Hoover is a successful American author of romance and young adult novels. Hoover’s career began when she self-published her first novel, Slammed, so her mother could read it on her new Kindle e-reader. A popular book blogger reviewed the sequel to this novel in 2012 (Point of Retreat), which caused Hoover’s book sales to increase dramatically. Within a few months, both novels reached Top 10 spots on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Hoover was able to quit her job as a social worker and become a full-time writer. She’s been wildly successful, even featuring in a New York Times article called, “How Colleen Hoover Rose to Rule the Best-Seller List.” She was also featured in an article on The Huffington Post titled, “Texas Woman Self-Publishes, Hits Best-Seller List.” Hoover’s career has been bolstered by social media culture, in which bloggers and “Booktok” influencers directly recommend books to their followers. A Washington Post article titled “On TikTok, Crying is Encouraged. Colleen Hoover’s Books Get the job Done” touches on Hoover’s success in this realm—particularly the strong emotional impact of her work.

Hoover is a particularly impressive success story in the growing industry of self-publishing. Many romance authors use Amazon and other self-publishing platforms to build sustainable careers.