TikTok's BookTok Sparks Romance Rivalry and New Bestseller Buzz!

TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, is changing the way people discover and buy books, especially among younger readers. The BookTok community on TikTok has become a major force in the publishing world, with over 77 million posts using the hashtag BookTok. Instead of relying only on traditional bestseller lists or recommendations from bookshops, many readers now turn to TikTok for quick reviews, emotional reactions, and personal suggestions from other readers.

To recognize this growing influence, the UK has launched its first official BookTok bestseller list. This new chart is created by combining UK book sales data with analysis of the BookTok hashtag, thanks to Media Control and NielsenIQ BookData. The list is updated every month and, for its first edition, is dominated by romance and romantasy books—a mix of romance and fantasy. All the top 20 books are written by women, with Irish author Chloe Walsh appearing the most. Her Boys of Tommen series, which follows a group of teenagers dealing with love, friendship, and personal struggles at a private school, has all six of its books on the list.

BookTok is also giving new life to older books. For example, Donna Tartt's The Secret History, first published in 1992, is now back in the spotlight because it found a new audience on TikTok. Many of the books on the list are also being adapted into movies or TV shows, such as Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us and Chloe Walsh's Boys of Tommen series. BookTok influencers like Kris and Mads say that romantasy is so popular because it is easy to get excited about and share with others. They believe that young people are more likely to trust recommendations from fellow readers on TikTok than from professional critics.

The power of BookTok can be seen in how quickly a book can become a hit. For example, after Kris and Mads talked about The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion, the book sold out on Amazon. BookTok is also helping independent and lesser-known books get noticed, even if they don't have big marketing budgets. Lucy Stewart, a deputy publishing director, says that TikTok has made romance books more visible and respected, and she supports making reading and book-buying more accessible to everyone.

For readers like Amy from Hampshire, TikTok is a great place to discover new genres and get out of a reading slump. She says BookTok has helped her find books she never would have known about otherwise. While traditional bestseller lists are still important, the rise of BookTok shows that the way people find books is changing. In 2025, about 11 million book sales in the UK were linked to BookTok, which is around 6 percent of all book sales. Bookshops are also responding to this trend, with some stores creating special sections for books that became popular on TikTok.

Sara Roberts, a senior marketing manager, says BookTok is now one of the most powerful tools in publishing and helps spot new trends. However, she also points out that traditional marketing and reviews still matter, as not all readers use TikTok. Some books do better with traditional coverage, while others thrive on social media buzz. Claire Simmonds, a publishing director, agrees that BookTok is a game changer for sales and discovery, but it works best as part of a bigger system. She says BookTok can start the excitement, but other things need to be in place to keep it going.

In summary, TikTok and BookTok are changing the way people find and enjoy books. They help readers discover new stories, bring attention to overlooked genres, and make reading more social and fun. While traditional ways of finding books are still important, BookTok is now a key part of the book world, especially for younger readers.