Jessica Mendoza

Today, people are still showing up at the Rip Bodice because of TikTok. But the influence of BookTok has gone way beyond a single independent bookstore. Since 2020, BookTok has driven major sales, especially in the romance and fantasy genres. In one survey, TikTok found that more than a quarter of its users bought a book or started following an author after watching a video on the platform.

Today, people are still showing up at the Rip Bodice because of TikTok. But the influence of BookTok has gone way beyond a single independent bookstore. Since 2020, BookTok has driven major sales, especially in the romance and fantasy genres. In one survey, TikTok found that more than a quarter of its users bought a book or started following an author after watching a video on the platform.

And some of the largest publishers in the US are finding new talent, rethinking their strategies, and seeing windfalls from old titles because of TikTok. Authors, influencers, agents, and publishers all told us that today TikTok's fingerprints are all over the book industry. Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Jessica Mendoza.

And some of the largest publishers in the US are finding new talent, rethinking their strategies, and seeing windfalls from old titles because of TikTok. Authors, influencers, agents, and publishers all told us that today TikTok's fingerprints are all over the book industry. Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Jessica Mendoza.

And some of the largest publishers in the US are finding new talent, rethinking their strategies, and seeing windfalls from old titles because of TikTok. Authors, influencers, agents, and publishers all told us that today TikTok's fingerprints are all over the book industry. Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Jessica Mendoza.

Coming up on the show, TikTok and the book industry, a love story. Author Penn Cole reads a lot of different books in the romance genre.

Coming up on the show, TikTok and the book industry, a love story. Author Penn Cole reads a lot of different books in the romance genre.

Coming up on the show, TikTok and the book industry, a love story. Author Penn Cole reads a lot of different books in the romance genre.

It's a whole thing. Penn's own books fall into a genre called romantasy, a combination of romance and fantasy that typically has a few main ingredients. A strong, usually female main character, a love interest who often starts out as an enemy, and then some kind of supernatural element like dragons or sorcerers, or in a lot of cases, fairies. And the plot is usually peppered with spicy sex scenes.

It's a whole thing. Penn's own books fall into a genre called romantasy, a combination of romance and fantasy that typically has a few main ingredients. A strong, usually female main character, a love interest who often starts out as an enemy, and then some kind of supernatural element like dragons or sorcerers, or in a lot of cases, fairies. And the plot is usually peppered with spicy sex scenes.

It's a whole thing. Penn's own books fall into a genre called romantasy, a combination of romance and fantasy that typically has a few main ingredients. A strong, usually female main character, a love interest who often starts out as an enemy, and then some kind of supernatural element like dragons or sorcerers, or in a lot of cases, fairies. And the plot is usually peppered with spicy sex scenes.

It's the kind of novel Penn had dreamed of writing, but she didn't think she could make any money in it.

It's the kind of novel Penn had dreamed of writing, but she didn't think she could make any money in it.

It's the kind of novel Penn had dreamed of writing, but she didn't think she could make any money in it.

That book is called Spark of the Everflame. It's the first in a four-part series, The Kindred's Cursed Saga. And it's got a feisty heroine, a hot immortal prince, a human rebel faction, and a whole lot of will they, won't they. Penn read me a snippet.

That book is called Spark of the Everflame. It's the first in a four-part series, The Kindred's Cursed Saga. And it's got a feisty heroine, a hot immortal prince, a human rebel faction, and a whole lot of will they, won't they. Penn read me a snippet.

That book is called Spark of the Everflame. It's the first in a four-part series, The Kindred's Cursed Saga. And it's got a feisty heroine, a hot immortal prince, a human rebel faction, and a whole lot of will they, won't they. Penn read me a snippet.

When Penn started writing that first book in 2021, she'd already decided that she wanted to self-publish. She'd been to law school and worked as a consultant for small businesses, helping them with branding, social media, and growth. So she was pretty savvy when it came to launching her own career as an author. Why did you choose to self-publish?

When Penn started writing that first book in 2021, she'd already decided that she wanted to self-publish. She'd been to law school and worked as a consultant for small businesses, helping them with branding, social media, and growth. So she was pretty savvy when it came to launching her own career as an author. Why did you choose to self-publish?

When Penn started writing that first book in 2021, she'd already decided that she wanted to self-publish. She'd been to law school and worked as a consultant for small businesses, helping them with branding, social media, and growth. So she was pretty savvy when it came to launching her own career as an author. Why did you choose to self-publish?