BookTok Fans Are Taking Sides on This Controversial Trend

BookTok fans are choosing sides on a controversial new way to judge a book. Some fans love it when their books rate highly. Many librarians hate it. And people who prefer to read on a phone or tablet or listen to audiobooks? They’re making like Sweden and staying neutral.

What is going on?

The most important part of a book is, of course, the story. But a lot of other elements go into creating a book and fans have thoughts!

What do you think of the cover art? And hey, sometimes you’ll find different cover art for the paperback, so what do you think of that? Or you'll spot some cover art you absolutely MUST HAVE from an edition in another country! And then the publisher puts out a special edition of a book and you can debate the art all over again!

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Gilt edges? Fan? Not a fan?  The size of a paperback? (I despise pricey trade paperbacks and prefer the mass market “airport book” size myself.) The size of the text? The choice of font?? See what I mean?

Now there’s a new way to judge a book’s physical appearance and folks are up in arms. Keep reading to find out!

BookTok Fans Are Taking Sides on This Controversial New Trend

So tell me, what’s your book’s… floppability ? We’re talking about paperbacks here and the floppability refers to how much a book “flops” when you hold it out level.

Now people on BookTok have thoughts ! Some people love a book that’s floppable because it’s easier to lay on a table and it stays open to where you are reading without you constantly having to hold it open. Floppable = useful and easy to read.

Here’s a cute pair having fun as they rate paperbacks from 1-10 on the floppability scale.

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And here’s a guy explaining what he loves about a floppable book.

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People even post videos showing them “breaking in” a new paperback.

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Not everyone is on board! Some people comment on book lovers bending and twisting paperbacks to make them more floppable with shock and horror! BookTok fan “Elizabeth Reads” said simply, “The only psychopathic people are those that break their spines.” (I agree! I never write in a book or bend a page as a bookmark and desperately try to keep the spine as "unbroken" as possible so it doesn't look beat-up. These people are barbarians!)

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How do librarians feel about floppy books? Not fans. Another commenter on this issue at BookTok is Anette. She posted this ardent plea: “No. Just no. Floppy books are THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE! I’m a librarian, and the way those books just melt on the shelf…I hate them so much!”

Think about it. A book with floppability is also a book that won’t stand up straight. Nobody likes a sloucher. When you’re filing books on a shelf, a floppy book simply can’t be on its own. A floppy book immediately is, you know, floppy and that means it’s all over the place. Sure, a librarian can place it firmly between two other books. But the moment someone removes a book or even just shifts a title, the very floppy book can slump to one side or the other or fall backwards or–in a worst case scenario, and any librarians should consider this a trigger warning–FALL OFF THE SHELF ENTIRELY! Not so funny, because that book can get damaged or torn or dirty and then no one wants to read it.

Of course, I’ve got an e-reader, which has zero floppability. And lots of people love audiobooks, so again, not an issue. But I can see both sides. While reading a paperback, knowing it will stay open to where I place it and allow me to read it without using weights to hold the pages down (hey, I like to eat and read at the same time) is great. But once the reading is over and I’m putting it on my shelf? Floppability becomes a liability. And yet, the heart goes where it goes.

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The war wages on! Take a side or get out of the way. Now, about that flimsy Courier New font….

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