After facing countless rejections for her young adult fantasy novel Light larkAlex Aster became a #1 bestselling author after turning to an unlikely medium: TikTok.
“I posted a video on social media basically introducing my book to the world, because at that point I really felt like I had nothing to lose,” she tells PEOPLE. “I almost deleted it because I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m proving these publishers right. Nobody wants to read my book.’ But luckily I left it on and then the next day it went viral.”
Aster, 28, did not expect Light larksuccess when she shared that initial TikTok, which detailed the premise of the book. Soon after, she received a publishing deal and a movie deal from Universal Studios and the producers Twilight. After the release, the book, which tells about a deadly competition in the spirit Hunger Gamesbecame number 1 The New York Times best seller.
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‘Nightbane’ by Alex Aster.
Courtesy of Abrams Books
Night beatingthe long-awaited sequel, it was released on November 7 and tells a story that Aster is “so proud of”.
Aster grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. Her parents co-own Keith Pierson Toyota in Jacksonville, Florida, and her twin sister Daniela co-founded the mental fitness platform Wondermind with Selena Gomez. Aster, however, always knew that writing was her passion. She began interviewing agents at age 12 and skipped college to sign with an agent. Although Aster was already a published author, after she published her middle grade Emblem Island series through Sourcebooks Young Readers, was unrepresented when she made the inquiry Light lark.Aster’s presence in the application set her apart in several ways. First, she used social media to make the publishing process more accessible to her followers. She involved her fans in the entire process of producing the book, which is usually kept under wraps, and took to TikTok to let them decide which cover to use for Light lark.
“I really wanted to include all these people who really made it possible for me to publish this way in everything,” Aster says of her push for complete transparency. Light larkThe publisher, Abrams, has supported the decision from the start.
Aster’s rise to literary stardom has been both inspiring and confusing for users of BookTok, a book community on TikTok. Some people were skeptical of how quickly she landed a publishing deal, while others were disappointed that the scenes she teased on the app weren’t in the final book (Aster told TODAY that some of those scenes would appear in a special book release or sequel, and reiterated that the publishing process involves cutting scenes.) She also acknowledges how grateful she is for her success and how TikTok is becoming an accessible app for authors and readers to promote and find new books. it’s one thing to get views of your videos, and another to sell books,” says Aster. “I think BookTok, and TikTok in general, has shown that there are readers who are hungry for stories like this.”
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No matter what Light larkBecause of success, or maybe because of it, Aster admits that it was difficult to jump into writing night club, which downloads directly where Light lark stopped. “I never talked about this, [but] Before this book, I had never had writer’s block in my life,” she says. “It was really hard to start writing this book, just because Light lark became more successful than any of us expected, especially me as someone who was not used to people actually caring about my words or waiting for my book.”
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Alex Aster.
Jennifer Trahan
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.As a Colombian-American author, Aster reiterates that Latin representation has always been an important part of her books. She included Spanish names for Light lark protagonists Isla and Oro, and in her first one she incorporated the myths her grandmother told her Emblem Island novel, Curse of the Night Witch.“There were people in my background who weren’t allowed to go to college or write at all,” says Aster. “For my family to know that I can tell these stories and be a part of publishing, I know it means a lot to them.” She also notes that Light lark was her first book translated into Spanish, allowing her to share her story with non-English-reading relatives. Aster teases that Night beating includes even more romance, adventure and intrigue, as well as a potentially divisive ending.
“Some people will be very happy with me, other people may be a little angry with me,” says Aster. “I can also share exclusively, because I have never shared this before, but readers can expect Night beating find out what happened a year before the event from Light lark. And people who read Light lark they will know what that means.” Aster also wants readers to know that one’s public successes don’t always tell the whole story. “Please don’t focus on the highlight reel if you’re working toward something,” she says. “I’ve been a failure for much longer than I’ve been a bestselling author. Our failures are always much bigger, and the only thing that matters is what you do after that failure, whether you can pick yourself up and try again.”Night beating it is available now where books are sold.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education