Hoover's novel, Hopeless, was self-published in December 2012. After the success of Slammed, Hoover quit her job in the social work field to become a full-time writer. A third book in the series, This Girl, was published in April 2013. Atria Books picked up the novels and republished them on August 10, 2012. Slammed and Point of Retreat reached #8 and #18, respectively, on the New York Times Best Seller list in August of that year. After a few months, Slammed was reviewed and given five stars by book blogger Maryse Black, and afterward, sales rapidly rocketed for Hoover's first two books. A sequel, Point of Retreat, was published in February 2012. She states that she published the novel so her mother, who had just gotten an Amazon Kindle, could read it.

Hoover self-published Slammed in January 2012. She was inspired by a lyric, 'decide what to be and go be it,” from an Avett Brothers song, 'Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise,' and she incorporated Avett Brothers lyrics throughout the story. In November 2011, Hoover began writing her debut novel, Slammed, with no intention of getting published. She worked various social work and teaching jobs, prior to starting her career as an author. Hoover graduated from Texas A&M-Commerce with a degree in social work. She married Heath Hoover in 2000, and they have three sons. She grew up in Saltillo, Texas, and she graduated from Saltillo High School in 1998. Hoover was born on December 11, 1979, in Sulphur Springs, Texas, to Vannoy Fite and Eddie Fennell. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023. Hoover has sold approximately 20 million books, as of October 2022.

Many of her works were self-published, before being picked up by a publishing house. She is best known for her 2016 romance novel, It Ends with Us. Colleen Hoover (born Margaret Colleen Fennell December 11, 1979) is an American author who primarily writes novels in the romance and young adult fiction genres.

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover