"BookTok" is a community of TikTok users who share their love (or hate) of books. This side of TikTok has been extremely useful with book sales and authors’ success. Colleen Hoover blew up on TikTok and recently had a film adaptation of one of her novels. Other writers, like Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Adam Silvera, and more have accumulated “cult” followings. TikTok’s algorithm and consistent activity does the customer searching and baiting for advertisers. It creates space for self-publishers or smaller authors to have a chance to go viral and make sales by self-advertising. They can follow trends on their own For You Page and better their chances of finding readers interested in the book. It’s authentic and brings people who like to read similar books to these authors' doorsteps.
Rebecca Yarros’ third book in her series, Onyx Storm, released in January 2025 and sold 2.7 million copies in the first week: topping every bestseller list and becoming the fastest-selling adult novel in the past 20 years. This is due in large part to TikTok creators posting about characters, reactions, theories, and excitement they get from the books.
More and more people of all ages are finding a love for reading that they didn’t have before TikTok. According to WeForum.org, annual print book sales in the United States rose by 9% in 2021, right around the time COVID-19 sent people into quarantine and BookTok found its way onto people’s screens.
But TikTok creates exposure, and sometimes it isn’t always positive for book sales. With cancel culture, some famous authors’ reputations have taken a hit. Hugely famous author, J.K. Rowling was cancelled for being transphobic, Colleen Hoover has been criticized for romanticizing toxic relationships, Kiera Cass was accused of blocking readers who gave her books negative reviews, Veronica Roth was accused of ableism and racism.
But where book sales from these authors have taken a hit, it creates space in the reading community for new authors that bring more diversity to the table. More LGBTQ+ books have gotten popular such as Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. All of these books are currently sitting, or have sat, on the “#BookTok” shelf at the Fargo Barnes & Noble and Target.
These stores actively market to BookTok users in their stores because customers trust the influencers on TikTok to tell them what books they have been enjoying. When these BookTokers read them, it creates a community, or massive book club if you will, where readers can talk about their favorite books and encourage their friends to read them too.
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