spoiler thing" stops some people to do more depth reviews, because they're afraid of saying something that may be considered as an spoiler.

[@LolliJojo]

dude, this! lol this is basically why I've always been so hesitant to make videos. I'm not very consistent in my reading habits. then I think about doing other things, & then get distracted. idk. haha. but as a viewer, as long as the youtuber is enjoying what they are putting out/being honest I'm happy. :)

[@DeathOfTheAuthorReviews]

I totally agree with you about the usual tags, but the problem is that the community get a lot of hits just by people searching for those certain tags that it puts a lot of creators in a rut. I really like your idea of comparing themes in books that seems different. That could be a lot of fun, I think that I may try that! I am excited to see what new things you try!

[@WreckThatMargin]

Once again, you are so right. I finished a retelling of Alice in Wonderland recently and am not in the middle of a retelling of peter pan. I thought it would make a lot of sense to make a video about retelling in general, and the two I read in particular... But then I noticed that there were almost no other videos like it and instead of seeing an opportunity to do something new and different and add to the community, I decided another haul would be more likely to get new viewers to my channel. After hearing your points, I am motivated to go full speed ahead with any new or strange ideas I have for videos. Thanks! I think you are right. There is so much untapped potential on Booktube.

[@askirmishofwit]

I see the phenomena you're talking about most clearly on like the first of every month because if I don't watch anything in my subscriptions for a couple of days I get so behind with all the monthly wrap ups and hauls and TBR videos that seem to cluster around that time every month. And I enjoy watching them, it can just feel a little like too much of the same?? Especially since the same ARCs and review copies circulate around Booktube to try to generate hype for a book release. Generally I kind of prefer more discussion-y videos (the likes of The Petite Britette and Ron Lit's content) though of course I understand that they're a lot harder and take a lot more time and thought to film, as is their nature! I have enormous respect for any Booktubers that can keep their content interesting and coming! :)

[@gracehzhuang]

I definitely agree with your points, they're all very valid! I'm always struggling with my inner self on whether I should stray from the staple videos. I'm not sure if it's because I'm too lazy (this is probably a major factor lol) or the opinion I might get from them after they're made and uploaded. Who knows! Great video.

[@JurassicReads]

I think you've brought up a topic that has really kept me from being active on Booktube/KZbin in general.. I find myself trying to fit into these sort of systematic ways of creating content and become bored with MYSELF, so why would the community stay tuned if I was just following a schedule? This video really inspired me to think about more creative ways to talk about a great passion we all share (reading) and to make it not only about making 'mainstream (if you can call them that) videos, but make GOOD VIDEOS. Thanks for your video! It was inspiring :)

[@Tomebound]

YES! I really want to do something different but I can't think of anything at all! majority of my ideas are already out there and I struggle so hard to be cutting edge! thanks for doing a video like this.

[@ChannellCWalker]

I love the idea of connecting different books in weird ways. When I was preparing to be an English teacher, I started putting together lists of books that shared certain themes or ideas. For example, I connected the Sherlock Holmes stories to an Edgar Allen Poe short story and Treasure Island. The connections being that the short story was about finding pirate treasure like treasure island, but it was extremely intelligent and logical like Sherlock Holmes. Plus, they were all classic lit. I also put together some connections between contemporary and classic literature and tried to include some new books to keep things relevant.

[@thereadables]

Maybe I've been watching too many Cracked After Hours and PBS Idea Channel XD

[@ThoughtsOnTomes]

I joined booktube to discuss books with other people. Some of my favorite videos to both film and watch are wrap ups because I get the most bang for my buck. I can talk about a lot of books at once and lead people to my more in depth reviews if they are interested and want more of my thoughts. When watching wrap ups, I can see what some of my favorite reviewers liked and disliked so I can better decide what to read in the future. I also enjoy seeing lists of favorites, because it's an easy way to find new friends in the community! Oh, you like the same character I fangirl over? New friend! I also really love discussion videos. They are some of my favorite videos to make and watch. I definitely recommend broadening your horizons. A lot of the creators I watch do some amazing discussions on bookish topics or even more in depth thoughts on the books they read. Off the top of my head: Elizabeth from books and pieces, Caitlin from Book Chats, Katie from Effusions of Wit, Marines from mynameismarines, Marianna from Impression Blend, Victoria from VictoriaShaz, Jen Campbell, Holly from Library at the Edge of the World, Diana from Novel Tea, Adriana from Perpetual Pages, Lauren from Reads and Daydreams, Sarah from Sarah Actually Reads, and Ron from RonLit are some of my favorites.

[@nokiddingbrainless]

+Thoughts on Tomes I was gonna recommend you for book discussions and original videos but I see you've got it covered. ;)

[@KaylaRayne]

+Thoughts on Tomes I love wrap-ups and book chats. I think it's really great that there is a base for every creator to start off with and each person can customize their channel as they choose. That being said, if the creator wants to only do book chats, hauls, warp-ups, etc. then that's okay too. As long as the creator is getting what they want out of the experience and are happy with their content, that's all that matters.

[@ThoughtsOnTomes]

+nokiddingbrainless thank you :)))

[@ClaireRousseau]

+Thoughts on Tomes Agreed especially on discussion videos! I just LOVE to watch someone and think 'OMG, how are you so smart and articulate and eloquent, talk at me more please'. The few people I watch who you've mentioned in your shout outs I love so I'll check out everyone else! I also really like how you split some of your coverage between soiler free reviews and spoilery gush - don't know if you came up with it but I was considering being a big copycat (with credit of course!) and using the gush format for when I have too much to articulate proper critical thoughts about a thing.

[@RaynaPerryArts]

I totally get where you're coming from. Like a lot of people that have commented, I joined Booktube for much of the same reasons: to be able to talk about and share my love of books and reading. Yes, sometimes discussions pop up and they're cool to join in on, or tag videos are made and they're super fun to make, but I totally get where you're coming from when it comes to the variety of topics discussed on channels. I know for many that habit and simplicity is good for them - which is awesome! - but others want a little bit more. For me, I blog way more than I create videos because it's just easier for me to get all of my thoughts out in writing than orally, so I post way more topics and discussions and other things because of that. I've been thinking about creating another channel for more personal things, but you've given me an idea to incorporate something fun to my channel: DIY. I LOVE art. I miss painting and drawing, creating crafts and doing fun things. So I'm going to start trying to do more creative things with my books along with the reviews, wrap-ups, etc. I think it's important to remember what you love and what your strengths are and to incorporate that into your content.

[@abi_rose]

I completely agree. I know it must be hard to consistently think of creative videos, but something out of the norm every couple of months is something I need to see from BookTube. I'm tired of seeing book reviews with only 2 minutes non-spoilers that gives no kind of opinion or breakdown other than "it was really good", with the remaining 20 minutes dedicated to gushing about the ending or whatever

[@AndAllsToDoAgain]

While I love and greatly appreciate discussion type videos, most people do booktube for fun and to gush about or hate on books to people who have read them and/or care. I see nothing wrong with channels who only do very basic videos and appreciate those who go more in depth. The problem only arises when people get stressed about reading a ton and buying too many books, which I see as a personal problem and not really something that can be blamed on a community.

[@LadyofLetters]

As a creator, I totally know what you mean! You can be so focused on the rat race of hauling new books, reading them and then putting them in a wrap-up video at the end of the month that you forget to appreciate and truly enjoy what you're reading. Instead, the books just become a number. Like you, I found I was getting into a bit of a rut, so that's why I developed a new series! It's called "SHIPwrecked" and it's where I discuss a fiction couple (either from books or films) that has had a big impact on me and see whether they still hold up. I did my first episode on Peter and Wendy Darling from "Peter Pan". I think you should always focus on what you're most passionate about as a creator, rather than making content you don't care about because you think other people will like it. xoxo

[@EmmieLouDraws]

I definitely feel this, sometimes I just stick with the 'staple' videos for a long time, I do try and add in some variety with some artsy videos and stuff that I usually try and relate back to books, coming up to the new year I really want to do much more of that!

[@desertrose0601]

Just speaking as a viewer, I think tags and reviews are fun videos. My favorite videos are the discussion videos though. And my least fave are the hauls, since in most channels it comes across as seeming super showy and consumerist. I'd rather see a tbr, review. or unhaul video than a haul video, because it's more about the reading and what did or didn't resonate with you, rather than just "look what I bought!" One channel I've watched and loved that doesn't seem to be on autopilot is Books & LaLa. She does do hauls and such, but in general her channel feels a lot more creative than most other channels I've watched. She seems to have more variety of types of videos, which I really appreciate.

[@KatelynGames97]

I completely agree with your thoughts on this! I think a major issue is how a majority of people are reading the same books and discussing them. (Not that I mind that at all). But I think a lot of people are saying the same things over and over again and aren't really delving into what the book is trying to convey. I've recently read through the Percy Jackson series for the first time and as I was watching reviews and discussions it seemed to be the same thing: A description of the book, then what they thought about the characters, and then certain events. I think if people started discussing the parallels between Percy's adventures and those of Heracles and other Greek heroes, or discussing the character's motivations and the different story arcs throughout the books, the stories would mean a lot more to people watching the video. On a separate note, I specifically really like Lindsay Rey's concept of Author Explorations. The concept of choosing a specific author or genre and then exploring different books in those areas that you might not have read before is really interesting. FINALLY, as a whole, I think that the readers who read more diversely and have a more diverse concept of videos aren't as popular as those who do the hauls, wrap-ups, etc. Which, there's nothing wrong with those types of videos, but I think if more creators focused on creating content that makes people really think about what they read, that as a whole, the community would start to have a better understanding of a lot of the books that they read.

[@ADarkerShadeOfWhitney]

This topic is great. I have to say that I really agree with you and I am so guilty. I think I need to do a response video to voice more of why that is. It's sort of hard to put into words honestly, so i'll have to think on it, but what comes to mind is that I feel like TBR's, Hauls, Wrap-ups are great for beginning and end of the month content, but we should have have more than just tags going up in between. Reviews I feel are vital to the community, so I feel that as many of those should go up as each person feels is needed, but what I hate is that everyone is reviewing one book at the same time and we don't seem to hear anything about the other books that person/people read that month, just the popular one. I also feel like our community is so used to the staple content that barley anyone watches the videos that are not the videos that everyone does (wow that sounds like it was worded oddly). For example, most of my viewers will watch my hauls and wrap ups(which hauls get up into the 150's seeing as I only have 300-ish subscribers), but I posted a video a while back that was sort of a discussion/informative about 'What Is YA' that has 41 views. I also posted a seiries of videos leading up to Halloween and none of them broke 30 views. Now, i'm not saying views are all that matters, but when one videos gets a ton of attention and a video that you worked hard on and that isn't cookie cutter get 1/2 or 1/3 of that attention it can be discouraging.

[@erindillman]

I made a video about a trope that I hate popping up in a book that I was loving and how it made me completely put the book down! Called "the trope" I definitely want to go deeper into random bookish topics, I'm also uploading a video about books that break your heart. Kind of irrelevant but I like your discussions, they always make me think more about what I'm reading and why I'm reading. Thanks for the video!

[@1book1review]

I think there are videos out there that are not just tags, hauls, reviews and wrap ups. Discussion videos are something I enjoy most aside from reviews. I have personally stopped watching hauls a while ago, I still film them when I buy books, but mainly because I know my subscribers like them. With tag videos I have come to a similar arrangement, feeling a certain tag fatigue for months now, rarely watching or filming them. I don't really know if the 'same' content is a bad thing, as a creator it is certainly easy if you have that kind of staple content to create and the things people enjoy are the ones that work out and continue, I guess, others just fade away. I think it just becomes a problem if you want to do more and then realize there are just no new ideas or things you can think of. I feel I have talked about so many things on my channel already that it is getting harder to find new topics. And video responses are not as easy any more as they used to be, so discussing that way is really more complicated, though I still love to do that. And the size of booktube sometimes feels as a hindrance as well. It's not like in the past where you could keep up with everyone and knew what was going on. I think there are certain niches now, I sometimes totally miss things that are on people's minds because I don't watch any of the involved booktubers. Not sure where I am going with this, but I usually say, everyone can do what they want and shouldn't do anything they don't feel, or like to do. The only thing you need to be aware of is not talking about the same things as everyone else can either be super successful or totally ignored. So looking at the numbers in regards to more creative ideas is disastrous.

[@freebookclubtv7431]

i really appreciated this video! i decided to start doing book reviews and then stumbled upon booktube. it is definitely a cool community, but there is a lot of the same thing going on. not bad always!! i enjoy watching the videos, but there is room for improvement. great channel! thanks for the video

[@leigh7569]

I completely agree with a lot of what you said. I enjoy a lot of booktubers of all sorts. But there are some who seem to only upload book hauls, their tbr's and their wrap up's. I don't really like it. Because they never get really far into discussing the books, but I like the people so i want to see their opinions more on everything that happened.

[@CelesteCruzP]

One of the things I wished booktubers discussed more is some of the subjects that diversireads@tumblr talk about. I think most booktuber's reviews only graze the surface when it comes to books, the publishing industry, audience, and the power dynamics which exist and control our engagement with books.

[@Lilyboxes]

I think discussing themes in books is really good and should be done more! I prefer book discussions videos to wrap ups tbh.

[@QuillCafe]

I've been AWOL from booktube for ages (but I'm back now!) and I'm definitely a fan of discussion videos and variety in content. There's nothing wrong with the staple videos people do, but the sad fact is that I have a hard time keeping a lot of channels straight when their content is so similar.

[@Collsy100]

I agree entirely. I've been on booktube for over a year now, and I myself have definitely slipped into autopilot this semester. School and work just get to be so draining that it's the easiest route to only do hauls and wraps ups, and I hate that I do that. I want to be a more active member in the community and make more engaging videos. I want to have something more to say than just basic fangirling, and I think that I've done a good job of character analysis at least in my last couple of reviews. I'm making the effort to leave a comment on every booktube video I watch so people get that encouragement to keep going, even if their view counts aren't as high as they'd like. In the mean time, I'm hoping I can make more thoughtful videos in the future.

[@everemma5386]

I haven't gotten super into book vlogging at this point, but I did try my hand at book blogging and ran into the same sort of problem. I realized that I just needed to find inspiration from each book and go from there. For example while reading Fangirl I found myself thinking a lot about the setting because I wasn't super familiar with that part of the country. I then used that inspiration to create a post about the University and some of the exact buildings mentioned. It definitely makes the content more niche and may be more difficult to do as a vlogger, but I began enjoying myself more.

[@BeccawithaBook]

I feel the same way especially since I get busy with school and I can't read as much as I want. Instead of 8 or 9 books a month, I'm doing 1 or 2 so I feel the pressure to put out content but I can never think of what to do. I think I also need to follow more varied people because it seems like all I see lately are hauls and unboxings but no discussions or anything.

[@diaryofafangirl7]

I definitely feel what you are feeling, I know I am on autopilot and I keep trying to figure out ways to get out of it. I want to make videos I'm proud of and I'm just not feeling that way. It's starting to feel like a chore and I don't like it. I started my channel because of how much I love books and I just feel like I'm going too fast to enjoy what I'm doing. Great video, I wish you the best of luck with your channel.

[@sflake12]

Hello. I think you have a very interesting point of view. As a viewer I would love to hear more about the reason why a person loves or dislikes a book. For example, the writing style is very important and I don't really hear about it (which is mostly what makes me enjoy a book or not). About the consistency of the videos, I think there is enough Booktubers, and you don't need to put pressure on yourselves to make videos every two days. Happy New Year :)

[@DaraintheClouds]

I feel what you're saying, and I think I say I would agree that most BookTube communities fall into these established categories, which I don't think is bad. People like structure and consistency, and when a new person wants to join the community, they have some established routines they can join in on easily for getting started. However, I think this "autopilot" mode occurs in every kind of creative process because like, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? But...but! That doesn't mean we can't break from the mold and try new things. If, like you said, you started hauls and Wrap Ups and TBRs, they were obviously good ideas that now soooo many people enjoy. They were once new. So now, if you're bored of it, do whatever you want and try something new. I don't think it's going to be so terrible if you skip a month's haul or Wrap Up to do something that's more interesting to you. I watch you because I like what you have to say, and I like your personality on screen. I know people like routines and consistency, but if they really enjoy your videos thus far, I'm sure they'll enjoy whatever you decide to create next. I know I would be excited to see what you can cook up. ^____^ Good luck in your endeavors!

[@nicolarose6438]

I've been watching book tubers for nearly two years and there is definitely a decline in quality. I used to love watching honest reviews and reactions from you guys. Now it all seems very rehearsed, sponsored and flat. I hate the book haul videos now, and some of the book reviews are all praise with no discussion. I do think there need to be new and improved content. I'm interested to keep watching your channel.

[@MinuteBookReports]

Interesting discussion. This type of thing probably happens in most KZbin communities, like gaming, where Let's Plays are pretty standard. Maybe the "autopilot" stuff has come to define what the community produces and identifies with. Maybe the change will happen slowly as some of the older creators slow down and some of the newer creators emerge.

[@jessical3151]

I think you're right, there is unexplored territory out there in the book community. Having said that viewers want some consistency, a certain amount of repetition, just look at your favourite TV show. Sure theres a different story each week but a similar format, and I think that is because as humans we want dependability? Im not sure, however I do know that we also enjoy fresh ideas as well. What fickle creatures we are. I am new to the book community so I did a response video from a newbies perspective, if you like you can check it out kzbin.info/www/bejne/eobOf4mladGdirM Thank you for talking about this subject and putting it out there. I may never have had the nerve to film original content and try my ideas if this hadnt been said.

[@magictomes]

I think the challenge is that most content makers are hesitant to stray too far from the standard book tube videos because those are the videos that viewers will always watch. They are short and fun and give you ideas for what you might want to read next. My thought on why more in depth book videos aren't common is that it could be a lot of work for a video that maybe no one will watch. I know for me, I don't watch discussion videos for books I haven't read. If I want to go in depth on a book I will usually write about it on my blog or talk about it with my book club.

[@TamaraWoods]

I just started making booktube videos a year ago. I find that I generally skip a lot of the hauls, unless it's someone who generally picks up interesting and different books. There's definite trends in the community that I don't really follow. I've had some ideas that I'm going to try for the new year, just to see what happens. At the moment, I've been posting a lot of writing videos.

[@ReadingMissFroggy]

I don't feel like I'm on autopilot. I want my channel to be the type of channel that I would love to watch and that means doing mostly reviews, no vlogs and barely any tags. I don't feel the need to come up with new things, I just want to make videos that I would personally enjoy to watch :)

[@audreygrace3674]

I completely agree. I want to see more than TBRs and hauls. When i think of the people in booktube I think english major, people who love to read and study literature for the love of just that, the study. Is that really what people are though? I would love to see the kinda of content you described, it could ignite discussion and add variety and individuality to the community once again. Everyone sees something different in each and every book. ^^^^that was all a little rambly so TL;DR - i agree 🌟

[@cheyyrc]

I love this video! But I have to say that I believe auto-piloting exists ALL over KZbin from gaming channels to beauty channels and of course Booktube. I think it exists because of the desire to be watched and followed and the belief that you won't get as much views or subscribers if you don't put up popular content. I even have a video on my channel all about KZbin NOT being a competition. One of my goals for the New Year with my channel is to talk about books in whatever way I feel like and not just the way that is the most common. Thank you for addressing this topic! It's so important :)

[@MeganOlivier]

I totally agree!! After making booktube videos for two years I'm starting to feel a little bit bored with posting the same content over and over again. I think I'm going to turn my channel into more of a lifestyle channel. I enjoy making vlogs so much and I really want to do more of that! I want to be more creative and stop worrying about views. I'm sometimes scared to upload different content because the book hauls and wrap ups are the things that do well! But if I'm not loving making them, what's the point? I do try to go in depth in my wraps up, though, and I really like discussing the books I've read in detail!

[@LesReadBooks]

I'm just a viewer and I agree with the autopilot thing. There are definitely certain people I watch just because I like their personalities but overall I tend to watch the videos posted that are different. Two of my favorites are Chapterstackss and Climbing the Stacks because they have a different point of view and read very different types of books (outside of YA). I rarely watch hauls because I am not a book buyer, typically. I prefer to use my library. let's be real here too, you can TOTALLY tell when someone is trying too hard to be 'creative' or 'different' and it just comes across as desperate for views. That's the worst. (Not just a booktube thing, that's all of KZbin.) Being genuine goes a long way.

[@BingeReader19]

It would be so fun to come up with cool new video ideas. I think for me personally I am often too scared to branch out of the "common" videos and do something creative. I'm not sure how it will be perceived. I guess everything is trial and error. I would like to create more book discussions. I do reviews but I would like to discuss the reasons I feel the way I do when reading a certain book. The thing with that is you get into spoiler territory and I don't want to spoil people :D

[@sophieluvsbooks2629]

I agree with you. I'm 14 and have recently just started a Booktube channel less than a year ago. I face the dilemma, and I'm sure many others do too, of trying to think of creative video ideas but just not being able to exactly. Or the idea just sounds stupid to me and I don't think it's worth putting out there. A booktuber who I really admire and aspire to be like is ArielBissett because she just makes so many awesome discussion videos but I obviously don't want to be a copycat and discuss everything that she has on her channel, you know? I want to try filming more discussions but even then I have a hard time thinking of what to talk about or have a hard time having a really in-depth review. I have been doing reviews on like goodreads which I feel is a medium where I can better express my thoughts. I've also has the urge lately to start venturing into adult genres like adult fantasy and science fiction (not that I will stop reading YA. I just think I would really enjoy them.

[@Lystopia]

+Sophie Luvs Books Some idea just like that, tho: You can create a video response at some discussions she has and that way, it'll create a big discussion between booktubers! :)

[@sophieluvsbooks2629]

+frompagetolife Yeah perhaps I'll do so! Thanks for the advice!

[@LadyofLetters]

+Sophie Luvs Books Yep, just keep going making the content that you find interesting and want to see :) xoxo

[@BubblyBookNerd]

Thank you for starting a discussion about this!

[@PrincessinProcess]

Hi! I don't follow that many booktuber, and most of them are french one, but there is 2 people i want to share with you because they really bring newness in this community: 1/ Margaud Liseuse - she's french and she works in a bookshop. Among the regular reviews, tags, Top 10, she has a couple of video "talk" like "what's "real" litterature", "Bullyng: how to deal with, the book i suggest about it", "gaining confidence" etc... I find interresting that she doesn't talk about just a book, but she use them to talk about a bigger concern. 2/ Northern Rufio - Another french youtuber focus on manga (and vidéo game) i love his video where he explain how manga whitnesses the japan history with video like "from Astro to Pluto: an evolution of robotic", "Manga and nuclear trauma", "one-punch man and the cobaye reader" etc... And the editing of his video are great! this one has eng subbtitle, please check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZPPg55omJWnapY Hope it will help you enlarge your world... :)

[@chaghetti]

Trope Tuesdays! Do it girl!

[@ghghjvjn]

one thing that i'm going to do when i return to making vidoes is reading to the audience. in my childrens lit course, on wednesdays our lecturer would read us a book and i want to bring that into this community.

[@KaylaRayne]

I do sometimes feel boxed in when creating content for my channel. Some months this is very frustrating while other it is a blessing to know what kind of videos should be going up. I do have some new videos planned for the new year that I would like to play around with, but I am also happy with keeping some of my old videos as well. Overall, I think that the system we have right now works well for people starting out and I think that it is a great base that allows all channels to have some shared content, but it would be nice to branch out from that as well. I do have to say that the creators that I watch all have a unique spin to their standard videos that I love. Personally, I think Trina from BetweenChapters has the most beautiful wrap ups and Marines from mynameismarines have great book reviews that are honest and helpful.

[@BetweenChapters]

+Kayla Rayne Aw, dang Kayla, you bring a tear to my eye! To anyone who doesn't watch Kayla (yet), she was coming up with fantastic and relevant topics for book recommendations from her start on BookTube! She opened that up to the whole community so everyone could voice their own recommendations around the same topics and it's created amazing conversations among BookTubers of all sizes and tastes in books!

[@KaylaRayne]

Thanks, Trina! It would have never become a group if you hadn't been there to help me!

[@BetweenChapters]

Ok, ok. But I wanted to shout you out in return because you're creative too!

[@KaylaRayne]

Well thank you!!!!!!!! :D

[@DanMartinlikesyou]

Great video. I'm brand new to the community, and I'm trying to think of ways to differentiate myself from what's already there.

[@TheHitchhikersGuide]

I recently started Booktube (like this week, haha) and I think showing different books creates a different content as well. I only see Young Adult on Booktube and that makes every video the same. After hearing 10 times how amazing a particular book is I get a little bored on the content, not per se on the video and the content makes the video. (; So I think reading different books creates more varity, which makes videos more interesting. My favorite Booktuber atm is The Still Point, because she reads books nobody talks about, such as poetry and books about magical realism. She doesn't show the usual YA and that makes her videos very interesting! So I think by just changing the content, you can change Booktube in an even more interesting community

[@girlygirlbookworm]

I feel like I get in the same rut, where all I do are weekly wrap ups, hauls, TBR's and monthly wrap ups. Though it is discouraging because if I ever do a one book review or a tag for fun, it gets no views. I don't make videos to get a thousand views, but I would like to know that I'm not making videos for no reason. Again, I'm not doing this just to have a ton of subscribers, but I hate looking at you tubers who are on autopilot of only reviewing hyped books and are being sponsored left and right with a ton of subscribers in maybe a really short time on book tube. I'm going on my 4th year of youtube and I still only have 696 subscribers. I feel like I'm a different type of book tuber because I almost stay away from hyped books, although I'll have them from time to time. I read all types of fiction and not just YA. I always thought I brought something to the table for a lot of types of people and encourage people to pick up different types of books, but I feel like it doesn't show in comparison to those who are sponsored and only do hyped books. Or those who buy or receive so many books/review copies and then maybe read like 1 to 3 books a month. When I'm reading like 10 or more books a month and maybe not haul as often as them and get rejected for review copies. Sorry for the rant.

[@BooksWaffles]

Personally I do not enjoy making same type of videos over and over again, except maybe from in-depth wrap ups, because they are pretty great and informative. I had to made piece with book hauls, that are super boring to film and with occasional cool tags, but the tbrs and top 5 wednesdays annoy me too much. When I was figuring out what works and what doesn't work for me I realized, that some formats are just not enjoyable and stopped filming such videos. I enjoy some patterns, the ones that I don't enjoy I don't participate in. At the moment I'm content with what I do - a mix of classic booktube and occasional original video works well for me. The thing, that I noticed though is that original videos are usually less watched, except maybe from skits.

[@beetrf]

i love your frank opinions..you always tell it like it is :)

[@robotnic]

Interesting video. It's not clear to me, are you frustrated with your own video-making process, or BookTube as a whole? I think a lot of us are here to share our reading, and TBRs, wrap-ups etc are good and easy ways to do that. I don't think that makes it 'autopilot': it's many people's level of engagement with BookTube as an activity. It's not surface level if we as viewers have an opportunity to learn about their personality, their tastes, their opinions. I think it can be really personal and it's led to a lot of friendships for me. From personal experience, I don't often have/commit the time to do more than those standard kinds of video topics, or like you I take a break and then it's difficult to come back with something more creative or of a different tenor - so I relate with what you're saying there. I'm doing Vlogmas right now as a way to break out of that and to try some new things. However there are also lots of booktubers who only do wrap-ups who I still love to watch because I like them and we have similar tastes. It sounds like maybe you need to find more of your people. I follow quite a few who do really interesting video topics, the recommended channels on my profile are a good start.

[@ClaireRousseau]

I felt a bit defensive when I first saw your video, because it's easy to interpret original v. traditional content as smart v. not smart, or requiring hard work v. lazy work, or worthy v. not worthy - I never thought you were saying that, but like everyone else, I tend to compare my content to my favourite booktubers' and wonder why I can't be that insightful or eloquent. Some of the videos I'm proudest of are the ones that took me ages to research and script, but I can't really make those that often because they take so much time. If I did only those, I would end up with one upload a month... I have a small channel and only maybe a year of booktube under my belt, I still find really hard to manage two videos a week, even if they are hauls, wrap-ups or tags. I think as long as you're improving, stretching yourself and learning new skills, you're doing the right thing.

[@ClaireRousseau]

+Claire Rousseau Also I failed to say this at the time, but it's good to see you back! I was wondering if it was an indefinite hiatus, glad it wasn't.

[@amandapearl2books]

I've pretty much stopped making youtube content and I haven't been super active in the community for about a year and a half. When I started watching book videos 5 years ago the community was way different, it felt like a group of friends chatting about books at the local coffee shop. Now it's a place to create a brand and a career and sell sell sell, and I hate it when people sell shit to me. I tried to bring this up last summer and got my shit handed to me, so I feel like I don't have a place here anymore. If I do continue to make videos I'll probably shift away from the community entirely. I have no interest in being a "booktuber" anymore. It's actually kind of refreshing to admit that.

[@Nat-lb8nu]

I've been watching booktube for about 4 years and one thing that I've noticed (in the most respectful way) is that if you've seen one of the really big booktubers, you've seen all of them. They all seem to read the exact same books and post reviews at the same time and do the same tags, I don't mean this in a mean or hateful way it's just what I've observed over the years.

[@ohcollide]

Are you in/around Toronto? I seem to remember you being Canadian but can't remember if you are in the GTA or not. Not at all related to the topic at hand but just a general curiosity. To the topic at hand: I work at a part-time at a library and while I am currently in a powerless position I long for the day when I can do something awesome like start a Feminist Book Club and bring focus to reading books by women, including POC women, and why it is important to participate in those stories etc. If I made booktube videos (I don't) I would totally make a Feminist book club series. Another cool/fun idea is to have topical videos that recommend books in a certain category (like library displays do...sorry, again with the library). Topic could range from something seasonal or related to particular holidays or other interesting/topical categories like books by/about LGBT people, or African American writers, or Victorian Fiction etc. I like this idea because it is adaptable to whatever interests a particular person might have while also providing an interesting way to access books that might otherwise never appear on one's radar.

[@cierrakoverman3172]

I have started to develop a similar issue with the booktube community. I am subscribed to a handfull of booktubers (both big and small), and what I am finding is that the books being mentioned by all are incredibly repetitive. I love YA so most of the booktubers I watch primarily read that genre, and I don't have any issues with that. What astounds me is that being relatively new to booktube, I am already getting board bc the books that are being talked about are consistently the same. I understand that their are new and popular books that people in the book community want to read and talk about, but it is starting to feel like out of those new books available everyone is picking out 5-7 of them and only reading from that shortened list. I work in a middle school so I am well aware that the number of new books being published in YA each year far surpasses the number of books being discussed on booktube. I just wish there was more variety both in content and book choices.

[@TheOwleryBooks]

Join Tuesday Talks!! We have great topics every week :) www.goodreads.com/group/show/142530-tuesday-talks

[@pmrh1]

I agree that the community, or the bigger book tubers, is on autopilot, not doing anything new or creative; I feel like there's even a lack of interest in trying new genres and themes (which is something that you tried every month, and I really appreciated it), and as a reader (and really a person in general), I just don't feel represented anymore. And unfortunately, it's something that isn't an exclusivity of booktube. I see a few creators from the beauty community that complain that are tired of their videos and want to change but never do, and I believe that happens because they have to have new content all the time, so they repeatedly do Q&A and hauls when are out of time. This lack of change and evolution made me unsubscribe from a lot of channels recently.

[@lejla10081997]

I opened a channel discussing that kind of things a few years back, but it didn't work so i deleted it. It was very sad, but I hope that now if someone makes this kinds of videos, they will be more welcome.

[@jessicadifelice7849]

I've only been a viewer for a few months, but I definitely agree that the staples are great, but something is missing. I know Ariel Bissett does some pretty interesting videos with different topics - things she talks about in lit class etc. I really like Novels and Nonsense's Facts about Authors videos, those are really interesting and different :)

[@MissA0928]

I agree it seems a lot of ppl follow a formula. I'm subscribed to a lot of movie based channels and theres a lot more than reviewing. There's a good amount of creative content. I think booktube should be the more like that.

[@luriemu1]

I see your point - and I agree - but I think that the problem isn't the community but obviously the individual. I don't think it has anything to do with BookTube.. But just that many of these BookTubers, their reading experience isn't much deeper than "This was great" or "This book is beautiful", but that could of course be wrong of me to say - but I do think it's a possibility. So if you say to them "Create deeper, more varied content" they wouldn't know how or where to start, because they would have to read books in an entirely different way

[@clhughes1000]

I like your ideas! I don't watch many booktubers atm, so perhaps this is out there, but this occurred to me when you mentioned the tropes: why are certain books/authors considered canon? I'm thinking more scifi because I know it a little better with this example? Why are Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke considered the big three? Are there examples like this from other genres?

[@chaghetti]

Honestly, I did notice the autopilot, and I just sort of stopped watching booktube videos. I watched those videos when I needed help finding books to read. I don't really have that problem anymore. I can easily find new books to read.