From Traitors To TikTok Influencers: The Era Of The 'Quiet Author' Is Over
It’s a tough time to be an author.
The era of spending an evening with a book for company is long gone, as reading competes for our attention with TV, radio, podcasts, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X, PlayStation, Xbox, films, streaming, virtual reality, audiobooks, Substack, magazines and more…
Many aren’t even picking up a book now and again. According to The Reading Agency, half of adults don’t regularly read, and research from the National Literacy Trust shows only a third of 8 to 18 year olds say they enjoy reading for pleasure – hardly reassuring for the industry.
This apparent dwindling interest in reading is making it even more difficult for authors to capture public attention when competing with the stardust of a singer or the chaos of a reality TV contestant, but that’s not stopped some bucking the trend.
In a classic case of ‘if you can’t beat them, join them, outshine them, and catapult yourself to national stardom’, psychological thriller writer Harriet Tyce found fame competing on The Traitors, the biggest show on TV.
As Traitor Hunter-in-Chief, Tyce used her author’s eye for detail and powers of persuasion (she’s also a former barrister) to create some of the TV moments of the decade.
Aside from “impulsivity and ego,” she says the main reason she wanted to compete was because she’s a massive Traitors fan and thought it would be great fun.
“I love the show, I’m fascinated by the tropes. It’s a kind of whodunit, or rather who’s doing it. It’s the only way that you can live that kind of psychological thriller in real life without, God forbid, being involved in an actual murder mystery.
“The primary motivation came from wanting to take part. Anything else is a massive bonus.”
Tyce – spoiler alert – didn’t win The Traitors, but arguably walked away with a better prize: her book sales jumped 96% when the series aired. Her latest novel, Witch Trial, is released this week.
Despite completing the book before applying to enter the castle, it shares some eerily similar themes to the show. The thriller follows the case of two Edinburgh teenagers accused of killing their classmate using dark, ritualistic methods: a modern-day Scottish witch trial.
It’s largely told from the perspective of a jury member – part of a group of random people thrown together to solve a whodunit – which also feels Traitors-esque.
According to Tyce, it’s an “amazing coincidence,” which has helped draw more people to her novels.
“It’s unprecedented that book tours should sell out. Normally we have to cancel at least two or three events because they sold five tickets. Every author has been there, other than those who are huge.
“There are so many distractions on everyone’s time that it’s tough to cut through with books. I’ve been really lucky that my books have sold well and I’ve always had a level of interest around them, but I’ve never known anything like this.”
Appearing on primetime BBC One might seem like a no-brainer for an author, but Tyce says the decision was not risk free.
“If you’re writing books which are meant to be intelligent, articulate and show a level of general intelligence, and then you go on a programme and you show yourself up as being really not very bright and not very likeable, then you run quite a significant risk of alienating your readership. There were a lot of moments I thought ‘should I be doing this?’ My editor was quite concerned.”
She need not have worried. Tyce built herself a reputation as a witty, no-nonsense genius and a nationwide community of fans. She seems to be loving the ride, and the opportunity to fly the flag for authors who don’t always get the credit they deserve.
“We all do our best. The majority of [authors] are absolutely working themselves into the ground, from writing and editing the books, to marketing themselves online, to trying to build up a social media following, to feeding that social media following, to taking part in events and festivals.
“It’s not just about talent, because there are some very, very talented writers who get no attention at all, and some might argue there are some much less talented writers who get a huge amount of attention because they’re very good at marketing.
“A lot of us are people who like sitting in bed in pyjamas making things up, but we then have to go and be good at interviews and good at public speaking and good at content creation…”
She makes no apology for fuelling her recent success through TV, though:
“It definitely has given my name greater recognition, and it will have given this book greater recognition, but I don’t feel bad about that…Why shouldn’t somebody try and get on telly and see if they can see if they can get some of that attention? It was about time.”
Not every author has a shot at TV fame, but other platforms like TikTok are proving just as effective at giving them big breaks. #BookTok has received over 370 billion views and helped launch authors like Colleen Hoover and Frieda McFadden into bestsellers lists across the globe.
Another success story is Cassie Steward. A make-up artist with no social media experience, her self-published novel Number Thirty Twotook off on TikTok after she started posting on the platform. The support she received enabled her to become a full-time writer.
“Somehow, TikTok worked its magic and some reviewers found my videos, bought the book and started shouting about it. It snowballed from there, I was getting tagged in hundreds of videos and the sales rocketed…I wrote the book as a passion project, knowing and accepting that most books never really make money, so I feel very lucky.
“I am still full time now, living off the earnings of one book that came out over two years ago.
“TikTok is an extremely powerful platform for writers and really community driven. It’s amazing how many strangers want to get behind you as a writer and also as a person.”
There might be less people reading, but there will always be an audience for a good book – as long as people know where to find it.