Colleen Hoover: From Self Published to Fame

Colleen Hoover is one of the authors that have dominated USA in recent years. Her books have been in the Best-Selling lists more than any other book shortlisted for the prestigious title. Three of her books, “Reminders of Him”, “It Ends With Us” and “Verity,” held the number 1 spot in 2022. This is only a small part of her success story.

The First steps – “Slammed”

Colleen Hoover lives in a small town in East Texas. She worked for a few years as a social worker and then as counselor for a nutrition program for women, children and infants. It was there that Colleen started writing her first pages. She wrote on her free hours and after work on a laptop that she borrowed from her mother. After she finished her first novel, she gave it to her mother as a Christmas present. Soon after, she published it herself and distributed it to friends and family. This is the story of “Slammed” (2012), her first published book. “Slammed” was also her first book to  appear on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list. Since then she has written more than 20 novels, novellas and anthologies.

How did Colleen Hoover Become Famous so Fast?

Hoover has been dominating the book market for the last decade. The last three years especially, her popularity has exploded home and also abroad. Her sales phenomenon can be attributed in part to her popularity on TikTok platforms like #booktok. Publishers Weekly followed her story when Hoover’s 2016 book “It Ends With Us” started climbing the bestsellers lists in 2020.

In addition, she contributed in establishing a sub-genre called New Adult Literature. Her first books are inspired from her life as a social worker. Later on, Hoover experimented with other genres like Horror and Crime. She is also the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

In 2024, “It Ends With Us” became a movie which grossed very well around the world: