Colleen Hoover’s rise to literary superstardom was unconventional. She self-published her first book, Slammed, in 2012. She released two more books as sequels, and sales quickly rose after bloggers began praising her work. Her fourth book, Hopeless, became the first self-published book to reach number one on the New York Times bestseller list. Since then, Hoover has had 11 of her books on the bestseller list, often with as many as six on the list at the same time. Traditional publishing imprints such as Atria, Grand Central, Montlake Romance, and HarperCollins have since republished her early books and released her newer titles.

Much of Hoover’s popularity is due to the loyalty of her fans on social media sites such as TikTok. Her fans, who call themselves CoHorts, post reviews of her books and emotional reaction videos that bring in new readers. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to stay home, her book sales increased even further. During this time, she made five of her ebooks available for free, which brought new readers. By the fall of 2020, she had sold more than 20 million books, making her the current best-selling author in the United States. Her books have also been translated into over 20 languages, and Hoover has millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram.