A few years ago, reading was quietly minding its business. Then BookTok showed up, cried over fictional men, made annotated paperbacks hot again, and accidentally rewired the publishing industry. What started as readers recommending books into their phones has become one of the most powerful forces in modern publishing. Entire careers are being built—or resurrected—because a 30-second video made someone feel something. But BookTok isn’t just changing what we read. It’s changi