If you've picked up a book recently, there's a good chance it's because someone on TikTok told you to.
What we read is no longer driven by bookshops or bestseller charts alone, but by a constant stream of fast, highly personal recommendations. From rapid-fire reviews to emotional reactions, creators are shaping reading habits at scale and #BookTok has more than 77 million posts.
Now, this influence is being formalised with the launch of the UK's first official #BookTok bestseller list. The new chart, compiled by Media Control and NielsenIQ BookData - which also provides data for traditional charts such as the Sunday Times bestseller list - combines UK sales data with analysis of the #BookTok hashtag.
The inaugural top 20, which will be updated monthly, is entirely made up of female authors, with Irish writer Chloe Walsh appearing most frequently.
All six books in her Boys of Tommen series - which follow a group of teenagers navigating love, friendship and trauma at a private school - feature on the list. The chart also reflects how BookTok is reshaping the lifecycle of books - Donna Tartt's The Secret History, first published in 1992, appears on the list after finding a new audience decades later through TikTok.
Many of the titles on the list are also either recent or upcoming screen adaptations including Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us, Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing and Chloe Walsh's Boys of Tommen series. Dominating the list are titles linked to the platform's biggest genre, romantasy, with books by Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros making it into the chart.
BookTok influencers Kris and Mads say it's no surprise romantasy dominates the list as these authors have built highly engaged fanbases online, with readers sharing reactions, theories and recommendations that sustain long-term interest. It's such an accessible genre and allows readers to get passionate about something light and fun with other people.
The rise of a BookTok chart does not necessarily mean traditional lists are disappearing, but it may suggest a shift in the literary landscape. NielsenIQ BookData says 11 million UK book sales in 2025 were attributed to BookTok - around 6% of all book sales.
Young adult author Abiola Bello says the influence of BookTok is increasingly visible beyond the app, with retailers responding directly to online trends. WHSmith have a 'TikTok made me buy it' section in store and I've seen my book on the shelves there.
Publishing director at Evermore, Claire Simmonds, agrees and says the platform has been a real game changer for sales and discovery, but stresses it is part of a wider ecosystem. BookTok can be the spark, she says, but everything else needs to be in place to catch that momentum.
