How producers and broadcasters are using BookTok to turn the page on book-to-TV adaptations

As the BookTok community on TikTok turns novels into worldwide sensations and their authors into stars, DQ hears from a panel of producers and broadcasters about how they are using this online space to discover titles ripe for television adaptation. With more than 80 million posts from around the world, BookTok has become a social phenomenon. Grown by content creators who share their love of reading on TikTok, it has made stars of authors such as Chloe Walsh (Boys of Tommen), Rebecca Yarros (The Empyrean series) and Sarah J Maas (A Court of Thorns & Roses). Following a trial that started in Germany in 2023 and expanded to Austria and Switzerland in 2024, BookTok recently extended its monthly bestseller lists to the UK, Italy and Spain as a way to highlight the biggest titles in the online community. Ana Huang’s King of Gluttony, the sixth book in her Kings of Sin series, topped the UK chart for April 2026. Away from the platform, the impact of BookTok is clear to see. Analysis from NielsenIQ BookData and Media Control, which compile the charts, found that more than 50 million books recommended by BookTok were sold across Europe, generating €800m (US$920m) in revenue in 2025. In Germany, BookTok was the place to discover new titles for more than a third of 16- to 39-year-olds. The television industry is already taking note. Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry, Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Maxton Hall: The World Between Us by Mona … Continue reading How producers and broadcasters are using BookTok to turn the page on book-to-TV adaptations →