LakshmiIn today’s digital age, social media isn’t just part of the equation — it is the equation. A single post sharing your story or novel on the right forum can launch it into viral stardom, turning an unknown manuscript into a chart-topping bestseller. And sometimes? That viral buzz doesn’t stop at bookshelves — it goes all the way to the big screen.
BookTok sensation Morgann Book weighed in on the trend everyone’s talking about — and the algorithms driving it behind the scenes. After a decade of helping run her family’s store and posting content during work breaks since 16, this 20-year-old has turned the art of reading books into a powerful personal brand.
One Lash Shot chatted with Morgann Book — a cake decorator-turned-TikTok star — as she shared insights on how social media has become a powerful tool for bringing stories to life and into the spotlight.
Let’s kick things off with the basics—what is BookTok, exactly? And how does it tie into the Prime Book Club?
I feel like I’ve perfected this answer because I’ve had to explain it to my grandparents so many times about what I do for work.
BookTok is a side of TikTok that is home to a massive community of readers and lovers of adaptations and just in publishing and the literary world as a whole.
Prime Book Club is kind of a way to connect the lovers of these YA titles that are coming out— like We Were Liars and The Summer I Turned Pretty— with a book club. So, there’s going to be a fireside chat. There’s going to be Kindle decorating stations.
It’s kind of a full-circle book talk moment and we’re doing like a private preview at the beginning, where I got to invite some of my followers too, so it’s going to be a fantastic day on Saturday.
What made you get into it in the first place?
Ah, good question. It was kind of by accident. I started out as a creator five and a half years ago at a Dairy Queen and I was filming content there because my family owns it and after a couple of years, I really wanted to start talking about books.
BookTok as a whole was blowing up in 2021-2022, and I’ve always been a massive reader. And the transition for me was very easy. The transition with the algorithm wasn’t much, but I started to decorate book covers on cakes, and I was working with publishers and authors, and it was a very fun, collaborative time. And then over the last couple of years, I’ve just been doing books and adaptations and just so many incredible things in the book talk space as a whole. It’s changed my life basically.
I believe you visited the set of We Were Liars, which is based on a book by E. Lockhart. What did you think about the story and how was your experience visiting the set?
Oh my god—The story as a whole was very haunting. If you’ve read the book, you know how that story ends. And finishing that book, nothing could have prepared me for how it was going to end. And the same thing for the show. But visiting the set, as someone who had loved the book so much, and then Prime Video was like, “Hey, do you want to come to Nova Scotia and be on set for 12 hours?” I was like, “You just made my entire year”.
And to this day, it’s basically been the highlight of my career. To see a book that I had loved and still do– come to life was such an incredible experience. Especially meeting the cast and watching these scenes that I had read in the book come to life. It is something that I wish everyone could experience, which is why I’m so happy I got to film content while I was there to kind of share that with my audience.
Who’s your favorite liar?
Good question. That’s tough– I kind of love all of them because they all have their own flaws. I would say I like Cadence because she’s kind of the forefront of the novel.
I would say I relate a little bit more to her than I do to Mirren. I had liked her even when I was reading the book originally. So, Cadence.
You also attended a party with The Summer I Turned Pretty cast, right?
Yes, we went to the trailer release party in New York in June.
Those episodes are like nailed down until tomorrow. Watching the trailer with the cast was also another incredible experience. Cause it was also their first time watching it. So, while we were all watching the trailer, we were also watching them experience it and see themselves on screen. You could feel the excitement and passion in that room for like two and a half minutes, and then Jenny Han was like, “We’re going to play it again”, and we got to watch it again– so it was incredible.
They did not even reveal who she marries, right?
We’re all waiting for September 17th when that last episode comes out– we will all be locked in.
Are you Team Jeremiah or Conrad?
I am Team Conrad, for sure.
What makes a book-to-screen adaptation a hit in 2025?
The author and the original audience that the book was created for. So, I think doing something like this– a Prime Book Club on Saturday– really bridges the gap between the publishing world and the film and TV world. You also have Kindle sort of in the mix there.
I think Prime Video is doing an incredible job at kind of bridging that gap and creating an adaptation that, again, harnesses that original audience on top of the new one.
Do you think the trend, like for example, if there’s this book which becomes a bestseller because of BookTok videos; and then just because of that, it gets adapted to a screen, you know, a movie onto the screen. So, do you think that is going to be the practice henceforth?
Yeah. I think a lot of production companies and streaming services and the people who make movies have realized the impact TikTok can have. You’re talking about a couple of videos that can change an author’s life and blow up their book and put them on the best sellers list and have production companies want to pick up the rights to that book. I think it can happen in a matter of a couple of videos.
But I do think more people also need to realize the power that BookTok has and they need to harness it in the correct manner.
Lakshmi
