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. Hoover’s readership became so expansive and influential that they were able to persuade her publishing house to release a paperback copy of a free e-novella that Hoover published online. Though Hoover now uses conventional publishing, her early success is a testament to a writer being able to circumvent traditional publishing obstacles and appeal directly to readers. This process democratizes publishing in many ways, as the direct-to-readers model gives readers the opportunity to decide what they like without the gatekeeping of conventional publishing. Much of the press coverage of Hoover’s success focuses on her self-publishing origins and her rapid rise, particularly focusing on her loyal fanbase of “CoHorts.”

As an author, Hoover is notable for her dramatic romantic narratives. In an interview with Vulture, Hoover cited All Your Perfects as “probably the saddest book I’ve ever written,” due to Quinn’s experience with infertility and infidelity from two partners. Despite this, Hoover and her readers hold up Quinn and Graham’s love as profoundly affecting. Hoover is notable for her depiction of flawed but realistic relationships, building characters that readers can relate to and root for. Hoover’s fanbase is loyal and vocal; as of October 2022, Hoover had sold 20 million books and held 6 of the 10 positions on the New York Times Best-Seller List. She’s been nominated for a number of Goodreads Choice Awards, winning three for her novels It Ends With Us and Confess. Hoover was also nominated for a UtopYA award for “Most Innovative Marketing” for her novel Maybe Someday. Though she has not received nominations from institutional awards, this imbalance further demonstrates the way Hoover’s career is fueled by her loyal fanbase, as well as the ways she’s created a place for herself in publishing through virtue of direct reader appeal.