Jack Edwards (internet personality)

Jack Edwards
Edwards at the 2026 TV BAFTAs red carpet
Born (1998-10-18) 18 October 1998[1]
Brighton, England
EducationSt Cuthbert's Society, Durham (BA)
Occupations
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2016–present
GenreBooks
Subscribers2.1 million
Views177 million
Last updated: 14 July 2026
Websitewww.thejackexperience.co.uk

Jack Benjamin Edwards (born 18 October 1998) is an English YouTuber, social media influencer and author.[2] He has built an online following posting videos about books, popular culture and university life since 2016, and is associated with the internet sub-communities of BookTube, BookTok[3][4][5] and EduTube.[6][7][8] As of July 2026, he has over 2.1 million subscribers on YouTube and over 2 million followers across TikTok, Goodreads and Instagram.

Early life and education

Jack Benjamin Edwards was born on 18 October 1998 in Brighton, England. He attended the University of Durham (St Cuthbert's Society), where he earned a First Class BA in English literature.[9][10] He was the first member of his family to attend university.[10]

Career

Edwards registered his YouTube account @jack_edwards in 2014, gaining prominence in 2017 for documenting his experiences at St Cuthbert's. Then-Principal, Elizabeth Archibald, would attribute the popularity of Edwards' vlogs to St Cuthbert's first oversubscription, referring to it as "the Jack Edwards effect". [7]

As of 2026, Edwards' main YouTube channel has 1.7 million subscribers and 196 million views, where his content focuses on activities such as reading the book recommendations of popular actors, musicians, and reality stars,[11] and is also active on TikTok and Instagram where he has a further 2 million followers. As of 2026 his second channel, @Jack_in_the_books, has a further 540k subscribers and 69 million views.

In 2020, Edwards published The Uni-Verse: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving University with Harper Collins,[12][13] while in 2021 he launched the stationary company Ink Outside the Box.[14] In 2023, Edwards announced that he would be closing down the company.[15]

In 2023, Edwards was announced as a "thinker in residence" for that year's Hay Festival, focusing on digital storytelling and online media.[16] As part of his role, he interviewed Alice Oseman.[17] That year, he also hosted the 2023 Booker Prize official livestream at Old Billingsgate and the 2024 International Booker Prize at Tate Modern.[18][19]

Edwards appeared as a panellist on series eight of Between the Covers. His episode aired on BBC Two on 19 November 2024.

In 2025, Edwards launched Inklings, an online book club aimed at fostering discussion of contemporary literature and championing storytellers from around the world.[20] The inaugural selection was Evenings and Weekends by Irish writer Oisín McKenna, followed by The Coin by Palestinian writer Yasmin Zaher which took place at Chelsea Arts Festival.[21][22] Guests on the book club's accompanying podcast include celebrities like Cillian Murphy, Jennifer Lawrence, Margot Robbie and Steven Spielberg, as well as authors like Alice Oseman, Ocean Vuong, George Saunders and Andy Weir.

He was appointed Literary Editor for Esquire (UK Edition) in 2025, where he writes a monthly book column.[23]

Recognition

Edwards has been included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, aged 26.[24] In 2026, he was named to the TIME 100 Creators list celebrating the top 100 most influential creators in the world.[25] He was also included in The Times Young Power List, which recognises influential people under the age of 30 in the UK.[26]

Edwards has been described by several publications as an influential figure in contemporary publishing and online literary culture. ArtsHub referred to him as "one of the most important figures in publishing", while The Times described him as the "internet's resident librarian".[27][28] In a 2026 profile, New Statesman described Edwards as "the most powerful literary critic in the world".[29]

References

  1. ↑ "Jack Edwards". The Jack Experience. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  2. ↑ i read Julia Fox's book and it actually is ✨a masterpiece✨, retrieved 21 February 2024
  3. ↑ Bacon, Jess. "Is BookTok sucking the joy out of reading?". Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Kaplan, Anna. "How TikTok Helped Fuel The Best-Selling Year For Print Books". Forbes. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  5. ↑ Merry, Stephanie. "Six TikTok stars share their favorite books of 2022". Washington Post. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  6. ↑ Haynes, Tom. "What happens to studytubers once they stop studying?". i-D Vice. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  7. 1 2 Stokel-Walker, Chris. "The rise of EduTube: how social media influencers are shaping universities". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  8. ↑ Sharma, Ruchira. "StudyTube: The community of YouTubers using revision and university to boost their platforms". iNews. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  9. ↑ Stokel-Walker, Chris. "Universities switch on to YouTube student influencers". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  10. 1 2 Anderson II, Ricky. "A chat with YouTube's resident librarian, Jack Edwards". Creator Handbook. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  11. ↑ Sinha, Ekta. "RM's New Solo Album Has Got Us Thinking About His Book Recommendations And We Picked The Popular Ones". Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "The Uni-Verse: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving University". GoodReads. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  13. ↑ "Ask the Expert: My son has no life skills – how will he cope at university?". The Irish News. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Youtuber Jack Edwards releases a brand new stationery range". Celeb Mix. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Edwards, Jack. "i'm closing down my company". YouTube. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Thinkers in Residence". Hay Festival. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  17. ↑ "The Guardian view on Heartstopper: a phenomenon that defines a generation". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "Jack Edwards Q&A: Get to know the host of the Booker Prize 2023". thebookerprizes.com. 10 November 2023.
  19. ↑ Biino, Marta (28 February 2024). "How YouTuber Jack Edwards went from making college content to becoming a top book creator". Business Insider. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  20. ↑ "BookTok Celeb Jack Edwards Wants to Elevate Online Reading Culture". Publishers Weekly.
  21. ↑ "Evenings & Weekends by Oisín McKenna is the inaugural pick for Jack Edwards' new book club Inklings". Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency.
  22. ↑ "Jack Edwards: Culture Radar". Country & Town House. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Jack Edwards: from BookTok to Esquire". The Telegraph.
  24. ↑ "Jack Edwards". Forbes.
  25. ↑ "Jack Edwards". TIME.
  26. ↑ "Young Power List 2026". The Times.
  27. ↑ "Jack Edwards is becoming one of the most important figures in publishing". ArtsHub.
  28. ↑ "Jack Edwards interview". The Times.
  29. ↑ "The world's most powerful literary critic is on TikTok". New Statesman.
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