TikTok Shop has emerged as a force in UK publishing, after reporting more than 250% year-on-year growth in the books category over the last 12 months. With the platform firmly established as the #3 online e-commerce platform in the UK*, it is reshaping how British readers discover, discuss and buy books. The growth in the book sector to date has been powered by the #BookTok community, LIVE Shopping sessions and a growing roster of major publishers investing in the channel for the long term.
- Top UK publishers tap into TikTok Shop
All four of the UK’s top publishers – Penguin Random House UK, Hachette UK, HarperCollins UK and Pan Macmillan – are now selling on TikTok Shop, a marker of how quickly the platform has established itself as a leading retail environment for books. The category is growing at rapid pace, with LIVE Shopping sessions delivering triple-digit sales growth as publishers and booksellers bring their catalogues directly into the feeds of the #BookTok audience.
The top five fiction titles on TikTok Shop UK currently reflect the reading habits of the #BookTok generation: The Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth, Book 2) by Kristen Ciccarelli and The Long Game by Rachel Reid (both HarperCollins), Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry and The Return to Caraval Complete Collection Box Set, and Elle Kennedy’s Five Book Off Campus Series (all Hachette).
Patrick Hunter, Books Category Lead at TikTok Shop UK said: “TikTok Shop has opened up a new way for readers to discover and shop for their favourite books straight from their For You Feed. From the next fantasy series to nostalgic children’s book classics, shoppable videos let sellers and creators share recommendations, while LIVE shopping sessions bring publishers, book shops and passionate readers together to discuss books in real time. This has transformed the discovery of books into a community driven experience that helps people find their next great read, all on TikTok Shop.”
- LIVE Shopping as a driving force of sales
Underpinning category growth is the unique connection between the #BookTok community and TikTok Shop’s LIVE Shopping, where readers can join LIVEs to engage with their favourite publisher, seller, or creators. Over 6,000 LIVE Shopping sessions take place on TikTok Shop UK every day, with three books selling on the platform every minute.
Leading publisher HarperCollins UK demonstrates how the format works at scale. Having launched on the platform in November 2022 with just 40 titles, the publisher now carries over 23,000 titles on TikTok Shop. Additionally, it has built a following of nearly 100,000 and has held the position of #1 publisher on TikTok Shop UK since launch. It runs a 2.5-hour LIVE every Wednesday, hosted by team members who know the catalogue inside out – an approach that has built a community of regular viewers seeking expertise and recommendations from hosts.
Christina Storey, Senior Social Commerce Manager at HarperCollins UK said: ” We love LIVEs. The revenue benefits are real, but for us the magic is the community. We have regulars who tune in every week – they know our co-hosts, and our co-hosts know their reading tastes, so recommendations feel genuinely personal.”
- The ‘halo effect’ of TikTok Shop
Since launching on TikTok Shop, publishers like HarperCollins and Pan Macmillan have seen an uplift in sales through their other channels – a phenomenon dubbed the ‘TikTok Shop Halo Effect’. A standout example is The Pumpkin Spice Café, which went viral on TikTok Shop, won TikTok Shop Book of the Year and has since grown into a series of six books and counting with readers around the globe.
Pan Macmillan has used TikTok Shop to launch exclusive drops to the platform, including a limited 500-copy edition of Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe – and affiliate-led campaigns that have driven measurable sales uplifts.
Lee Dibble, Marketing & Communities Director at Pan Macmillan said: “TikTok Shop has helped us develop an entirely new sales channel, and we’re seeing a positive correlation with sales across our other retail platforms. Through LIVE selling, our creators can really shine and use their authentic passion to help bring our books to people in a way previously never done.”
- BookTok Late at the British Library
Bringing the online community into a landmark offline space, TikTok, TikTok Shop and the British Library hosted BookTok Late on Thursday 2nd July. The event was a major after-hours cultural takeover, transforming the British Library into a live, immersive celebration of stories, fandom and community for a new generation of readers and creators. The evening featured a TikTok Shop LIVE with HarperCollins UK, a talk from creator Jack Edwards and a live reading by culture journalist Jess Bacon, showcasing the connection between the #BookTok community, TikTok Shop and the discovery of literature.
The event illustrates how TikTok Shop’s growth within the books category is no longer confined to the digital shelf. For publishers and booksellers, the platform now represents a community-led environment where content, commerce, and culture merge.
Patrick Hunter adds: “There’s something powerful about hosting a TikTok Shop LIVE in a building that has been home to readers for over 200 years. It says something about where book discovery is heading: not away from the institutions that have always championed it, but through new formats that meet readers where they already are. For publishers and booksellers, TikTok Shop is fast becoming one of those places.”
