TikTok has launched the UK's first official #BookTok Bestseller List, formalising its impact on the publishing industry. The monthly chart, created with data specialists Media Control and NielsenIQ BookData, combines verified physical retail sales with in-app engagement metrics to highlight titles resonating with young readers.
The inaugural top 20 is comprised entirely of female authors. Irish writer Chloe Walsh leads with all six books in her Boys of Tommen series. The list also reflects the dominance of 'romantasy', with titles from Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros featuring prominently.
The launch is part of a collaboration with the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust for the National Year of Reading 2026. TikTok now serves as a primary discovery tool for over half of all 16 to 25-year-olds in the UK. Recent figures show the #BookTok community drove more than 11 million book sales and generated approximately £86 million for the UK publishing industry in the last year alone.
The chart also highlights how #BookTok breathes new life into older titles, such as Donna Tartt's The Secret History, first published in 1992. Books featured on the list will be eligible for official #BookTok Bestseller stickers in physical bookstores. Major publishers including Penguin Random House and HarperCollins have embraced the system.
Dominic Burns, Head of Operations at TikTok UK, said: 'Since TikTok’s inception, #BookTok has grown into a vibrant global community that has not only shaped the literary conversation but has fuelled bestsellers and brought a new generation back into local bookshops.' David Hayman, Director of the National Year of Reading 2026, added: 'Communities like #BookTok are playing a vital role in this, inspiring a new generation of readers through creativity, connection and shared passion.'
The bestseller list serves as the foundation for the 'World’s Biggest Book Club', a programme of events throughout 2026, including a return to the Hay Festival and the debut of #BookTok LIVE. With three books sold every minute on TikTok Shop in the UK, the platform continues to reshape the book market.
