His writing has attracted both negative and positive attention from various publications. Gawker, who referred to him as "maybe perhaps the single most irritating person we've ever had to deal with," though he was later pardoned and then wrote for the site.

Miranda July has said, "Tao Lin writes from moods that less radical writers would let pass...from laziness, from vacancy, from boredom. And it turns out that his report from these places is moving and necessary, not to mention frequently hilarious.”

L Magazine has said, "We've long been deeply irked by Lin's vacuous posturing and 'I know you are but what am I' dorm-room philosophizing..." Sam Anderson in New York Magazine has said, "Dismissing Lin, however, ignores the fact that he is deeply smart, funny, and head-over-heels dedicated in exactly the way we like our young artists to be."

An article in The Atlantic described Lin as having a "staggering" knack for self-promotion.

you are a little bit happier than i am (2006)

In November 2006 Lin's first book, a poetry collection, you are a little bit happier than i am, was published. It was the winner of Action Books' December Prize. It has consistently been a small press bestseller. Nylon called it "alternately quippy and rueful."

Eeeee Eee Eeee & Bed (2007)

In May 2007 Lin's first novel, Eeeee Eee Eeee, and first story collection, Bed were published simultaneously.

They were ignored by most mainstream media but have since been referenced in The Independent (who called called Eeeee Eee Eeee "a wonderfully deadpan joke.") and The New York Times who called Lin a "deadpan literary trickster" in reference to Eeeee Eee Eeee.

cognitive-behavioral therapy (2008)

In May 2008 Lin's second poetry collection, cognitive-behavioral therapy was published.

Shoplifting from American Apparel (2009)

In September 2009 Lin's novella, Shoplifting from American Apparel, was published to mixed reviews. The Guardian said, "Trancelike and often hilarious Lin's writing is reminiscent of early Douglas Coupland, or early Bret Easton Ellis, but there is also something going on here that is more profoundly peculiar, even Beckettian." The Village Voice called it a "fragile, elusive book." Bookslut said, "it shares an affected childishness with bands like The Moldy Peaches and it has a put-on weirdness reminiscent of Miranda July's No One Belongs Here More Than You." Time Out New York said, "Writing about being an artist makes most contemporary artists self-conscious, squeamish and arch. Lin, however, appears to be comfortable, even earnest, when his characters try to describe their aspirations (or their shortcomings) [...] purposefully raw." San Francisco Chronicle said, “Tao Lin's sly, forlorn, deadpan humor jumps off the page [...] will delight fans of everyone from Mark Twain to Michelle Tea.” Los Angeles Times said, "Camus' The Stranger or sociopath?" while Austin Chronicle called it "scathingly funny" and said that "it might just be the future of literature."

Another reviewer described it as "a vehicle...for self-promotion."

In December 2009 clothing retailer Urban Outfitters began selling Shoplifting from American Apparel in its stores.

Richard Yates (2010)

Published September 7, 2010 by Melville House Publishing, Richard Yates is Tao Lin's second novel.

In England, papers such as The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian ran pieces on him.In the United States, Lin was mentioned on the blogs of New York Magazine, The New Yorker , The New York Times , and Poets & Writers.

In a book review in the New York Times, Charles Bock described the book as "more interesting as a concept than as an actual narrative", and summarized "By the time I reached the last 50 pages, each time the characters said they wanted to kill themselves, I knew exactly how they felt."