From authors like Colleen Hoover and Sally Rooney to books like “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and “Song of Achilles,” the TikTok trend colloquially dubbed BookTok led to the growth of new genres like “romantasy”—a portmanteau of ‘romance’ and ‘fantasy.’ The growth of these trends coupled with TikTok’s short-form video style allowed BookTok to become an innovative book marketing strategy.
Tiktok’s easy-access nature resulted in widespread growth of the book-reading community of BookTok. In short videos, content creators typically showcase book lists, reviews, vlogs or promotions.
Sophomore Kristiyan Kurtev discusses how the recommendations on his TikTok feed introduce him to new titles.
“I would say the BookTok recommendations are sometimes a hit or miss because different people like different things, and I’ve been thoroughly disappointed by books which people have recommended to me,” Kristiyan said. “I was recommended a book that was supposed to be interesting, but for me it was really, really bad. But then there have been some awesome reads on there that I’ve heard people recommend.”
Part of the success of BookTok books lies in videos’ ability to resonate with readers through relatable content, since the platform’s emphasis on personal stories and genuine reactions creates a sense of community among readers, fostering trust and engagement.
Senior Audrey Feng began using BookTok after watching some posts on “Fourth Wing,” a popular romantasy book that ranked number 1 on the NYT bestsellers list for 18 weeks. She reflected on how she now uses TikTok for book recommendations.
“The comments are also really useful,” Audrey said. “Someone will post about a certain genre of book and then people will comment with a lot of recommendations, and I feel like those comments usually have better quality recommendations than the actual posts.”
BookTok has led to significant increases in sales for featured titles, with some books, like “Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo, experiencing a revival in popularity or becoming bestsellers years after their initial publication.
Assistant Librarian Sarah Smet notes how the visual and interactive nature of TikTok allows for creative book promotions, which further appeals to a younger, digitally-savvy audience.
“Across the board, people in Gen Z want authenticity,” Smet said. “We reject it if something’s too perfect; we’re in a more authentic time where we want more raw, improvisational, relatable content, and TikTok really lends to that sort of mindset. The market has wildly changed in the last decade, but it’s stronger: I don’t know the numbers for book sales, but I do know that people are talking about books more.”
BookTok does introduce more readers to different authors, but its focus leans toward surface-level enjoyment rather than deeper literary value.
“I am somebody who reads a lot, and I feel like a lot of the books that are on BookTok are specifically for entertainment purposes,” Kristiyan said. “They’re of course really fun to read, but I honestly have to find other ways to read higher quality literature.”
The community specializes in introducing a love of books to new demographics and sparking interest in genres like romance and fantasy, encouraging new readers to explore these books and allowing the romance genre to finally gain recognition.
“It’s been such an untapped market for a really long time now, and it’s finally getting the recognition and is being treated as a legitimate genre,” Smet said. “It’s not just something that bored housewives and teenagers read. Everybody’s reading it. That’s kind of powerful because romance books have always been the top selling genre in the U.S., but now it’s getting kudos for that.”
While some readers may passionately praise a book, there are others on BookTok who tear it apart with equal enthusiasm. Readers with different tastes can find their communities and validate their perspectives. The algorithm amplifies both hype and criticism; for every viral favorite, there’s a counter-movement of readers dissecting its flaws and offering alternative recommendations.
“TikToks are always very polarized,” Audrey said. “They’re either people raving about it and being like, ‘Oh my god, Fourth Wing’s amazing, I love the characters,’ or they’re people asking, “How do people like Fourth Wing? This isn’t good.’”
With its ability to make books go viral, BookTok redefined how literature reaches readers. Even authors have jumped on the content creation train, sharing aspects of their writing process or marketing their books through various trends. TikTok has changed the landscape of book marketing from traditional to personal.
Smet noticed how many of the authors she follows post on social media about their daily lives along with their books.
“John Green was one of the first authors that really eliminated the wall between author and fanbase,” Smet said. “His blogs with his brother and his internet presence really revolutionized the way that authors have to interact with their fans to get somewhere and to build a cult following. In order to be a successful author with certain demographics, you have to make yourself available to people.”