#SickoftheSmut The Hashtag That Broke BookTok And What It Means For The Future

A few weeks ago, as I was scrolling through Instagram, I stumbled upon a statement made by a publisher. It was about as simple as it gets. A black background with the publisher’s logo on it. Underneath that, in contrasting white letters, a hashtag: #sickofthesmut. The response to that hashtag though turned out to be anything but simple. 

The Army That Defended Smut

I skimmed the comments, well over 3,000 of them at the time I viewed it, and was shocked to find an army of angry readers and writers roasting the publisher. The publisher in question was Quill & Flame, an independent publisher of young adult (YA) and new adult (NA) romance. Their tagline is “Heat without the scorch,” promoting closed-door romances rather than open-door ones. 

As I parsed through the comments, a few arguments rose to the surface. First and foremost, people took Q&F’s statement to mean that they were taking some sort of moral high ground, implying that closed-door romance is better than open-door romance. Many saw it as a hateful marketing tactic—uplifting one genre at the expense of another. Secondly, the issue of writers’ and readers’ freedom was mentioned repeatedly. Writers should be able to write whatever they want and readers should be able to read whatever they want. 

To the first point, I don’t think Q&F was trying to take a holier-than-thou attitude. I think they were simply taking a clear stand on their values and bringing clarity to their audience about what they will or will not publish. And they have a right to do so. Just think about how many companies during the last few years have made statements about adding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion polices. Couldn’t the same logic follow that making a statement about diversity is promoting one group at the expense of another, in this case, white people? Or how about man-hating feminism, pushing women’s rights and power at the expense of men? Seems like a double standard, that we can only proclaim our convictions when they serve a particular group or agenda. At that point, are they really even convictions to begin with if they can change with every trend and emotion that sweeps the culture? 

Now, to the second point: freedom of choice. Are writers and readers being denied the freedom to act on their preferences? Not at all. Writers can find a different publisher for their work. Readers can find a different store, platform, or library that supplies what they like to read. Yet, as one commenter on Q&F’s post said, books are being banned across the country. That’s a major threat to freedom of choice, right? 

Is Book Banning Really Happening In America?

Book banning has long been a sensitive topic in the publishing industry. But it has more recently become a hot topic for the entire nation with the quickly changing political climate. Six major publishing houses teamed up in 2024 to sue the state of Florida over legislation allowing for certain books to be removed from schools. Many of the books targeted were those with explicit content relating to sex and gender identity. A spokesperson of the Florida Education Department said, “there are no books banned in Florida. Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools.”

At an even higher level, the Department of Education has recently investigated a series of alleged “book-banning cases.” Their conclusion: books aren’t being banned. They found that schools and parents had “established commonsense processes by which to evaluate and remove age-inappropriate materials.” In other words, freedom of choice was placed in the hands of the schools and parents directly. 

Beyond the schools though, what “commonsense processes” are in place to help teens and young adults evaluate the content they consume? The answer is a “who” not a “what.” TikTok, the viral video platform, is the new gatekeeper for what’s in and what’s out from the products you use to, yes, even the books that you read. Welcome to BookTok, the clever combo of books and TikTok, where you’ll find everything you need to know about books. And maybe some things you didn’t want to know, too. 

BookTok: The New Gatekeeper

BookTok is the place where readers and writers alike go to get the latest book recommendations from their peers. Women are the primary consumers, flocking to the platform in droves to discover the next big “romantasy” series for their TBR list. This combination of romance and fantasy seems to have originated with BookTok, blending the action and world-building of fantasy with steamy and spicy romances. In other words, fantasy smut. And BookTok can’t get enough of it. 

A recent book that’s soared to the New York Times Bestseller List is Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing. The author seemingly went viral overnight, receiving thousands of ratings and billions of views on hashtags related to her books on BookTok. In an interview with the author, when the host asked Yarros what her family thought of the series, Yarros turned to her son who said, “I don’t like imagining that my mother wrote some of these things.” The host very obnoxiously replied, “Your mom writes smut and it’s good!”

To be honest, the video made me cringe. This is the kind of material BookTok is glorifying? I skimmed through the first chapter of Fourth Wing on Amazon, and I wasn’t impressed. One of my friends did the same and said it read like fanfiction. I agree. Women are voracious readers. We are highly intelligent, emotional, and empathetic beings. We crave stories that make us feel seen and heard in our struggles. BookTok has seriously misled thousands of women to crave the shock value of sex over the satisfaction of a well-crafted story. 

And the truth is, the publishing industry knows that sex sells. In fact, thanks to BookTok, Barnes and Noble is set to open 60 new stores in 2025. The reading revival is alive and well, but should BookTok be the mouthpiece for it? Do we really trust random internet influencers to be the quality control for the literature we consume? 

Transparency for Readers

The real problem here is transparency. Genres don’t tell us much. Words like “spicy” and “steamy” leave a lot of room for interpretation. When we watch movies, we know exactly what we’re getting in a rated-R movie. It will often explicitly state things such as nudity, violence, drugs, etc. Even when we listen to music, we understand that if something is labeled E for Explicit, it’s going to have swear words and graphic language in it. Why aren’t books held to the same labeling standard? 

As women, we understand that so much of what we consume, whether books, music, or media, has a major impact on our self-esteem and our relationships. If we regularly read smutty books, we’re going to have certain unrealistic expectations for our own sex life, setting up our partners for failure in satisfying us. Now, most of us don’t knowingly pick up graphic content. We stumble upon it in a book we’re reading or a movie or TV show we’re watching. If we’re not prepared for it though, it can spark a dangerous path toward addiction and a pattern of toxic relationships. We deserve better. 

Why doesn’t the publishing industry do better, though? Why do they cater to the culture and the wave of liberalism that’s permeated our country? I think social media has a lot to do with it. Audiences have shorter attention spans, and it often requires something shocking, sexy, or controversial to keep them interested. As a result, the standard for “good” or “quality” literature has plummeted. Readers would rather feel something than think something. When reading stops making us think or be intellectually challenged, we become moldable—carried by the whims of our emotions and desires. Unless we change our appetites, we will continue to get the mass-produced “junk food” that never satisfies. 

So, What Can Be Done? 

BookTok and the publishing industry aren’t going to change overnight, or anytime soon for that matter. But, I believe more publishers should follow the lead of Quill & Flame, who clearly provides labels for their romance books and what you can expect in each category, from G to PG-13. Transparency should be the norm. It’s not censorship or moral posturing. It’s honesty and clarity. Above all, it serves and protects readers, the people we’re writing and selling stories for to begin with. 

When we provide transparency, we get trust in return. That is the best tool a brand or company could have in its marketing toolbelt. Trust brings repeat business. Ladies, be careful who you trust. Evaluate what you consume. How is it impacting your home life, thought life, or love life? Well-crafted stories should move and inspire you to be a better mother, friend, sister, and spouse. Are you happy with the woman you are becoming? If not, it might be time to break up with BookTok, or at least, stop relying on them to make your choices for you.