During the pandemic lockdowns, Albert Niazhvinski was working from home at his Silicon Valley tech job when, like cloistered citizens the world over, he discovered TikTok. He was drawn in by the goofy dances but stayed for the cooking videos.

The Belarus native loved cooking for family and friends, and he’d received on-the-job training from Italian chef Ignazio Rosa during a restaurant internship. He started creating his own cooking videos, posting witty, rapid-fire vignettes of himself and friends creating unexpected mashups like Octopus Kimchi Pizza, Big Mac Burritos, and Poke Nachos.

In the process, he gained insight into what people want from creators who share recipes and cooking instructions. He also found an audience who adore his cuisine-bending combos and delight in the way he gleefully ignores culinary rules. “I think the only rule is to not be afraid of mixing and combining things that might seem like they shouldn’t go together,” Niazhvinski says. “The only limit is your imagination.”

Today Niazhvinski is a social media superstar, with 14.6 million TikTok followers and 21.7 million YouTube subscribers. He’s also the author of his first cookbook, Albert Can Cook (October), where he shares his personal story and his favorite cuisine-bending recipes, which each come with a QR code linked to a video demonstrating how the dishes should look at each step.

“We see him as the perfect ambassador for getting the younger generation interested in cooking,” says Mike Sanders, SVP and publisher of DK Alpha. “After all, you can learn how to make ramen in any number of cookbooks, but Albert makes it fun by teaching you how to make his Big Mac version of the dish.”

Social media creators like Niazhvinski are transforming the way books are published, Sanders says. “Millions of fans on these platforms, rather than a handful of traditional tastemakers and gatekeepers, are now determining which books are worth reading.”

DK Alpha partners with creators to translate their platforms into book titles, and the publisher has seen tremendous success. Last year, six of DK Alpha’s 24 front-list titles made the New York Times Best Sellers list, including No. 1. New York Times bestsellers such as Mercury Stardust’s (aka the Trans Handy Ma’am) Safe and Sound and B. Dylan Hollis’s Baking Yesteryear, which sold more than 150,000 copies worldwide in its first week and became one of the most preordered cookbooks of all time for Penguin Random House. Last year, DK Alpha also increased its market share by 38% in a market that contracted by 3.5%, and the publisher saw a threefold increase in net sales over the previous year, representing an all-time record in DK Alpha’s 30-year history.

“Social media has become not only a rich environment for discovering these new authors but also a powerful tool for turning their books into global bestsellers,” Sanders says. “Many of today’s biggest creators have a reach that surpasses the viewership of major national morning shows and newspapers. Therefore, it’s no longer sufficient to view them merely as potential authors; they are their own primary broadcast channels, capable of driving substantial book sales with the guidance we provide.”

Albert Can Cook is part of a dynamic fall list from social media stars that includes Holly Nilsson’s Spend with Pennies Everyday Comfort cookbook (September), Larry Canam’s Milkshake Monday (October), Cecilia Blomdahl’s Life on Svalbard (October), and Benji Xavier’s The Rebel Diet (December). Sanders cautions, however, that developing a book project with social media origins requires more than just finding an influencer with a big follower count. “Don’t mistake metrics for a magic formula,” Sanders says. “It’s easy to get caught up with follower size and engagement, but there is so much more to evaluating creators with the most potential as authors.”

When considering book projects by social media creators, DK Alpha editors look at factors such as growth rate, ability and willingness to promote, and the nature of their relationship with their fans. They also work with creators to identify the right book concept, one that best represents the creators’ connections with their fans and will enable them to reach an even wider audience.

Albert Can Cook, for example, responds to a direct need voiced by Niazhvinski’s followers. “Since I usually don’t post cooking instructions on my channel, viewers often ask for the recipes in the comments,” Niazhvinski says. “That’s why this book is a perfect
continuation of my videos—it gives viewers the chance to finally re-create the dishes they liked, complete with exact measurements and detailed instructions.”

This kind of value-add is key to creating a successful social-content-to-book project, Sanders says. “We look at [the creator’s connection to their audience] through a commercial lens with the aim of helping the creators arrive at a concept that gives their fans what they want while also allowing their books to compete in a defined space that enables them to reach more readers through organic discovery.”

And Albert Can Cook will stand out—literally. It has a unique self-standing format, Sanders says, that enables cooks to place it on the
counter like a tablet without the need for special tools like cookbook stands.

In this case, necessity was the mother of invention. “I’ve always struggled with traditional cookbooks because they’re hard to use while actually cooking,” Niazhvinski says. “That’s what inspired me to create a cookbook that’s both practical and easy to use.”

Niazhvinski’s platform has also enabled him to have a dialogue with his audience in real time and discover what’s popular. Two of his most viral recipes, Mozzarella Donuts and Goofy Pizza, are featured in Albert Can Cook. “The secret ingredient?
Cheese,” Niazhvinski says. “Gooey, cheesy dishes are timeless classics—no one can resist that melty cheese pull.”

Cheese might be timeless, but Niazhvinski says the important ingredient for any social-media-to-book project is a love of creating. “I love challenging myself to create something surprising and unexpected,” he says. “I’d be thrilled if my cookbook inspires more people to experiment in the kitchen and not be afraid to combine unlikely dishes, cuisines, or ingredients.”