Penguin Random House's Jon Donovan on AI, BookTok, and Discovery

In an interview with The Drum, Penguin Random House's digital marketing director Jon Donovan discusses how AI and TikTok are transforming book discovery. He highlights a shift from publisher-to-retailer push to reader-to-reader influence via BookTok, which has become a major sales channel. Donovan details the publisher's four-year digital transformation to build a data-driven marketing engine, focusing on first-party data, personalized recommendations, and AI-driven product discovery. He notes a decline in search traffic and an increased focus on visibility across AI platforms. He also discusses testing TikTok Shop for discovery commerce, scaling customer relationships, and the importance of balancing AI with human creativity. Donovan emphasizes that owning data and technology, along with agile team structures, are critical for adapting to rapid change.