President Donald Trump’s tariffs have some of the internet’s most voracious readers worried: the price of books and access to them could be changed significantly.
Members of BookTok, TikTok’s passionate community of readers, have expressed dismay at the possibility of book prices increasing, as well as the news that some international booksellers were re-evaluating their policies on selling to the United States.
“This has gotten so far beyond out of hand, and the book industry is a small industry in the greater world,” said TikTok creator Lia Reads, whose video on how tariffs will affect the book industry has been viewed more than 600,000 times.
Over the past few days, dozens of others within the BookTok community have posted similar videos sounding the alarm over tariffs, with several people referencing a different creator’s November 2024 video in which she had suggested that Trump’s re-election would mean the return of $10 paperbacks.
Print books and children’s picture books currently feature on a list of exempted products released by the White House on April 2 alongside Trump’s executive order, meaning that items such as Bibles printed on thin paper and baby board books, the majority of which are printed abroad, may not be affected.
But new tariffs could increase the cost of manufacturing books, in turn narrowing publishers’ profit margins and, ultimately, raising the price at the cash register, according to Brian O’Leary, executive director of the Book Industry Study Group, a U.S. trade organization that includes some of the largest book publishers.
Most books sold in the U.S. are printed domestically, but the necessary raw materials are still imported, as well as machine parts needed to maintain the printing equipment itself. In 2023, the United States imported more than $409 million worth of paper, much of which is used for printing books. As much as 73% of that came from Canada.
“Taken as a whole, these additional duties may increase costs in the short term, as the price of consumables rise,” O’Leary told NBC News in an email. “In the longer term, tariffs may also affect the cost of domestic manufacturing, if presses become more expensive to purchase and maintain.”
There is also some confusion around how tariffs would affect Americans’ ability to buy books sold abroad. Some U.S. readers prefer to buy their favorite titles from foreign retailers due to the pull of earlier release dates, exclusive content and collectible different editions.
“Waterstones, if you see this, can you please make sure I get my signed copy of Katabasis in September please?” one BookTok member said, referring to the United Kingdom-based bookstore and the upcoming novel by bestselling author R.F. Kuang. “I’ll pay the extra money, I don’t care.”
In an Instagram post Saturday promoting a different new release, Waterstones clarified that “Customers in the USA are able to order from us whilst we work on the implications of new tariffs. Any future charges will be indicated at checkout.”
Responding to a comment below the post asking, “If I already pre ordered (about 2 months ago) do I have anything to worry about?” Waterstones replied, “I mean there’s plenty to worry about, in the world, but your order will be fine.”
The retailer did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The BookTok community’s concern over tariffs comes as its members continue to debate whether books should be separate from politics. In the months leading up to the election, some creators pushed for a “politics-free” BookTok. Others, including best-selling author Jodi Picoult, have argued that books are inherently political, citing the recent book bans.
Many readers who lamented the potential impact of tariffs simultaneously expressed concerns that authors may be less likely to travel for book tours as some U.S. residents and visitors report being detained at U.S. borders and some countries warn against travel.
Romance novelist Ali Hazelwood, who is originally from Italy and resides in the U.S., said she’s canceling her U.K. tour and opting for virtual events instead, writing in a post on Instagram: “This is because of several complicated reasons that mostly boil down to the fact that, things being what they are, it’s not possible for me to safely travel outside and then back inside the US.”
A representative from Penguin Random House, Hazelwood’s U.S. publisher, declined to comment, telling NBC News via email that Hazelwood did not want to speak to the press on the issue.
“Do you all remember back during the election, when there was this huge hubbub all over Bookstagram, all over BookTok, about how we shouldn’t talk about politics? That books aren’t supposed to be political?” BookTok creator Cait, known as Beneath the Covers NYC on the platform, said in a video mentioning tariffs. “Well, you might want to rethink that.”
