Emily (@bookofemily), Morgann (@morgannbook), and Ayman Chaudhary (@aymansbooks) are some of our favorite book influencers to follow. They cover dark romance, literary fiction, rare books, queer reads, and everything in between. Follow them for new titles on your to-be-read (TBR) list!
Somewhere between a book review and a fandom, BookTok and Bookstagram became one of the most effective marketing channels in publishing. As of June 2026, #BookTok has surpassed 80 million global posts, making reading not just cool again but commercially unstoppable.
Book influencers are at the center of it all: trusted voices for readers building their TBR lists and a pipeline for authors who want to be on it.
Here are the top 16 booktok influencers that should be on your list:
1. Jack Edwards | @jack_edwards
Jack Edwards is the closest thing publishing has to a kingmaker. The Durham English literature graduate has about 1.6 million YouTube subscribers, and a single video on White Nights, a minor Dostoevsky novella, put it back in bookshop windows.
He covers literature through pop culture, handing Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway his favorite books on camera and livestreaming the 2024 International Booker Prize. If your title needs to reach past the book world, he's the shortest route there.
2. Mel Robbins | @melrobbins
Mel Robbins’ approach of immediate action is what attracts her audience. Her episodes with authors like James Clear and Morgan Housel end with one rule you can run tonight, similar to a Storyshots summary. Which is why her followers act on a recommendation instead of adding it to a list they'll never get through.
She has roughly 12.8 million Instagram followers and 6 million on TikTok. The Let Them Theory sold 6 million copies in eight months.
3. Steven Bartlett | @steven
On The Diary of a CEO, Steven Bartlett builds conversations around the books his guests reached for during a hiring crisis or a burnout stretch. He views books as direct software updates for the brain.
He posts under @steven, not his full name, to around 5.3 million on Instagram and 5.5 million on TikTok. His audience skews toward founders and operators, so business and leadership titles land here like nowhere else on this list.
4. Ali Abdaal | @aliabdaal
Using his experience of breaking down complex science to more straightforward explanations, Ali Abdaal turns heavy reading lists into functional daily workflows. The former NHS doctor built 6.6 million YouTube subscribers converting productivity titles into Notion templates his audience can run the same afternoon.
His own book, Feel-Good Productivity, follows the same idea, turning research into practical experiments that readers can try immediately. It hit the New York Times bestseller list in 2024. YouTube is where the book content lives, but he also has 1.15 million Instagram followers. This readership treats a recommendation as an instruction.
5. Ryan Holiday | @ryan_holiday
Ryan Holiday sells Stoicism and everything adjacent. The Daily Stoic podcast has 150 million downloads, the @dailystoic account carries about 3.5 million followers, and his personal Instagram holds another 1.3 million.
He pairs Marcus Aurelius and Seneca with a modern biography for readers building a list beyond this season's releases. Worth knowing before you pitch: he runs his own bookstore, The Painted Porch, and publishes his main list through a monthly email rather than a feed.
6. Oprah Winfrey | @oprah
Oprah's Book Club has been making bestsellers since 1996. She co-wrote What Happened to You? with neuroscientist Dr. Bruce Perry, a book about how early experience shapes stress response.
Two caveats: her TikTok has 359,300 followers, but she has a whopping 22M on Instagram, and a book club pick is editorial, not sponsored. You can't buy your way onto that list, which is why it still works.
7. Emily | @bookofemily
Emily talks a lot about books, as all book influencers ought to do. She’s one of the staple names in the halls of dark romance, so if you’re in the market for mafia romance, enemies-to-lovers, and morally gray leads, this account is required viewing.
Expect bookstore runs, haul videos, dark romance POVs, and, of course, romance book recommendations.
8. Morgann | @morgannbook
Morgann isn’t building a following. She’s building a media company. With 2.6 million TikTok followers, a podcast (Off the Shelf), and her own content platform (Bookish Media), her audience follows her across formats without much convincing.
She covers romance, fantasy, and book-to-screen adaptations, and consistently spots trends before they peak. If your brand needs serious reach in the book space, you need her at the top of your influencer marketing shortlist.
9. Ayman Chaudhary | @aymansbooks
Ayman Chaudhary is proof that "funny and well-read" is a winning combination. The South Asian Muslim creator from Chicago has built a combined total of over one million followers on TikTok and Instagram through book recommendations and highly relatable comedy (the punchlines hit harder when you've actually read the books).
10. Reid Moon | @moonsrarebooks
Nobody loves books quite like someone who sells them for a living, and Reid Moon (kickass name, btw) is one of our favorite book influencers for exactly that reason. He’s the owner of Moon's Rare Books in Provo, Utah, and to date, he has amassed a combined 3.8 million followers on TikTok and Instagram.
His loyal followers tune in for first editions, signed copies, historically significant texts, and the stories behind rare finds. If you’re looking for historically significant finds (or just like the smell of really old books, even through a screen), this is the account to follow.
11. Kevin T. Norman | @kevintnorman
Kevin T. Norman is one book influencer who has crossed over to the other side of the bookshelf. He recently published his debut poetry collection, The Apple of Their Throat, a memoir-in-verse about self-discovery, first love, and queer identity.
He’s also the founder of Violetear Books, a publishing imprint under Bindery dedicated to marginalized voices.
12. Brady Lockerby | @bradylockerby
Brady Lockerby is one of the most-followed BookTok influencers whose audience is there for more than books. Her nails, skincare, and daily life vlogs get as much engagement as her regular reading reports and book recs.
If you fancy following a well-read creator who can give you a book to cuddle in any situation, plus the skincare routine to go with it, Brady is your girl.
13. Thais Lopes | @tata.lifepages
Thais Lopes is a self-professed romance and fantasy addict and has nearly 300K followers on Instagram tuning in to find out what she’s obsessing over next. Many of them stay for her dreamy bookshelf content and gorgeous feed, which doubles as both a reading recommendation and a home-decor account.
She creates content alongside her husband, who handles filming.
14. Abby Endler | @crimebythebook
Thriller and mystery are two of the most popular genres in publishing, and @crimebythebook is where those readers go for recommendations. Abby Endler's 228K Bookstagram followers show up for spoiler-free, specific reviews of psychological thrillers, mysteries, and Nordic noir.
If your brand targets active readers with a taste for suspense, Abby's book community is where you want to be.
15. Julienne Alcos | @lovejulienne
Julienne Alcos posts cozy contemporary romance content to 175K BookTok followers who describe watching her videos as chatting with a friend, which is about the highest compliment a book creator can get.
Based in Manila and one of BookTok PH's original voices, her content covers romance, fantasy, book sales, ebook picks, and international ordering tips for readers who can’t find what they need locally.
For brands looking to reach that audience, Julienne is the most direct route in.
16. Ula Nur | @thelostlibrary
Ula Nur focuses on literary fiction, diaspora narratives, books in translation, and underrepresented voices: works that sit deliberately outside the BookTok mainstream.
Her community is smaller, but they’re paying close attention. For brands searching for readers who seek out diverse and global literature (and who respond to content that respects their intelligence), Ula is a strong partnership option.
Top 16 book influencers to follow on TikTok & Instagram
| Influencer | Handle | Why follow |
|---|---|---|
Jack Edwards | 1.6M subscribers; literature through pop culture, with enough pull to move a minor Dostoevsky novella back into bookshop windows | |
Mel Robbins | 6M copies of The Let Them Theory in eight months; 12.8M on Instagram and 6M on TikTok; every author interview distilled into one rule you can try tonight | |
Steven Bartlett | 5.3M on Instagram and 5.5M on TikTok; the books founders actually reached for during a hiring crisis, treated as software updates for the brain | |
Ali Abdaal | 6.7M on YouTube and 1.16M on Instagram; productivity books converted into Notion templates you can run the same afternoon | |
Ryan Holiday | 3.5M on @dailystoic and 150M podcast downloads; ancient philosophy paired with modern biography, with the real list arriving by monthly email | |
Oprah Winfrey | 22M on Instagram; the book club that's been making bestsellers since 1996, on picks she chooses herself and takes no cut from | |
Emily | The go-to for dark romance; mafia romance, enemies-to-lovers, and morally gray leads covered with zero hedging | |
Morgann | 2.6M followers, a podcast, and a content platform; one of BookTok's most developed media operations | |
Ayman Chaudhary | 1M+ combined followers; book recommendations and comedy that hits harder when you have actually read the books | |
Reid Moon | 3.8M combined followers; rare books, first editions, and the stories behind historically significant finds | |
Kevin T. Norman | Published poet, imprint founder, and TikTok LGBTQIA+ Trailblazer; the most credentialed voice in queer BookTok | |
Brady Lockerby | Books, skincare, and daily life vlogs for 764K followers who show up for all of it | |
Thais Lopes | Nearly 300K followers; literary fiction, international titles, and a feed that doubles as a home decor account | |
Abby Endler | 228K followers dedicated to thrillers, mysteries, and Nordic noir; spoiler-free and specific every time | |
Julienne Alcos | 175K followers; one of BookTok PH's original voices covering romance, fantasy, and practical reading tips for Filipino readers | |
Ula Nur | Literary fiction, diaspora narratives, and books in translation for a community that reads with intention |
FAQs
What is a book influencer?
A book influencer is a social media creator who builds an audience around book recommendations, reviews, and reading culture (primarily on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube). Their recommendations carry real commercial weight; publishers, brands, and retailers are increasingly directing marketing budgets toward book influencer partnerships.
What is the difference between BookTok and Bookstagram on social media?
BookTok is the book community on TikTok, which emerged mainstream during the COVID-19 lockdown, building on earlier online book spaces like Goodreads. Bookstagram is its Instagram equivalent, built around curated photography and editorial-style content shared online.
How do book influencers affect book sales?
Book influencers drive sales by building awareness and trust that lead to purchases over time, working best as a top-of-funnel channel rather than a direct-response one. BookTok has turned backlist titles into breakouts: Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us hit number one on bestseller lists in 2021, five years after its 2016 release.
What brands can work with book influencers and book bloggers?
Publishers and indie authors are the obvious fit, but candle brands, subscription boxes, coffee and tea companies, stationery, wellness, and lifestyle brands also align strongly with book creator communities.
How do I find the right book influencer for my campaign?
Start by narrowing down:
- Genre or reader community that fits your brand
- BookTok reach vs Bookstagram aesthetics (or both)
- Engagement rate over follower count
Handling outreach yourself takes time for vetting, negotiation, and tracking. Working with an influencer marketing agency like The Influence Agency streamlines the entire process.
Work with book influencers and book lovers worldwide
Book influencers and book lovers are some of the most loyal, passionate, and emotionally invested people online. That level of devotion doesn’t stay in the pages: it extends to the creators they follow and the brands they recommend.
In influencer marketing, these are the people you want in your corner. Good news: we know people. Specifically, people with very long reading lists.
TIA connects your brand with influencers whose audiences are primed to engage (in publishing, lifestyle, wellness, and beyond). Get in touch today to earn your spot on your audience’s TBR list.