BookTok for Authors 101: How to Promote Your Book on TikTok

December 16, 2025

BookTok for Authors 101: How to Promote Your Book on TikTok

Understanding BookTok and Why It Matters for Authors

No matter your feelings about social media, there’s no denying that TikTok is the single most powerful platform for growing your author brand. Since the early days of the pandemic, when the #BookTok trend took off, authors have been using TikTok to engage with fans, promote their books, and expand their audience. Now a cultural phenomenon with more than 370 billion views and 67 million posts, BookTok is an ever-expanding community of book lovers sharing all things book-related. For authors in particular, BookTok has become a powerful tool for expanding their organic reach and increasing book sales. 

Benefits of BookTok Marketing

Aside from the sheer number of people in the BookTok community, there are plenty of reasons why authors should harness the power of BookTok marketing. In fact, according to a study by BookScan, there is a direct correlation between BookTok and book sales. The report’s stats showed that BookTok helped authors sell 30 million printed books in 2022 alone.

Additional advantages of BookTok for authors:

  • Built-in audience 
  • Pre-established community of book lovers
  • Wide range of readers (BookTok covers all ages, backgrounds, genres, etc.)
  • Rapid fanbase growth with viral/trending content
  • Algorithm encourages a level playing field (weighted based on user behavior and engagement rather than number of followers)

How to Start a BookTok Author Account

Ready to capitalize on the BookTok audiobook trend? Here’s what you need to know as an author getting started on TikTok.

Creating & Optimizing Your Profile

If you want to know how to promote your book on TikTok, first you need to create a TikTok business account. Unlike regular, personal accounts, business TikTok accounts allow you to access essential marketing tools, including performance analytics, audience demographics, and TikTok’s commercial music library. Once your account is set up, be sure to enable features like live Q&A sessions, duets, linking to your author website, and more.

The next step is to optimize your profile for maximum exposure and visibility. This requires some advanced planning and research to ensure you are targeting the right audience for your specific literary genre. The most common BookTok genres include: 

  • Romance and contemporary fiction
  • Romantasy (a romance and fantasy mashup)
  • Fantasy
  • Young adult fiction
  • Thriller and mystery
  • Memoir and self-help

Username, Bio, and Profile Picture Best Practices 

Remember that all elements of your TikTok profile, including your username, speak to your author brand. You’ll want to choose a name that relates to your genre and is catchy and easy to remember. Some format options include:

  • [YourName]Author
  • [YourName]Books
  • [YourName]Writes
  • [YourName]+[YourGenre]

Once you’ve settled on your username, move on to your author bio. Keep it short and engaging, and be sure to incorporate relevant and trending keywords to increase discoverability. Don’t forget to upload a profile picture (keep it casual and relatable), and add links to your author website, other social media channels, and any sales platforms where readers can purchase your books. 

   

How to Start a BookTok: Tips for Success

Now that you’ve learned how to start a BookTok, it’s time to begin posting. For many authors, this can be a daunting task. What do you post? What do you NOT post? Do you have to show your face? How do you know if you’re doing it right? To help you get going, we’ve gathered some quick tips and BookTok ideas for authors.

BookTok Marketing for Authors: Do’s & Don’ts

  • Do: Be yourself! BookTok is not a commercial. Low-production value actually resonates more than polished video. Dress casually, sit in a comfortable environment, and talk the way you would talk to your best friend.
  • Don't: Spam people. The majority of your content should be engaging, fun stuff, sprinkled with book promotions. 
  • Do: Post at least daily. The more often you post, the more chances for your videos to go viral. Also be sure to keep it consistent; don’t go for days without posting, leaving your followers hanging.
  • Do: Use hashtags to your advantage. Use the #BookTok hashtag on every post, and add up to 4 additional trending hashtags related to your genre.
  • Don’t: Hashtag bomb your posts. More than 5 hashtags on a single post is too many, and using hashtags unrelated to your content comes off as inauthentic. 
  • Do: Regularly engage with the BookTok community. Like and comment on posts in your book’s genre, follow other authors, and interact with their content.  
  • Don’t: Forget to engage with your followers, too! Ask them questions, reply to their comments, make them feel seen and valued. 
  • Don’t: Post long videos. TikTok thrives on short video content. The ideal BookTok video length is 15 seconds to one minute.
  • Do: Have a clear hook. Draw viewers in within the first 3 seconds by asking a question or making a bold statement. 
  • Do: Do your research. See what other authors in your genre are posting and what is trending, then replicate the things that you like.
  • Don’t: Forget your niche. Keep your content focused on your book’s genre and the followers will come.  
  • Do: Remember your visuals! While you don't necessarily need to show your face in BookTok videos, visuals are still important. If you're camera-shy, try using a bookshelf background with voiceover narration.
  • Don’t: Ignore trends. Keeping up with what others in the BookTok community are doing is essential to BookTok marketing.
  • Don’t: Be afraid to test and try new ideas, even if they fail. Don’t overthink it.
  • Do: Just START. 

   

BookTok Ideas for Authors: What to Post (Beyond Self Promos)

It may seem counterintuitive, but when thinking about how to promote your book on TikTok, one of the most important things is the 80/20 rule. This means that only 20% of your content should be promotional. So, what should the other 80% of your content be? Here are some BookTok ideas for authors that go beyond self-promotion:

  1. Day-in-the-life snapshots
  2. Behind-the-scenes videos
  3. Your writing process, inspirations, etc.
  4. Writing tips for fellow authors and budding writers
  5. Book recommendations and reviews
  6. Other books in your genre that you love
  7. Your favorite TV shows and movies in your book’s genre
  8. Ask questions and get viewers involved
  9. Answer questions or host a Q&A session
  10. Reaction videos (film yourself reading and responding to an emotional part of a book)
  11. Trending BookTok content (weigh in with your opinion and get people commenting)
  12. Use the #StitchThis tactic to share a review or answer a question. Take a clip from another BookToker’s video and record a response. 
  13. Use TikTok analytics to see what is performing well and film more of those kinds of videos. 

   

How to Promote Your Book on BookTok

Now that we’ve covered 80% of your posting, let’s talk about that 20% of self-promotional content.

BookTok Marketing: What to Post

Want to know how to promote your book on TikTok? Here’s an easy checklist of BookTok ideas for authors

  1. Introduce yourself and your background
  2. Introduce your work (your previous works, the book you’re promoting, and anything you’re currently writing)
  3. Create book trailers teasing your upcoming release
  4. Film character introduction videos 
  5. Post book cover teasers to build anticipation for new titles
  6. Share unboxing videos for printed books
  7. Show behind-the-scenes clips from audiobook recording sessions
  8. Run book giveaways and contests
  9. Post about upcoming sales events, book signings, book tours, etc. 
  10. Partner with other BookTok authors in your genre. You can do joint Q&A sessions, swap book reviews, and more to help cross-promote each other’s work.  

   

BookTok for Authors: How to Maximize Reach

To make sure your BookTok posts reach as many people as possible, here are a few key things to keep in mind:

  • Use both general and specific hashtags

  • Find trends using TikTok’s Discover page. Based on what’s popular, film a book-related video that plays into the buzz. 
  • Participate in (or start) a BookTok challenge
    • This can be an official challenge run by a brand or a user-generated trend like “books that made me cry” or “underrated reads”
  • Use trending BookTok sounds
    • These are popular audio files used in BookTok videos, usually associated with book-specific moods like fantasy, romance, etc. 
    • Search “trending sounds” on TikTok or search “BookTok” on streaming platforms like Spotify to find playlists dedicated to trending BookTok sounds. 
  • Add captions and subtitles for increased accessibility
  • Use TikTok SEO keywords
    • In your captions, on-screen text, spoken words, and hashtags, be sure to include the most relevant words and phrases for your content. 
    • Use TikTok’s search bar to find helpful related terms to include 
  • Engage with BookTok influencers 
    • Look for BookTokers in your genre who have high engagement rates (not just a ton of followers) and reach out to them for collaboration.

   

BookTok Marketing for Audiobooks

When it comes to audiobooks, specifically, BookTok is an extremely effective marketing tool – so much so that people now refer to popular audiobooks discovered through the platform as “BookTok audiobooks.” With so many audio versions of books going viral through BookTok, the trend has even spawned a new hub on Spotify, called Big on BookTok, a place where audiobook fans can turn their BookTok wishlists into “To Be Listened” playlists.

   

The Best BookTok Audiobooks Trending Right Now

Want to get in on the BookTok audiobook trend? Check out this list of the best BookTok audiobooks for examples of what listeners are currently looking for:

  • Game On
  • We Fell Apart: A We Were Liars Novel
  • Mate
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses
  • Katabasis: A Novel
  • The Love Hypothesis 
  • James: A Novel
  • Fourth Wing
  • It Ends With Us
  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

   

BookTok for Authors FAQs

Do I need to show my face on BookTok to succeed?

No! There are plenty of BookTok ideas for authors who do not want to appear on camera. Try utilizing voiceovers, using your hands to interact with books, and adding text overlays on-screen.

   

What gear or setup do I need to create BookTok videos?

Minimal gear is required for BookTok marketing. All you really need is a smartphone and the TikTok app. You can add a ring light, a microphone, and a tripod for a more advanced setup. 

   

Can I monetize my BookTok following beyond book sales?

Absolutely! Once you’ve created a solid BookTok following, you can monetize it through brand deals, sponsored content, affiliate links, and joining the TikTok Creator Rewards program.

   

Who are the most popular BookTok authors?

Authors who have huge followings on BookTok include Colleen Hoover, Sarah J. Maaz, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Alice Oseman, Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Rebecca Yarros. 

   

Looking for more ways to promote your audiobook? We have you covered.

The Essential Audiobook Marketing Guide