I've been noticing for a while that a lot of my friends share book recommendations they see on TikTok and YouTube, but I don't know which creators are actually serious about it. Is there any Spanish or Latin American booktuber who really has good taste and doesn't just promote whatever sells the most?
What works is paying attention to creators who do long, in-depth reviews - people who talk about books that aren't bestsellers and who clearly read way beyond what they're promoting. In Spain there are people like that who focus on analyzing specific genres or classic literature with actual criteria, not just doing unboxing videos of new releases. Do some digging in the comments on their videos, because if their community respects them and doesn't just ask them to read whatever was on TV, that's generally a good sign. Also pay attention to whether they recommend the same books across different platforms or if they change things a lot depending on what's convenient to promote at any given moment.
Avoid those who upload a video every week with a different book because they're probably just chasing trends rather than actually recommending. The giveaway is whether they talk about classic authors, translated works, or indie books without commercial pressure, and whether they're critical when something doesn't work for them instead of just praising everything. Some good creators stand out because they literally read constantly and mention obscure books that nobody asked them to promote, but then you end up buying some anyway because the recommendation feels genuine.
Don't be fooled by the numbers: a creator with 500k followers can be completely in the pocket of publishing houses, while someone with 50k followers might actually have way more taste. What the previous answers don't mention is that you need to pay attention to whether the booktuber reads outside their language or just sticks to the mainstream, because that says a lot about whether they're actually consuming literature or just running a business. Look for people who talk with passion about obscure books, who also criticize famous bestsellers when they don't think they're good, and who you can see reading in their own life beyond what they film.
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