This week! Books!
U.S. Audiobook Sales Grew 9% in 2025, to $2.43 Billion – Ed Nawotka, Publishers Weekly – The audiobook boom continued apace in 2025, including in the children’s book world. And no, in case you’re wondering, listening to an audiobook is still not reading. (Let’s start this roundup off with some spice!)
Call My Agent – Michael Gorra, New York Review of Books – Another look at Laura B. McGrath’s book Middlemen, which examines the role of literary agents in shaping literature.
In Conversation With Literary Agent Renée Zuckerbrot: An Insider’s Perspective on the Industry – Abhigna Mooraka, PEN America – Speaking of agents, here’s an interview with agent Renée Zuckerbrot, which touches on what she looks for in manuscripts, relationship building, and the current literary landscape.
One Way to Tell If a Publisher Actually Has Distribution – Tanya Hall, Jane Friedman – One of the most crucial and overlooked functions of traditional publishing is distribution: literally getting your book into stores. If you’re evaluating small presses and/or hybrid publishers, it can be difficult to ascertain a publisher’s true reach. Hybrid publisher Greenleaf’s CEO discusses some ways to discern availability vs. true distribution.
90 Or So Things I Did In a Year To Promote My Book / Q&A Thursday – Kate McKean, Agents + Books – Two great posts by agent and author Kate McKean. In the first, she lists 90 different things she did to promote her book, which both lends a sense of the scope of expectations for modern authors and may give you some ideas on how you can promote yours. And in the second, she offers some compassionate advice to an author who’s hoping to incorporate their husband’s death into their story.
Moby-Dick (Limited Edition) – Folio Society – If you’re looking for an early birthday present for me (and why wouldn’t you be), look no further than this $750 Folio Society edition of Moby-Dick illustrated by Mu Pan, in honor of the 175th anniversary of its publication! (via Ron Charles)
Jane Yolen, Author of 450 Books Including The Devil’s Arithmetic, Dies at 87 – Charna Flam, People – RIP to beloved children’s book author Jane Yolen, whose astonishing 450th book will be released posthumously next month.
This week in bestsellers
Here are the top five NY Times bestsellers in a few key categories. (All links are affiliate links):
Adult print and e-book fiction:
- Whistler by Ann Patchett
- Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
- The Deal by Elle Kennedy
- Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
- The Divorce by Freida McFadden
Adult print and e-book nonfiction:
- View From the East Wing by Jill Biden
- Revolution by Eric Metaxas
- Strangers by Belle Burden
- The Land and Its People by David Sedaris
- The Fix by Barbara McQuade
Young adult hardcover:
- The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham
- The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
- The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss
- Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
- Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni
Middle grade hardcover:
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate
- Refugee by Alan Gratz
- KPop Demon Hunters by Jessica Yoon
- Unsettling Salad! by Aaron Reynolds
This week on the blog
In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:
And keep up with the discussion in all the places!
And finally:
The Bounty Economy Is Breaking Reality – Taylor Lorenz, User Mag – In what’s literally a Black Mirror episode come to life, a new platform offers bounties to desperate people to perform morally reprehensible stunts to promote memecoins. Stop the dystopia, I want off!
Have a great weekend!
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