If a trend has truly shaken the publishing world lately, it is hashtag #KitapTok, which has surged to 122 billion views on TikTok, making it the largest book club in history. To understand this movement clearly, it helps to dispel a few myths first.
Contrary to common belief, young readers are not disappearing. In fact, Spain’s Reading Habits and Book Buying Barometer 2022 shows that children and adolescents are among the top readers in the country. Social networks do not threaten this appetite for books; they amplify it and keep it lively.
Since the pandemic and the successive lockdowns, book clubs have enjoyed a second golden age. People, whether acquainted or strangers, read, share, and comment on headlines. It’s a habit that hooks readers, supporting intellectual growth while fostering community, bonds, and a sense of belonging.
A study by the SM Foundation found that 80% of teens believed books helped them cope with difficult times. By the end of 2020, the hashtag #KitapTok first appeared on TikTok, the favorite platform of Generation Z, the generation born roughly between 1994 and 2010. With over a thousand million active users, TikTok is more than a social network for many teens. It has become a primary digital space where Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not strictly necessary for daily life online, at least for some users. (citation: The New York Times)
In this youth-driven space, early videos were brief, often under a minute, and could even be about simple book displays. Yet the hashtag quickly evolved into a hub for creative content: emotional reactions to surprising endings, reading playlists, and declarations of love for characters. Consequently, books already on the market began to see a sales boost. For example, E. Lockhart’s novel We Were Liars (Salamander) found worldwide attention thanks to #BookTok, and this year it was announced that its subject would become a Prime Video series. (citation: publishing industry sources)
Publishers promptly recognized the network’s potential. Scribd reported a 75% surge in demand for the most mentioned TikTok titles. Nearly every major label has established channels on this vibrant platform, and book fairs have begun to address it directly. At Frankfurt Book Fair, TikTok became a partner for the first time, and Monterrey International Book Fair hosted a panel on #BookTok. The Power of TikTok research indicates that 67% of hashtag users are over 25. As Tobias Henning, head of TikTok for Germany and parts of Europe, explains, #BookTok is a space not only for discovery and recommendations but also for active critique and fan culture, turning individual actions into shared experiences. (citation: industry reports)
Publishers and Generation Z
Álex Gómez-Collins, Marketing and Communications Director of Grupo Anaya, notes that the hashtag delivers clearly positive results and that the group monitors the reader behind every title rather than treating publishing as a quick fix. The aim is to balance enthusiasm with responsibility to readers.
Publishers observed rising sales for titles like Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis and The Chemistry of Love, as well as Madeleine Miller’s The Song of Achilles and Circe, driven by TikTok-driven trends. The case of Miller’s work, first published in 2012 and championed by early #BookTok creator @aymansbooks, shows how enduring recommendations can periodically translate into a strong weekly sales rhythm.
Gómez-Collins adds that the label has launched its own TikTok channel, Hablamos de Libros, to curate posts from multiple imprints and highlight relevant titles for the audience. He also notes an interesting behavior: Generation Z often discovers books through social networks but still chooses to buy paper editions in bookstores to inspect the physical format, pricing, and print quality. The live experience of handling a book matters to them, and stores remain essential spaces for discovery.
Agustín Paz, head of Social Networks and Online Activities at Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, emphasizes that studies on new reading habits confirm Generation Z loves to read and often turns to social networks for information. Influencers like prescribers, including booktokers, bookstagrammers, and booktubers, play a crucial role in guiding reading choices.
Paz explains how valuable the hashtag is for reaching younger readers: Penguin Random House added #booktokespaña, which has attracted over 422 million views, to its social strategy to position books and stay in the conversation. The goal is to remain close to readers and engage with any account or channel that mentions their titles.
PRH demonstrates versatility by pairing authors from Wattpad By Montena with other genres—non-fiction such as self-help, cooking, and health, as well as romance, thrillers, and detective fiction. Each genre finds its own space and audience on the platform.
New stamps for new readers
The strong teen reading rate, combined with TikTok-driven discovery, has spurred the creation of TBR Editorial, a teen-focused series developed with current writers and themes spanning fantasy, romance, vampires, mystery, and urban settings. The imprint aims to explore poetry, feminism, empowerment, body positivity, and illustration. Sergio Martínez Vallejera, head of Marketing at TBR, explains that #BookTok is widely popular both as a hashtag and as a community. It helps with positioning and audience reach, yet the imprint plans to grow its brand carefully, testing campaigns before broad engagement. The hope is that this strategy will generate anticipation around forthcoming titles. He notes that TikTok’s virality allows a wide audience to discover books that might have flown under the radar for years.
Vallejera adds that TikTok is the platform that best channels fan-driven momentum: when a book is released in the United States and becomes a hit, it often goes viral quickly. Sometimes titles published years earlier resurface thanks to reader recommendations, signaling strong market potential. The team is excited to monitor what unfolds as new releases approach the shelves.