Technology
'I just love yapping': Spud sellers, posh-girl comedy and bus-loving gran among TikTok award nominees
If TikTok has a resident librarian, it's Jack Edwards, who has built a devoted following by sharing his love of reading. But he says his journey into social media stardom began with rejection.
"It was lockdown and I was looking for a job in publishing and no-one wanted to hire me," he recalls. "My inbox was snorkelling in a sea of rejection and every email started with the word unfortunately.
"So I started talking about the books I was reading on social media."
What began as a side project quickly turned into a full-time career, and Edwards ended up leaving the job he'd eventually secured in publishing.
He says his advice to would-be creators is finding what makes their content personal.
"You have so many interests," he explains. "If you were to create a Venn diagram of them all, the crossover in the middle is what you should make content about. For me, the cross-section is books, travel and pop culture."
Edwards adds that he's careful about how much of himself he reveals to his audience. "I talk about the books and art I love, but never the people I love," he says.
"But of course when you talk about books, you end up talking about everything from trauma, to politics, to sexuality."
That openness has seen him create a community that stretches far beyond the screen.
"People say, 'Hi' in the street and it's the best thing ever. We have a mini book club right there on the pavement, an instant Jane Austen love-fest, and I know it's so strange but honestly it's really special for me."
Still, internet fame brings its odd moments.
"Sometimes you get a message saying, 'Oh, hi, I just saw you at the urinal,'" he laughs. "Being spotted in those kinds of places never gets normal."
If TikTok has a resident librarian, it's Jack Edwards, who has built a devoted following by sharing his love of reading. But he says his journey into social media stardom began with rejection.
"It was lockdown and I was looking for a job in publishing and no-one wanted to hire me," he recalls. "My inbox was snorkelling in a sea of rejection and every email started with the word unfortunately.
"So I started talking about the books I was reading on social media."
What began as a side project quickly turned into a full-time career, and Edwards ended up leaving the job he'd eventually secured in publishing.
He says his advice to would-be creators is finding what makes their content personal.
"You have so many interests," he explains. "If you were to create a Venn diagram of them all, the crossover in the middle is what you should make content about. For me, the cross-section is books, travel and pop culture."
Edwards adds that he's careful about how much of himself he reveals to his audience. "I talk about the books and art I love, but never the people I love," he says.
"But of course when you talk about books, you end up talking about everything from trauma, to politics, to sexuality."
That openness has seen him create a community that stretches far beyond the screen.
"People say, 'Hi' in the street and it's the best thing ever. We have a mini book club right there on the pavement, an instant Jane Austen love-fest, and I know it's so strange but honestly it's really special for me."
Still, internet fame brings its odd moments.
"Sometimes you get a message saying, 'Oh, hi, I just saw you at the urinal,'" he laughs. "Being spotted in those kinds of places never gets normal."
