LibraryNowOriginsOddsMechanicsMCP

Kinds

Campaign380Product91Food & drink27App & software56Film24Series24Music60Game115Book22Creator moment54Meme & format109Trend & aesthetic38Activity58Moment89
PricingPrivacyTermsRefundsPress
Library/Book/Powerless
Grade B22 sourcesHIS-00805

Powerless

Book · 2023 · Niche

38Editable slideCertificate

A self-published BookTok novel sold over one million copies, its licensee reported.

Powerless
Lauren Roberts; Simon & Schuster (publisher)
Official publisher cover of Powerless by Lauren Roberts
Simon & Schuster
Powerless: cover art
Wikipedia (non-free, fair use)
A Dream Come True: A Guest Post by Lauren Roberts
Barnes & Noble / Lauren Roberts
Powerless
Variety
'Powerless' Series Based On Lauren Roberts’ YA Fantasy Books At Amazon
Deadline
Lauren smiles as she looks to the camera in a headshot wearing a white top, with her short dark hair down.
ABC News Australia
She read her college writing assignment out loud on TikTok. Now she's a bestseller
NBC News / TODAY
“Red Queen Plagiarized Powerless”: Anti-Fandom, Comments, and Warped Temporality on BookTok
Diggit Magazine
Licensing Hotline: June 2025
Publishers Weekly

Spread Score

How it works
ReachNo data yetContagion35Breadth70Velocity0LongevityNo data yet38

Numbers

Peak date
Week of Jun 30, 2024
Jan 31 ’23 to Week of Jun 30, 2024
Platforms
6
Started on Retail
Origin
Seeded
Entertainment

Mechanics

  • Maker originPrimary
  • Underdog
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

Roberts shared writing snippets on TikTok before self-publishing Powerless. S&S added creator mailings and an exclusive edition. Bestseller coverage, a television deal, merchandise and a later cash-prize creator campaign followed.

Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Google searchesJul ’21Apr ’22Mar ’23JulOctDecJun ’24SepDecMay ’25AugMay ’26PeakTikTokRetailOpen webRedditPressTV
TikTokRetailOpen webRedditPressTV

15 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

Timeline (18)

  1. August 2021

    Lauren Roberts precursor · Aug 13 ’21

    Roberts announced that Powerless had a Goodreads page while she documented writing the novel.[1]

    “Red Queen Plagiarized Powerless”: Anti-Fandom, Comments, and Warped Temporality on BookTok
    Open the first post ↗

  2. January 2023

    Lauren Roberts seed · Jan 31 ’23

    Roberts self-published Powerless after promoting snippets to her TikTok followers.[2][3]

    Licensing Hotline: June 2025

  3. June 2023

    Lloyd J. Jassin commercial · Jun 20 ’23

    Roberts’s agent announced a three-book global co-publishing deal with Simon & Schuster.[4]

Origin
Seeded
Sector
Entertainment
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade B

Spread the same way

Phasmophobia

Open web · 2020

70
Phasmophobia on Steam

30M sold

Deez Nuts presidential campaign

Open web · 2015

58
RAYGUN’s Deez Nuts 2016 campaign-style artwork.

Mewgenics

Open web · 2026

58
Mewgenics on Steam

$25M revenue

Balatro

Open web · 2023

50
Official gameplay screenshot showing a two-pair hand, Jokers and the Big Blind target.

5M sold

New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.

See every timeline

Free account, every case's full spread.

Join free
Log inJoin free
Google searchesJul ’21Apr ’22Mar ’23JulOctDecJun ’24SepDecMay ’25AugMay ’26PeakTikTokRetailOpen webRedditPressTV
TikTokRetailOpen webRedditPressTV

15 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

  1. August 2021

    Lauren Roberts precursor · Aug 13 ’21

    Roberts announced that Powerless had a Goodreads page while she documented writing the novel.[1]

    “Red Queen Plagiarized Powerless”: Anti-Fandom, Comments, and Warped Temporality on BookTok
    Open the first post ↗

  2. January 2023

    Lauren Roberts seed · Jan 31 ’23

    Roberts self-published Powerless after promoting snippets to her TikTok followers.[2][3]

    Licensing Hotline: June 2025

  3. June 2023

    Lloyd J. Jassin commercial · Jun 20 ’23

    Roberts’s agent announced a three-book global co-publishing deal with Simon & Schuster.[4]

  1. commercial · Jul 6 ’23

  2. platform jump · Sep 28 ’23

Join free to see the other 15 events and the full chart. Free, on every case.

Join free

Why it worked

Do this

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Pro opens the playbook, all 8 sourced numbers and 22 sources. Start with a free account.

Join freeGo Pro