Anita Little for Shopify

Authenticity over algorithms: How these founders leveraged BookTok to launch businesses

If you're a book lover, the algorithm knows what you'll read before you do. Open TikTok and within minutes you're drowning in "dark academia" recommendations, literary fiction round-ups, and breathless reviews of the latest fantasy romance series. The algorithm is ruthlessly effective at showing you books you won't put down.

The rise of BookTok, as it’s affectionately called, has made being a bookworm cool again.

But something fascinating is happening in the spaces between those viral videos. Readers are also craving what algorithms can't provide: surprise, discovery, and the irreplaceable feeling of a book chosen just for them by another human.

Sales for physical book subs

See Full Page