TikTok Introduces UK's First #BookTok Bestseller List, Featuring Top 20 Titles from Female Authors

TikTok has introduced the UK's inaugural #BookTok bestseller list, combining sales data and hashtag analysis. The list highlights the platform's influence on book sales, with 11 million UK sales attributed to BookTok in 2025.

The list combines UK sales data with analysis of the #BookTok hashtag and is compiled by Media Control and NielsenIQ BookData. The inaugural top 20 consists entirely of female authors, with Irish writer Chloe Walsh appearing most frequently.

All six books in Walsh's Boys of Tommen series, which follows a group of teenagers navigating love, friendship and trauma at a private school, feature on the list. Donna Tartt's The Secret History, first published in 1992, appears on the inaugural #BookTok bestseller list.

Several titles on the list are linked to 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.

The #BookTok hashtag has more than 77 million posts. NielsenIQ BookData attributed 11 million UK book sales in 2025 to BookTok, representing around 6% of all book sales.

The #BookTok bestseller list will be updated monthly. The chart is dominated by romance and 'romantasy' titles, with authors like Chloe Walsh, Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros leading the list. BookTok influencers Kris and Mads said 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,' they said. Kris and Mads added that it can feel easier for young people to take a recommendation from another casual reader than from a professional critic.

Young adult author Abiola Bello said the influence of BookTok is visible beyond the app, with retailers like WHSmith having a 'TikTok made me buy it' section in stores.

Sara Roberts, senior marketing manager at Transworld, described BookTok as 'one of the most powerful forces in publishing' and 'an amazing trend spotter' for what readers are looking for. Publishing director at Evermore, Claire Simmonds, said the platform has been 'a real game changer' for sales and discovery, but stressed it is part of a wider ecosystem.