Alex Aster is an American author of young adult fantasy novels. She is best known for Lightlark (2022), which became a bestseller after gaining attention on TikTok.
Alex Aster was interested in writing from an early age. She wrote her first novel at 12 and continued to write throughout high school and college. Despite numerous rejections, she persisted in refining her stories. One of her early books, Curse of the Night Witch (2020), was inspired by Latin American myths by her Colombian grandmother. It found a publisher but did not sell well.
After struggling to sell Lightlark, Aster turned to social media. On 13 March 2021, she posted a TikTok video describing the book's premise: a cursed island that appears every hundred years and hosts a deadly competition.
She was not expecting a tremendous response. "I was back to square one," she said later. "So I wrote Lightlark, this book everyone told me wouldn't break through." By the next morning, her video had more than a million views. Within a week, the book was on the auction block, securing a six-figure deal with Amulet Books. Universal Pictures soon pre-empted the film rights.
Lightlark was released on 23 August 2022 and became a New York Times bestseller. In its first week, it sold 24,517 copies, setting a record for a YA debut. The book was acquired in over 30 territories. Aster credited TikTok for her success, saying, "I didn't have a plan. I just wanted to be part of this community."
Alex Aster has over a million social media followers, and her videos have been viewed 150 million times. She is one of the most followed authors online. In 2023, she was also named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list.
In addition to Lightlark, Aster has written the critically acclaimed mid-grade series Emblem Island. She also wrote the song Divine, which gained popularity on TikTok during the pandemic.
Aster continues to write and engage with her audience. She has highlighted the role of social media in modern publishing. "There's such a disconnect between the people making decisions in the boardrooms and the readers who are hungry for these kinds of books," she said.
Photo credit: www.asterverse.com
