Winnie Jiang, Staff Illustrator

By Antonina Szklarzewska

This phenomenon can be attributed to BookTok, a popular corner of TikTok. BookTok is a social media subcommunity, which focuses on books and literature. It grew in popularity in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has become an inseparable part of the app. 

It is a passionate and vibrant community, where users, united by their love for books, can share book recommendations, reviews or hauls, using short videos. The hashtag #BookTok has garnered over 36 million videos and accumulated more than 200 billion views on TikTok. The platform’s short-form videos and users’ creative, emotional opinions, create a perfect environment for books to go viral. 

According to data from NPD BookScan, in 2021, 825 million book copies were sold in the US, reaching an almost 20-year peak. 

However, in 2023, Publishers Weekly reported that only 767 million book copies were sold. Despite the 7% decrease, the print unit sales in 2023 were still higher than in 2019 — the last pre-pandemic year and also the one before BookTok blew up. 

BookTok’s influence on sales demonstrates the platform’s ability to enable specific books and authors to return to favor years after publication. 

Originally published, 2016, Colleen Hoover’s romance novel It Ends With Us initially met with success but was later forgotten. The book has since enjoyed great success after experiencing a dramatic surge in popularity due to attention on BookTok. Many users of the platform started posting videos, discussing the heavy topics mentioned in the book, critiquing it and showing their emotional reactions, often with the song “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift playing in the background.

This resulted in Hoover’s work being on many bestsellers lists. Years later, in 2024, the book became the second best-selling BookTok author in the US — according to Circana BookScan. This is just one of many examples where BookTok has revived interest in older titles, leading to significant boosts in sales.

Hania Czaban, a Polish author who has published three books, explained that the books which are the most likely to become popular on book media are the ones that appeal to the demographic (teenagers and young adults) who use social media platforms the most.

Zuzia Wiktorska — an owner of BookTok and Booksgaram for over 3 years, with over 5000 followers combined — also noticed that pattern. 

“Definitely all trends and sensations revolve around the young adult/new adult genre, because the majority of people reading them have accounts on various social media platforms. It’s teenagers who are the most eager to post content on Instagram or TikTok,” – she said.  

Other genres that are recommended the most are: romance and adult fantasy. 

Publishers have taken notice of the BookTok phenomenon and now, most of them, are actively monitoring the latest trends on the platform, adjusting their marketing strategies to what is trending. 

Traditionally, book marketing was usually more focused on deep literary reviews and real life actions, such as: in-person meetings with an author, printed ads and book tours. However now, social media presence — especially on TikTok and Instagram —  is crucial for books to sell well. 

Publishers began collaborating with BookTok influencers to create visually appealing content, boosting audience engagement and speeding up the promotion process.The focus on the appearance of books has also influenced the way the book covers are made. Zuzia said that sometimes, the standard editions of books can look like special ones, because publishers have started competing so much in the design of new releases. 

Authors are now, more than ever, involved in promotion of the book. Hania explained that she feels that the responsibility to promote books shifts from the publishers to the authors. Although it may be a bit challenging, she’s happy that she gets to be more than just a writer.

“We can now convey meaning and tell a bigger story, a story about stories, about ourselves, and about the message we want to get across. And our readers become part of this story – she said. 

Zuzia concluded the whole situation saying, that after all, publishers are businesses like any other and as long as doing certain things it is beneficial, it will stay that way.  

The influence of BookTok on the publishing industry shows no signs of slowing down. As the platform continues to evolve, everyone in the community is adapting to the new, digital way of sharing their love for books. Publishers will still carefully analyze the trends and follow them as they publish new stories, because they have to earn money in order to keep existing, and what is popular, sells well.