The TikTok-driven buzz for her book has been particularly meaningful for Aster as a woman of color breaking into the book industry.
The personal nature of her TikTok content has allowed readers to feel connected with Aster, who boasts more than 355,000 followers. She said some of her sales have come from followers who have formed a connection with her and believe in her.. Though she had already published her first book by the time she secured her newest book deal, she credits a viral TikTok video for making the publication of"Lightlark" a reality.
The video has been viewed more than 1.4 million times to date, and users excited for her book left more than 8,000 comments in support. Aster said the young adult fantasy genre is saturated and difficult for even established authors to break into — but once her video went viral, her agent sent it to publishers, who secured her a six-figure book deal that same week.