BookTok for book marketing: Here’s how to decide if it’s a must or maybe

Does it make sense for you to use BookTok for book marketing? Yes, if your audience uses that social platform. Here's what you need to know.

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BookTok on TikTok is one of the latest book marketing resources for authors.

TikTok is a social media platform for creating and sharing short videos. The drama surrounding TikTok in recent years recently ended – at least for now – with a new joint venture company taking over the platform’s U.S. operations.

Up to this point, TikTok was at risk of being shut down in the U.S. With that uncertainty over, authors can double down on BookTok, a TikTok subculture for books and readers. Book lovers create opinionated and entertaining video book reviews, sharing them with the #BookTok hashtag so readers can find them.

BookTok for book marketing is big – but will it help you?

Who’s using TikTok?

Before adding TikTok’s BookTok to your book marketing plan, you need to know if your ideal readers are active on that social network.

About two-thirds of TikTok’s users in 2025 are ages 18 to 34 – Gen Z and millennials. Within that group, there are more 25- to 35-year-olds than 18- to 24-year-olds. Percent of users drops significantly in older age groups, with those 55-plus making up just 8.2% of the users.

Just over half of those users are male.

And interestingly, the majority of creators on the platform are 18 to 24.

Most of the users are in the U.S., at three times as many as the next closest nation, Brazil. Finns spend the most time on TikTok, though.

While the number of baby boomers using TikTok has increased since 2021, they still aren’t using the platform in large numbers. If that’s who you write for, don’t spend time figuring out how to use BookTok for book marketing. Put your social media time into Facebook and YouTube, the most popular social platforms for that age group.

(Remember this when you continue to see articles and other commentary about how authors must be using TikTok and BookTok for book marketing.)

If you write for a young adult audience, you need to master this social network. Your readers are waiting for you there.

The press is buzzing about BookTok

What else do you need to know about BookTok on TikTok? Here’s a roundup of what publications are saying about the trend and why it’s important to authors.

“Can Influencers Predict the Next Big Thing in Books?,” Elle

This article features predictions from 21 book influencers about publishing trends for 2025. It highlights how BookTok has become more advocacy-focused, with conversations about measuring actual change in the publishing industry and using platforms for action and social impact.

“The Best of BookTok 2025: Must-Read Books and Why TikTok Still Owns Publishing,” Film 14

This piece argues that BookTok is thriving in 2025, with self-published authors outselling legacy publishers and backlist titles being resurrected from obscurity. It emphasizes TikTok’s unique blend of vulnerability and aesthetics in dictating reading choices, noting that romance, fantasy, and thrillers remain particularly popular genres. Scroll down for tips on marketing your book there.

“#BookTok: Is TikTok changing the publishing industry?,” The Week

This article examines BookTok’s role in driving an unprecedented surge in book sales. It explores how the social media phenomenon has become a significant factor in the publishing world’s recent success.

“BookTok: How Will BookTok Change Publishing in 2023?,” Rolling Stone

This piece discusses the growing influence of BookTok creators and addresses compensation issues, with creators arguing they should be paid for their impact on book sales. It explores how BookTok has become a determining factor in which books get published and adapted into movies.

How to use BookTok for book marketing

The first thing you need to do is use TikTok yourself.

Research how to do that online. For example, there’s good advice from one of the Young People in “How to Use BookTok: A Guide for Authors and Publishers” at the Literary Ladies Guide site. Or, take a course. Register for a free Udemy account, then watch your email for a sale that will get you a discount on one of the TikTok courses.

You can create videos for your own book, but is it possible to get a BookToker to review your book instead?

Most authors writing for a younger audience or who write mainstream fiction would be thrilled if a BookToker reviewed their book. That starts with a top-quality book, which is usually the norm with a traditionally published book. If you’re self-published, your book needs to look and read like there’s a big-name publisher behind it.

The quickest route to reaching influential TikTok reviewers is hiring a specialist or agency offering this service.

Going all D-I-Y

Or, you can do it yourself.

Identify the up-and-coming reviewers who are still building a following. Begin to establish relationships with them. Support them by liking, commenting on, and sharing their videos.

And, note that these enthusiastic reviewers like to hold a print book, so if your book is only available as an e-book, getting BookTok reviews might not be a realistic goal. (Or, once you immerse yourself in the platform, you might find some who do review e-books.)

Eventually, you might be in a position to contact a few reviewers personally with a direct message. But first put the time into using the app yourself and supporting the reviewers who love the kinds of books you write.

There’s no question that BookTokers are having a profound impact on book sales. If you start small and you’re patient, you might enjoy some of that success yourself.

Or, you might just have a lot of fun learning how to create short videos. That’s good, too!

Do you use TikTok and BookTok for book marketing? What’s working for you? Please tell us in a comment.

(Editor’s note: This article was published in February 2022. It is updated and expanded.)