Outpaced for publishers and authorsComing soon

Get your next book onto the TBR pile.

Outpaced would research your readers, write carousels for pre-order, launch week and the backlist, and post them to TikTok and Instagram.

Built for apps today; books is next. Join the waitlist and we'll email you once when it's live.

Join the waitlist See the examples

why would a hollywood legend give her only interview to a reporter nobody's heard of?

screenshots every reader needs before book three >>>

??? which one do i pre-order

  • The trope shopper
  • The annotator
  • The series waiter
  • The backlist binger

Who it’s for.

The people books posts would be written for, one persona at a time.

  • The trope shopper

    Searches by trope, not title: enemies to lovers, one bed, morally grey. Saves the list, buys later.

  • The annotator

    Tabs and highlights by colour, posts the page, and wants the special edition for the shelf.

  • The series waiter

    Rereads before every sequel, counts down to release day, pre-orders the minute there's a date.

  • The backlist binger

    Just found a book everyone read years ago and wants three more that feel the same.

  • The gift buyer

    Buying for someone else: a reluctant 9-year-old, a graduate, a dad who only reads history.

  • The exam-season student

    Revising for GCSEs or AP exams; saves study hacks and buys the guide everyone at school has.

How it works here.

The same four steps Outpaced runs for apps, as they'd work for books.

  1. 01

    Strategy

    Find readers, not just hashtags

    Outpaced would read Reddit, reviews and viral comments about books like yours, then propose reader personas, each with dated evidence and a quote it actually read. Your brand and claims come from your site.

  2. 02

    Content

    A carousel for every launch stage

    One persona and one stage per carousel: premises and trope lists to get found, annotated pages to build trust, editions and pre-orders to sell. Every hook opens a loop the post pays off.

  3. 03

    Distribution

    Every title on one calendar

    Posts straight to your TikTok and Instagram accounts at each account's next free slot, on one calendar for every title and author. Warmed accounts, active in BookTok for weeks, mean first posts reach readers.

  4. 04

    Routines

    Backlist that keeps posting

    Set a routine per account, say three backlist carousels a week, and Outpaced would write and queue them on schedule. Nothing posts until someone on your team approves it.

How do readers decide what to read after a book they loved?

Reddit research

Audience language · Reddit

r/suggestmeabook · r/books

Readers ask for 'books like this one'. A feeling sells better than a summary.

  1. 2.4Kr/suggestmeabookjust finished a book everyone read years ago, need three more like it
  2. 3.6Kr/bookswhat book did you finally read years after everyone else
  • "i want that exact feeling again"u/example_1 on r/suggestmeabook · 318 points · 5 Oct
  • "late to this one and now i'm obsessed"u/example_2 on r/books · 524 points · 16 Oct
ThemeThreadsQuotes
Books like this one2721
Late to a backlist hit1310
Series reading order97

IllustrativeExample data for an example niche. Not real accounts.

Content for every stage.

Every carousel has one job. Each format names the hook template it follows from our viral-hooks playbook.

Readers who've never heard of the book meet its premise, its trope or its feeling.

  • Note revealL1 · Top of funnel

    what did you finish and immediately text someone about?

    A premise as a literal question; the answer only exists inside the book. Backlist titles live on BookTok for years (Publishers Weekly).

    Playbook · Question cover, answer on the swipe

  • Countdown to #1L1 · Top of funnel

    fictional mothers ranked by how much they ruined the plot

    Rankings are BookTok's native shape; a publisher can rank across its own list and keep #1 for last.

    Playbook · Worst … ranked countdown

  • Unfinished sentenceL1 · Top of funnel

    the last line of this book made me sit in the car for…

    Readers recommend by what a book did to them; crying-on-camera reactions are how BookTok sells (PW, 2021).

    Playbook · Unfinished sentence note reveal

People who've seen the cover once get proof: the pages, the tropes, what readers underline.

  • Apple Notes listL3 · Middle of funnel

    annotation keys every reader needs in their camera roll >>>

    Recap cards are saved, not scrolled past, and they bring lapsed series readers back before release week.

    Playbook · Camera-roll reference (implied save)

  • Paper notesL3 · Middle of funnel

    lines i underlined on the first read (and the one i only got on the second)

    Annotation is one of BookTok's longest-running trends; publishers even sell trope tab sets for it.

    Playbook · List with a self-aware parenthetical

Readers who want it get a reason to buy now: the edition, the pre-order.

  • Note revealL4 · Bottom of funnel

    ??? which edition goes on the shelf

    Special editions with sprayed edges are a real buying decision; the comments answer the question for you.

    Playbook · Which one should I go with

  • Tweet screenshotsL3 · Bottom of funnel

    i dare you to read chapter one on your lunch break and go back to work

    A low-stakes dare for readers who know the book; the payoff is the first chapter, not a shop link.

    Playbook · I dare you

What we’d post.

Example carousels, written as if leaders in this industry made them.

Playbook

Hook template

Story

Stage

Niche photo

why would a hollywood legend give her only interview to a reporter nobody's heard of?

Example The Seven Husbands of Evelyn HugoGet found

screenshots every reader needs before book three >>>

Example Onyx StormBuild trust

??? which one do i pre-order

Example Onyx StormMake the sale

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Onyx Storm are shown as examples only, to illustrate the content Outpaced would create for this industry. They aren't Outpaced customers and aren't affiliated with or endorsed by Outpaced.

Every genre, its own playbook.

BookTok isn't one audience. Each genre has its own readers, tropes and formats.

FAQ

Not yet. Outpaced is built for apps today, and books are next. This page shows how it would work for publishers and authors. Join the waitlist on this page and we'll email you once when it's live.

Both. A publisher would run accounts per imprint, series or title and plan by launch date; a self-published author might run one or two accounts. Each carousel is written for one reader persona and one stage: pre-order, launch week or backlist.

Carousels would only state what your brand allows. Outpaced drafts your product truths from your site, here the premise, tropes and editions, and never-words are enforced.

No. Nothing posts until a person approves it. You swipe to approve or decline, and a decline reason such as off-brand or wrong audience is read by the next run.

No. The titles are examples of what Outpaced would make for books like them. They aren't customers and aren't affiliated with or endorsed by Outpaced.

Can’t find an answer to your question? Get in touch

Coming soon

Books & publishing

We’ll email you once when Books & publishing is live. No spam.

That doesn’t look like an email address. Check it and try again.

Too many tries from your network. Give it a few minutes, then try again.

Something went wrong on our side. Try again in a moment.

We only use your email for this one launch note.

You’re on the list.

We’ll email you once when Books & publishing is live. That’s the only email you’ll get.

Building an app? Start your trial: Outpaced is live for apps today.