ByteDance’s 8th Note Press Closes Its Chapter

From Algorithm to Afterthought

After less than two years in the book industry, ByteDance’s publishing venture, 8th Note Press, has quietly closed its doors—leaving authors scrambling and careers in limbo.

Backed by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, 8th Note launched with high hopes and built-in discovery potential. But in late May, authors were notified that the imprint was shutting down. According to the New York Times, the company has started reverting rights to authors and pulling digital editions from retailers.

Despite its ties to TikTok—arguably the most powerful book discovery platform today—8th Note Press failed to leverage its greatest asset. Reports from The Bookseller note the company had no TikTok shop presence and promoted books primarily through a single paid video post, with no consistent organic engagement.

Last year, 8th Note made headlines when it partnered with indie publisher Zando to produce 10–15 titles a year in print. Now, Zando has quietly removed any mention of 8th Note from its partner listings.

Agents and authors describe a bumpy ride from the start. Jill Marr, a literary agent, told the NYT that her author’s editor at 8th Note left and was never replaced. Royalty statements due in the spring were reportedly never issued. Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media called the closure “career-wrecking,” particularly for debut authors: “If this is your first book, the record will show it was published and then swiftly went out of print.”

The closure underscores the difficulty of translating tech-world ambition into book publishing success. In the end, 8th Note’s short-lived experiment serves as a cautionary tale—one where a massive digital footprint wasn’t enough to build a meaningful publishing legacy.