Shelby Leigh - November 26, 2025 - 5 min. read

BookTok Authors: Strategies to Promote Your Books on TikTok

BookTok authors have been at the center of my journey: a few years ago, I shared an article on TikTok for Authors with my experience selling thousands of books and reaching 12 million likes.

Since then, I’ve worked with thousands of authors in all different genres, mentoring them on how to grow their presence on the platform, and I’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t.

BookTok authors, in this article I’m sharing my top tips on how fellow authors can use TikTok to grow their presence and boost book sales.

Starting on a new platform is intimidating. It’s scary, challenging, and nerve-wracking to learn a whole new platform, learn what works, and figure out how to connect with your readers.

The most important thing is to just start. When authors tell me they feel like they missed their chance, I always say this:

It is not too late to join, but you shouldn’t wait any longer!

If you are sitting on the sidelines, thinking that TikTok might be a good fit for you, but you haven’t tried it yet, it is not too late, but you shouldn’t wait any longer.

Many authors think the wave of organic growth is over on TikTok, but that isn’t true. It is harder to grow a following, because our feeds are now so tailored to us that we will see content from people we don’t follow. But that’s okay! You can still make really great sales from this platform.

Which brings me to my next point…

Don’t let the fear of video hold you back from being a part of one of the fastest-growing platforms in years

There are over 1 billion users on TikTok, meaning your readers are on there.

Video can be intimidating to get started with if you’ve never done it before, but with a little practice, you’ll be making videos in no time.

The important thing to remember is that TikTok is all about authentic, homemade videos.

You don’t need a professional camera and setup to make a viral TikTok. In fact, TikToks that have gotten me millions of views have been filmed on my bed, with my phone, and me talking into my phone from my closet for a nice-sounding voiceover. That’s it!

The nice thing about TikTok for BookTok authors is that people are used to videos with jump cuts in them, meaning you can film a bunch of videos, one sentence at a time, and then clip them together in the app. You don’t have to do the whole video in one take. TikTok makes it easy for BookTok authors to film multiple clips and put them together easily.

Once you feel comfortable showing up on video, it’s time to get smart about how you do it!

Create content that TikTok likes

Many authors get stuck watching follower numbers, checking who followed them, or trying to control who sees their account. What matters most is the content you create.

Time spent scrolling through new followers or worrying about who isn’t your ideal reader takes away from the thing that actually grows your account!

Instead, BookTok authors should pour their energy into the content itself and learn what the platform currently wants. Sometimes your video idea is strong, but it doesn’t perform well because it isn’t packaged in a way the algorithm can easily categorize and push to the right viewers.

Here are a few things worth paying attention to moving forward:

BookTok authors: What’s Changed on TikTok and How to Adapt

TikTok today behaves a lot like a search engine. So help TikTok help you.

Use keywords. Be very clear in your caption text and on-screen text. Say your genre clearly on screen, so TIkTok shows your video to the right people AND so your content shows up when people are searching for your genre. If you write fantasy romance, say “fantasy romance book” in your video and include that phrase in your caption, as well as other relevant tropes or themes.

TikTok listens and indexes content based on the language you use, so clarity makes a difference.

Format matters too. TikTok has been rewarding carousels lately, and these can work beautifully for authors. A carousel is a post with multiple images that users can swipe through – NOT a video! Which is great news for authors who want to start with images instead of video.

A carousel can show quotes, excerpts, and visual aesthetics of your book that speak directly to your specific type of reader.

When your content is strong AND clearly aligned with how the algorithm identifies and sorts content, it gets easier for TikTok to put your videos in front of the people who are actually looking for books like yours.

And once you understand what the platform likes, it’s time to…

Test formats and styles to see what actually works for you. Then, repurpose.

In addition to carousels mentioned above, there are a few different video styles that are popular on TikTok.

The first is talking videos. Just you talking to the camera. These are often educational, how-tos, or storytimes. They are fast-paced and entertaining, and start with a clear hook.

Watch time is important on TikTok – we want people to watch until the end for the best success – so don’t start with long videos at the beginning when you haven’t built trust yet with your audience. Aim for short, impactful stories or talking videos under 30 seconds.

Another type of video is silent b-roll videos, where there is no talking and only music. A lot of authors utilize this type to showcase their book through page flips, where they flip through the pages of their book, and overlay the video with text that entices the readers to buy the book.

You can also use other types of b-roll such as you writing, reading, or showing visuals related to your book (for example: you sleeping in bed if your book is a sleep guide, or a couple walking on the beach if it’s a romance).

Think: if I could summarize my book in a couple sentences to make someone intrigued, what would I say? These videos should be short – 7 to 10 seconds long – and hold your audience’s attention. 

Another type of video is the voiceover, where people show a day in their life, or a scene, and use the voiceover feature in TikTok to narrate what’s happening in the video.

And finally, trends are important for BookTok authors to watch. There are songs that will trend, video styles that will trend, and filters that trend. As you scroll through your TikTok feed, you may notice a song that’s being used often, or that people are using a filter in TikTok.

If you can make it fit for your book, it can be great to hop on these trends. However, this shouldn’t be your main focus.

Using audio that your readers enjoy (hint: look at what readers of your genre are using for their music!) is key to attracting those readers. Trends are fun sometimes, but shouldn’t make up your whole strategy.

Once you’ve tried out these video styles, stick to what’s working for you and repurpose.

New people will see your video every single time so if you post a video that goes viral (or does well!) and you never share it again, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Look at what’s worked well for you in the past (gotten you the most views or book sales) and repeat them, or do similar videos often.

Here’s how to actually get book sales

TikTok users are fast buyers. They want to know the name of the book and where to get it, so when they’re ready to buy, they can go do it at that moment. That’s why it’s crucial that you’re very clear about the name of the book and where to get it.

And now, TikTok has actually made this even easier.

BookTok authors: Leverage TikTok Shop

Before TikTok Shop, the common way to drive sales was pinning comments like “available on Amazon” and hoping people actually clicked through. This added extra steps. Those steps don’t match how fast TikTok buyers make decisions.

Now TikTok has made selling inside the app incredibly simple. Buyers can tap the product right there in your video, check out inside TikTok, and finish the purchase in seconds. TikTok also favors this type of native selling in the algorithm.

For BookTok authors, setting up TikTok Shop is worth it if you qualify, as it removes friction. A clear path to purchase makes all the difference on this platform.

But it’s not the only way! Referring readers to popular stores like Amazon still works, so make sure in your captions you’re being crystal clear about the name of the book, author name and where to buy (“available on Amazon!”).

Experiment with messaging and be compelling

Focus on clarity over being clever. If a reader can’t find a video that clearly states the plot for your book and gets them excited to read and find out what happens next, your posts likely aren’t going to convert to sales.

Be clear on genre, tropes, themes and leave your readers on a cliffhanger. Pull emotional moments and quotes from your book. That is how we tap into our readers’ minds and make the biggest impact!

Look at your analytics

Before you commit to a posting rhythm, take time to understand what actually works for your account. Your analytics point you toward the content that your audience actually stays for.

BookTok authors should pay attention to watch time, as it’s a major signal TikTok uses to decide if your video gets pushed to more viewers. A video that keeps people watching longer (even if it has fewer likes) is more valuable than a video that gets quick taps and early exits!

Look at which videos people watched all the way through. The higher the percentage of people watching the full video, the better. Those are the ideas worth repeating. This is how you make strategic decisions instead of guessing.

The same applies to your comments and DMs, and researching what readers of your genre are saying in their own posts about their favorite books. Pay attention to the language your community repeats the most. When you know what they’re already talking about, you can bring more of those themes into your future content.

Be social – engage with your audience, reply to comments and also seek out other creators in your niche whose content you enjoy. It’s a great way to see what’s working for others and make popular content types your own.

BookTok authors: Stay Consistent and Keep Your Momentum

Once you know what performs well, that’s when consistency matters.

We’ve all heard this before in social media marketing, but it’s true. TikTok for authors is like other social platforms.

Post at a cadence that fits your bandwidth. If TikTok is going to be a main marketing platform for you, posting once a week isn’t going to make a meaningful difference. Try to post a minimum of 3 times a week, and more in the beginning to build traction and figure out what will work for you – faster.

Different things work for different creators, so don’t overwhelm yourself with unrealistic frequency goals.

As long as you stay consistent, engage with other readers in your genre by commenting and supporting their posts, create new content that your readers will enjoy on a regular basis (and don’t disappear for weeks at a time!) you’ll be all set to grow your audience and use TikTok to sell your book.

If you want to dive deeper into the platform and how to use it to sell your book, check out my bestselling BookTok Blueprint: Book Sales on TikTok Guide, used by more than 5000 authors.  You’ll be a TikTok master in no time!

If you’re curious about TikTok for authors, take a look at my previous article on this blog.

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