What to Post on Bookstagram: Content Ideas for Bookstagrammers (that Authors Love!)
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not authors care about the posts you make on Instagram, the answer is a resounding yes. It is honestly the coolest thing when bookstagrammers have such cute content ideas for bookstagram and include my book in their posts. I’ve been lucky to see some incredible, original posts from readers, and I am constantly inspired and impressed by what readers create!
But like any social media, posting on Instagram can be exhausting. It can also feel disheartening when you continually post and don’t get any likes or comments—especially on a post you spent a lot of time making! The inspiration practically drains from you, and then you’re stuck looking at the app and wondering what to post…
Well, now you’ve got some fresh ideas! As an author, I love seeing reader posts—not just about my books, but all romance books! I’ve got some cool booksta post ideas that can keep you motivated when you don’t know what to post.
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What is Bookstagram on Instagram
I’ve only recently gotten involved in Bookstagram myself, but so far I’m liking it a lot! Bookstagram—lovingly dubbed Booksta—is the place on Instagram for book lovers. Readers can share their favorite books, current reads, and yap about books with other enthusiastic readers.
Instagram can sometimes feel a bit dependent on perfect aesthetics, but I think it’s the most fun—and relatable—when Bookstagrammers share their reading life in a way that’s authentic to them. That might be stylized photos, but it might also be your unhinged reactions to books, reader breakdowns over gut-wrenching, emotional scenes, or late-night “they just got to the inn and there’s only one bed” posts. Bookstagram is for readers first—a place for you to give recommendations, express your creativity, and find community, all while expanding your TBR list.
We authors are there, too—obviously, we want you to know about us!—so it’s a fun place where we can reach each other and let you know what we’re working on, give you insider peeks, and show a bit of our creativity, too.
How to Start a Bookstagram
The worst thing you can do when starting a Bookstagram account is to overthink it. You will learn a lot by posting, so don’t feel like you need to be perfect from the start. You also don’t need a huge, gorgeous Beauty and the Beast style library, all of the new releases, or even a fancy camera for pics. Start with what you have, and just have fun with it.
It can be tricky to figure out how to grow a Bookstagram, but consistency is really the key here. If you can only commit to a few posts a week, that’s way better to do than try to post multiple times a day until you’re stressed out and can’t stand to look at the app anymore. I also think you should enjoy what you post. Sure, you might be seeing a trend that is popping off…but does it align with you and your preferences? If not, is there a way to make it more “you”?
Last, Bookstagram is really about a community, so don’t just post and disappear. Booksta is a lot more fun when you follow others, interact with their posts, and respond to comments. It might take time, but sustainable growth with genuine reader connections will go much further in growing Bookstagram followers and finding the readers who love your recs, every single time.
Should You Tag Authors in Bookstagram Posts?
This is a tricky topic! I can’t speak for all authors, but the main time you should not tag an author is when you are posting to say you didn’t like the book. We authors know our book won’t be for everyone, so if you don’t have mostly nice things to say, we’d rather you just keep that conversation in the reader’s realm. It’s not that we don’t ever take critiques in a review to heart and try to improve—I certainly do!—but I have to be in the right headspace for that. Randomly getting tagged in someone’s critical 2⭐ review on Bookstagram is just now how I want to spend my Tuesday night.
In general, it’s fine to tag authors in positive or mostly positive reviews (4⭐ or 5⭐ are a definite yes). A lot of the Bookstagram post ideas below aren’t really reviews, though—they’re simply bookish post ideas for Instagram that share the book, the world of the book, and what you liked about it. These are posts that bring such a smile to my face, so I’m always happy to be tagged in posts like these!
20 Aesthetic Content Ideas for Bookstagram
If you’re looking for Booksta content ideas for Instagram, then here are 20 fun ideas that are author-approved. Bookstagram posts don’t always have to be reviews or “I loved this/I hated this” content. You can instead dream up something that gives readers a taste of what to expect and let them decide if they want to pick the book up. Of course, gushing over a fave book in a 5⭐ review is always welcome, but here are some other ideas when you want to post something fresh.
Mood Boards that Capture a Bookish Vibe
Book mood boards convey so much about a book—the tropes, the place, the characters, and the general overall feeling, which is sometimes hard to capture in words alone. Of all the bookstagram ideas for Instagram, this one is the most freeing. A mood board is whatever you want it to be, and honestly, they’re a fun creative project. As an author, I love seeing a reader’s individual take on the world and characters I created.Quote Posts of Some of Your Favorite Romance Book Quotes
I had an ARC reader for In a Desert Daze do this recently, and I absolutely loved it. Not only does it make an author’s book come to life by pairing favorite lines with visuals, but it’s actually really helpful for us authors to see what quotes resonate most with you. There are lots of Bookstagram post templates online (like on Etsy) for book quotes, or you can easily whip something up in Canva.Character Aesthetics
Similar to a mood board, this is your chance to show Bookstagram how you picture a character from your favorite romance novel. I have pretty specific ideas of what my characters look like, but I don’t spend too much of my books describing every tiny character detail—mostly because I want readers to envision the character their way. This is one of those bookstagram post ideas aesthetic and creative folks love since it really is just the character from your personal perspective—you can really go wild and have fun with it!Your Fan Cast for the Book
This one is always really fun to see, since technically we authors aren’t supposed to use celebrities to promote/sell our work (I know that some authors do this, but it is generally advised against for legal reasons). Bookstagrammers, however, aren’t profiting from book sales and can post their dream cast for a book. As we’ve seen from the casting for films like Beach Read by Emily Henry, readers have strong feelings about which actors should play a role! We authors may or may not have specific people in mind, but once the book is in your hands, it’s exciting to witness your understanding of the characters come to life.Your Reading Experience
What were the shocking moments, the swoony moments, the giggling-and-kicking-your-feet-like-a-schoolgirl moments? Bookstagram post ideas like this can be heavily visual, or you can keep it simple: just a photo of you enjoying your book and a thoughtful caption. This is also a really unique and personal way to post, since your reading experience is yours and yours alone.Trope-Focused Content
Romance readers love tropes—they’re the reason we pick up a book, and they’re sometimes the reason we avoid a book. Tropes can even surprise us sometimes (I never would have thought that surprise pregnancy romance books were for me…but here we are!). While books are so much more than their tropes, book genre tropes are a quick and easy way for readers to figure out if a book is for them. These are easy posts for readers to save on Instagram and refer to later!Reels that Capture the Feeling of the Book
Think of this like a book mood board but in video form. While I’m more of a TikTok girlie myself, many readers still turn to Instagram Reels for book ideas. A Reel can capture a reader’s attention in an instant, and it’s a chance for you to make unique Bookstagram ideas for your favorite books.Giving Love to an Author’s Backlist
New releases are always on people’s radars, but we authors love it when you read from our backlist and share those books, too! And honestly, it’s such a great, low-pressure way to post. I know too many readers who’ve experienced Bookstagram burnout—the pressure to constantly be getting all the new releases, racing through them, and posting their thoughts. If you’re looking for how to grow Bookstagram followers, one thing that will help is not just sharing all the books that everyone is already talking about. Having a healthy mix of authors’ backlist titles in your recommendations is a surefire way to set yourself apart.Roundup Posts of Romance Books
This is my personal favorite. I love getting to see my book shared with other books—it’s such a cool feeling! It also makes it easy for readers to connect with your post and find spot-on bookstagram book recommendations. If they know they like reading enemies to lovers, a carousel of enemies to lovers book recs will instantly stop their scrolling. If they’re looking for romance books set in Ireland, they’ll walk away with plenty of new books on their TBR from just your one post. It’s a great way to become someone’s go-to book rec resource!Your Reading Playlist for a Book
Think of this like a mood board, but make it audio! The songs you select for a bookish playlist can be literal—maybe the title is a very clear nod to what happens in the book or to one of the characters, maybe the song talks about a place mentioned in the book, or maybe the song itself is even mentioned in the book. But you can also make a playlist by selecting songs that just have the right vibe. In my opinion, the best book playlists are a combination of all of the above.Travel-Inspired Posts for Your Favorite Settings in Romance Books
Books where the setting is a key part of the story are perfect for posts like this. Destination romance authors will give you endless options of places to dream about traveling to, both literally and literarily. I’ve written books set in some pretty incredible places—the Maldives, Ireland, and the desert in California—and I want my books to give you wanderlust when you read them!Your Book Annotations
I’m always impressed by people who annotate as they read, and it’s so interesting to see the lines that stand out to you. Of course, Bookstagrammers posting ideas like this can make intricate, detailed graphics, but I personally think it’s fun to see photos of your book or Kindle with those annotations. A carousel of lines that you’ve highlighted from your book is a peek into the your reading experience, making this a one-of-a-kind post on Instagram.Meme Reactions
These posts always make me laugh. As someone promoting my books, I am legally not allowed to use memes in posts (again, some authors do this, but we’re generally advised not to). But readers can use memes all they want! You can use a meme that sums up your general reaction, or even use memes to express your feelings during certain parts of the book or on certain lines. Here’s a great example of what I’m talking about.Text Messages Between Characters
Let your imagination run wild with this one. If you are attached to these fictional characters and want them to live in your head a little longer, you can dream up a text message convo between them. I’ve seen a number of bookstagram templates that have an iPhone or text message graphic, making it really easy—and fun!—to imagine what the characters might say to each other when they’re laying in bed thinking about that kiss or bantering over an insider reference from the book.Alternative Book Covers
If you’re artistically gifted, you can have a lot of fun creating book cover mockups for your favorite romance books. Romance book covers are works of art, but they still have to follow a lot of genre expectations. If you’re a fan with a vision, though, you can create whatever you want! This would be a fun creative project for any romance book you love.Character Favorites
Create a book character profile sheet of your favorite romance heroes and heroines. Some of their favorite things might be mentioned in the book, but others you can infer simply from their character, behavior, and habits. You can also play around with this book post on Instagram, since some of the “favorites” might be surprising. Daisy from In a Desert Daze loves coffee and can’t function without it; Max has a weakness for tiki drinks…ifykyk. 😉Your Own Blind Date With a Book Recommendations
This is peak bookstagram creativity, if you ask me. Bookstores sometimes offer “Blind Date With a Book” options, which are books that are pre-wrapped so you don’t know what you’re getting. You select the book typically off of the tropes written on the wrapping paper. A reader recently included me in a Blind Date with a Book post, and I thought it was such a cute, fun way to engage readers and get them interested in books you love. There’s a curiosity aspect to it, which I think makes it irresistible.Currently Reading Posts
Posting to your Bookstagram account can be exhausting, especially when you are giving your all with every single post. Luckily, you can rely on some lower-effort posts from time to time, too! A quick reading check-in post to let followers know what you’re reading and how you’re enjoying it so far is a great, easy booksta post idea.Author Spotlight/Appreciation
Ngl, this is the dream! If you’ve read multiple books from an author and are itching to pick up their next release, consider doing an author spotlight to let your followers get more familiar with them. You can gush about your favorite read from them and help readers decide where to start with an author’s backlist. Creative bookstagram post ideas really can be as simple as letting people know what you love and why you love it!Book Pairings
The possibilities are endless here! You can pair your favorite books with wines, your favorite cafe drinks, with destinations, with each other (if you liked this, you’ll like this sort of thing), with reader moods…you can really have fun with this and will never run out of content ideas for Bookstagrammers when you start looking beyond the book itself for inspiration. I’ve seen some unhinged Bookstagram posts, but as long as the pairing and recommendations feel true to you, it’s definitely something your followers will enjoy.
How Bookstagrammers Can Support Authors on Instagram
I can talk about my own books until I’m blue in the face, but it’s readers’ genuine posts that often mean more to prospective readers. Supporting authors with fun, creative Bookstagram post ideas (like the ones above) does double the work for Bookstagrammers—you’re supporting authors whether you realize it or not, and you’re giving your booksta community some great recs. Win win!
Thanks for reading! If you love spicy, emotional romances set in dreamy destinations, I hope you’ll follow me on Instagram! I’m @theresachristinewrites