Total net book sales in September in the U.S. rose 14.4%, to $1.7 billion, compared to September 2024, representing sales of 1,324 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. For the year to date, net book sales were down 0.4%, to $10.9 billion. The September results are the first gain in book sales since March.

In September, trade book sales jumped 10.9%, to $1.04 billion, while year to date, trade book sales are down 3.2%, to $6.8 billion. Most of the biggest categories among gainers were adult and children's hardcover and paperback.

In terms of format, in September trade hardcover sales rose 14.5%, to $466 million, paperbacks rose 15.1%, to $321.6 million, mass market dropped 6.5%, to $8.5 million, and special bindings were up 5.4%, to $28.8 million. E-book revenues were down 7.9%, to $85.4 million, digital audio slipped 0.6%, to $89.1 million, and physical audio fell 41.3%, to $500,000.

Sales by category for September 2025:

(photo: Jeremiah Harlow/Cuyahoga Valley Media)

Woven Words Bookshop, selling new and used books, hosted its grand opening in October at 843 N Cleveland Massillon Rd. in Akron, Ohio. Co-owners and sisters Amy Ford and Lindsey Gartman said they "were overwhelmed by the response! We sold over 400 books and the feedback was so positive and filled with excitement." The shop also offers craft kits, as well as "book events and craft nights for everyone--no artistic experience required."

The original idea for the bookstore came during a family summer vacation in 2024 in the form of a simple question: "If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?" This sparked the beginning of their shared dream to open a bookstore and creative space built around connection.

Ford told Akron.com that they found themselves "literally Googling 'how to open a bookstore.' They refined their concept. They tuned into podcasts and joined the American Booksellers Association. They applied for and were granted a small business loan. They scouted locations. They talked about a name. They hosted pop-up events to test out their idea."

Woven Word owners Amy Ford and Lindsey Gartman (photo: Jeremiah Harlow/Cuyahoga Valley Media)

At their first pop-up, "Whatcha Reading? Book Club and Craft Night," attendees chatted about any book they were currently reading while weaving paper bookmarks. The event was held at a local vintage home goods store that turned out to be right across the street from their eventual bricks-and-mortar location.

Last March, they went to Florida to attend the Bookstore Training Group program run by Donna Paz and Mark Kaufman of Paz & Associates. "They truly equipped us and boosted our confidence as we began this journey," the owners said. 

West Akron, where Gartman and her family had moved four years ago, was missing an independent bookstore. When a spot opened in Ghent Square, they knew they wanted the space, adding that "it's a lovely square with a toddler boutique, fillery store, jeweler, counseling offices, law and insurance offices, and a salon."

The co-owners grew up on the west side of Cleveland and were both drawn to art, design, and making things by hand. Ford is a lifelong reader and fiber-craft enthusiast, while Gartman is an art educator and design lover.

On the store's website, they note: "Woven Words is an independently female-owned bookshop and community craft space dedicated to bringing people together through stories and creativity. Our hope is to create a space where conversations flow, friendships form, and joy is sparked by what we read and make together. Because just like a tapestry, the books we love, the crafts we create, and the people we meet all become beautifully woven into the story of our lives."

Scholastic is selling its headquarters building in New York City and its main distribution warehouse, in Jefferson City, Mo., and will lease back both facilities. The transactions are expected to close by the end of the year.

The headquarters building at 555-557 Broadway will be bought by a subsidiary of Empire State Realty Trust for $386 million, and the warehouse will be bought by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group for $95 million.

Scholastic estimated that after taxes, fees, etc., the sales will net $401 million. Scholastic president and CEO Peter Warwick said that the transactions, which "unlock the value of our owned real estate," will "maximize value from our most significant non-operating assets, while securing long-term use of strategic real estate key to our operations, now rightsized for our business needs. With a stronger balance sheet, we will be better positioned to continue investing in the extraordinary potential of our brand, content and mission, while returning capital to shareholders."

For the headquarters building, after the sale Scholastic will take a 15-year lease, with two 10-year lease extensions; for the warehouse, it will begin a 20-year triple-net lease, with two 10-year lease extensions.

Joseph Dewey

Joseph Dewey, who founded the Williams Bookstore, Williamstown, Mass., died November 9. He was 99. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dewey spent summers with his family in Williamstown. He enlisted in the Navy at 17, and after his discharge followed a Dewey family tradition by enrolling at Williams College, graduating in 1951 with a degree in English Literature. 

He remained in Williamstown for the rest of his life. In 1957, he followed his interest in books and art by founding the Williams Bookstore on Spring St., to serve the public, students, and faculty of the college. It was open from 1957 until 1989, when he retired. 

Dewey "was a man of intense creativity and curiosity, a poet, and reader of all manner of literature, art books and poetry," his obituary noted. "All of the arts played a large role in the home he and Joy [his first wife, Joy Anne Ross] created."

His family wrote in the obituary: "Hopefully he is on the water or slopes, or in deep conversation with Marcel Duchamp, Cole Porter or John Ashbery. He will be deeply missed by his loving family and the town that sustained him."

This past week, Shelf Awareness sent our monthly pre-order e-blast to more than 927,000 of the country's best book readers. The e-blast went to 927,873 customers of 274 participating independent bookstores.

The mailing features 11 upcoming titles selected by Shelf Awareness editors and a sponsored title. Customers can buy these books via "pre-order" buttons that lead directly to the purchase page for the title on each sending store's website. A key feature is that bookstore partners can easily change title selections to best reflect the tastes of their customers and can customize the mailing with links, images and promotional copy of their own.

The pre-order e-blasts are sent the last Wednesday of each month; the next will go out on Wednesday, December 31. Stores interested in learning more can visit our program registration page or contact our partner program team via e-mail.

For a sample of the November pre-order e-blast, see this one from Kingfisher Bookstore, Coupeville, Wash.

The titles highlighted in the pre-order e-blast were:

Vigil by George Saunders (Random House)
Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven (Flatiron)
One Aladdin, Two Lamps by Jeannette Winterson (Grove)
Storm by Rachel Hawkins (St. Martin's)
Ain't Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackmann (St. Martin's)
Is This a Cry for Help by Emily Austin (Atria)
No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah (Sourcebooks)
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy (Ballantine)
Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Julie Murphy Sierra Simone (Avon)
Bob's Burgers: B Is for Burgers: An ABC Book by Golden Books (Golden Books)
Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet (Sarah Barley/S&S BFYR)

"This past weekend you might have noticed the yarn tree Alex built by the register," A Novel Idea in Philadelphia, Pa., posted on Facebook. "This is our Giving Tree in honor of Giving Tuesday (though we're going to keep it up through the holidays).... This holiday season we encourage you to pay-it-forward. Purchase an ANI gift card, book, ornament, etc. to go on our tree for someone in the community. This can be done in-store or online!

"Anyone is welcome to take something from the tree--maybe for themselves, a gift for a family member or friend, etc.--at no cost, with no questions asked, and without stigma."

"Small Business Saturday [meets] Game Day. Whether you sneak out at half time or shop online, make sure you're supporting local businesses today! Shop local. Read local. Go Bucks!" Prologue Bookshop in Columbus, Ohio, amped up the rivalry spirit before last weekend's NCAA football game between Ohio State and Michigan with a provocative sidewalk chalkboard message: "Michigan fans don't read. Be better than a Michigan fan. Shop local. Buy books." Ohio State won 27-9. Never underestimate the power of books... and chalkboards.

Kitanna Hiromasa has joined Grand Central as a publicist. She was previously at Riverhead.

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Alexander Slater has joined Ingram Content Group as manager of MediaScout, a new service that helps filmmakers navigate the publishing world. Slater has more than 15 years experience as a literary agent at agencies including Trident Media Group and Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Simon & Schuster will handle worldwide sales and distribution for Humanitas Media, effective January 1.

Humanitas Media, which believes in "storytelling as a force for human rights," focuses on narratives that "expose injustice, affirm dignity, and empower survivors to reclaim their voices. By confronting systems of oppression and lifting marginalized perspectives, our mission is to connect powerful human stories with a global audience. We are committed to making these narratives accessible and emotionally resonant, building empathy and deepening awareness." Its latest release is Through the Gates of Hell: American Injustice at Guantanamo Bay by Joshua Colangelo-Bryan.

Tomorrow:
Kelly Clarkson Show: Gesine Bullock-Prado, author of My Harvest Kitchen: 100+ Recipes to Savor the Seasons (Countryman Press, $35, 9781682689165).

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Cameron Crowe, author of The Uncool: A Memoir (Avid Reader Press, $35, 9781668059432).

Legacy of Spies, a TV series based John le Carré's novels, has landed at the BBC in the U.K. and MGM+ in the U.S, Deadline reported. The Ink Factory, which owns the rights to le Carré's work, is producing and Fifth Season is distributing the series.

The cast includes Charlie Hunnam (Monster, Sons of Anarchy), Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), Daniel Brühl (Inglorious Basterds, Rush), and Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu (The Empress). The project is slated to begin production in early 2026. 

Deadline noted that Hunnam "will play British intelligence officer Alec Leamas opposite Macfadyen's George Smiley, Brühl will portray East German spy Jens Fielder and Islamoğlu will portray Doris Quinz aka Agent Tulip." Stephen Cornwell is writing the screenplay alongside Clarissa Ingram. 

Hannah Durkin won the £50,000 (about $66,000) Wolfson History Prize for her book Survivors: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade, published in the U.S. by Amistad as The Survivors of the Clotilda. The five shortlisted authors each took home £5,000 (about $6,600).

The judges called the winning work "a superb reconstruction of the lives of the survivors of the slave ship, Clotilda. This searing book conveys the survivors' sufferings and remarkable resilience, bringing to life their personal stories in a compelling way."

Organizers said, "This is an immersive and revelatory history of the survivors of the Clotilda, the last slave ship to land on American soil, whose lives diverged and intersected in profound ways.

"The Clotilda docked in Mobile Bay, Alabama, in July 1860--more than 50 years after a federal law was passed banning the importation of captive Africans, and nine months before the beginning of the Civil War. The last of its survivors lived well into the twentieth century. They were the last witnesses to the final act of a terrible period in world history.

"In this epic work, Dr. Hannah Durkin tells the stories of the Clotilda's 110 captives, drawing on her intensive archival, historical and sociological research. Survivors follows their lives from their kidnappings in what is modern-day Nigeria through a terrifying 45-day journey across the Middle Passage; from the subsequent sale of the ship's 103 surviving children and young people into slavery across Alabama to the dawn of the Civil Rights movement in Selma."

photo: Olivia Spencer

Hannah Beer is a writer from North West England. She lives in London and works in communications. A reformed fangirl, she has an encyclopedic knowledge of celebrity culture that she writes about in her newsletter, Emotional Speculation. When not working or writing, she enjoys reading, going to gigs, and cooking elaborate meals for her friends. I Make My Own Fun (Anansi International, October 14, 2025), her debut novel, is a romp through fame, obsession, and fandom following the descent of the world's most beloved movie star.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

An extremely famous woman becomes dangerously fixated on an ordinary girl, spiraling into a deep, unhinged obsession.

On your nightstand now:

I'm currently reading a proof of Frida Slattery as Herself by the Irish writer Ana Kinsella. It's delightful so far.

Favorite book when you were a child:

One of the first books I remember truly, wholeheartedly adoring is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. My dad had loved it when he was younger, and I remember him giving it to me to enjoy for myself when I was in primary school. I loved all the wordplay, which felt hugely expansive and exciting to me. I think it probably is what made me realise just how much there was to be done with language.

All the imagery in it really left a mark on me: every time I'm bored, I think about Milo in his little car driving through the Doldrums, and every time I'm stressed or anxious about something pedestrian and adult, I think about the little boy whose feet got closer to the ground the older he got. That book is genius and fun and features some truly charming illustrations to boot.

Your top five authors:

Donna Tartt, Mona Awad, Lauren Groff, Gwendoline Riley, Eliza Clark.

I don't necessarily have a "type" when it comes to books--as evidenced by this list. All these women write really quite different books, but if I had to draw a throughline it would be this: none of them shy away from ugliness in their characters--in fact, they embrace it, which I really admire.

Donna Tartt is someone I will return to time and time again: I am consistently bowled over by the way she tells a story, at once so rich and so controlled. But really, I like all these authors because they really make me feel something: whether it's marveling at the sparse precision of Riley's prose, being carried away by Groff's lyricism, getting lost down Awad's trippy rabbit holes, or feeling gut punched by Clark's characters, reading these authors feels consistently exhilarating.

Book you're an evangelist for:

Anything by Eimear McBride, but especially The Lesser Bohemians. It takes a second to get into the way McBride writes, but once you're in, it's like you live there. It's so utterly absorbing.

Book you've bought for the cover:

Model Home by Rivers Solomon. I haven't read it yet, but the cover is spooky and fantastic.

Book you've faked reading:

I have never read David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, but I have definitely laughed along at memes about men who performatively read Infinite Jest. Does that make me worse or better than the men in the memes? Answers on a postcard, please...

Book you hid from your parents:

I consider myself quite lucky that my parents, by and large, let me read whatever I wanted--I think they were of the opinion that all reading was good reading (I agree!). But I did once have a copy of Riders by Jilly Cooper confiscated at school. I was about 12 or 13 and had gathered a little crowd of friends so we could all read the sex scenes together. I might've got away with it if I hadn't decided to do a dramatic reading (I am, and have always been, a Sagittarius).

Book that changed your life:

There are countless books that have left a lasting impact on me, but I would have to say that My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh changed my life in that it emboldened me to write a book with a truly heinous narrator. My Marina would not exist had I not read and enjoyed My Year of Rest and Relaxation, and so for that, I am endlessly in Moshfegh's debt!

Favorite line from a book:

I often see people online underlining particular words or phrases in their books, or sticking tabs on pages that particularly strike them. I always think this is a good idea, because I almost never remember the lines that really move me after I've read them, but the problem is I tend to read in bed, which is far away from my pencils and so, alas, it never happens for me.

That being said (and I'm sorry to bang the Donna Tartt drum again), I do think The Secret History has the best opening line of all time: "The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation."

Ugh! How completely, utterly fabulous. Who's Bunny? Who's we? And what, pray tell, is your situation?! Honestly, I defy anyone not to read on after that line.

Five books you'll never part with:

I am not hugely precious about my books (is that sacrilege for an author? Probably!) but I would struggle to get rid of my copy of The Phantom Tollbooth. Anything with an inscription is coming with me on every house move--my brother bought me a copy of On the Road by Jack Kerouac when I was a teenager that I still have because of its lovely inscription. I will always keep the proof and hardback of my own novel (because who knows, it may one day go out of print and that will be all I have left). Despite never returning to them again, I seem to have held on to several books I studied at university, so I guess I'm stuck with Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks for life as well.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

I would happily erase Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin from my brain just so I could read it all over again. That book swept me off my feet and broke my heart all at once! What a gorgeous, triumphant novel it is!

I read this book on holiday with my best friends, and if I'm honest I was quite poor company for a couple of days because all I could do was compulsively read this book (I'm sure I missed out on lots of stellar gossip).

It captures the pure, frenzied magic of creating something for the love of the game, and I'm still yet to read or watch anything that does that as well as this book. Reading it gave me the same feeling as writing something I'm really proud of, or nailing a tricky plot point: a thrilling satisfaction. I adored it, and I loved the way Zevin treats creativity and friendship with as much reverence as romance.

Tender and dreamlike, Ren's Pencil by Bo Lu (Bao's Doll) depicts imagination and a "magic" pencil helping ease one girl's transition from her life in "the East" to an unfamiliar new home in "the West."

Ren loves "magical stories... where a brush [makes] pictures come alive." She, Popo, and Popo's yellow-orange cat snuggle and imagine themselves together in books about "princesses trapped under pagodas, rescued by fairies," and other magical tales "from the East." Then one day Ren's parents tell her they're "moving to the West" so they can "build something new." Ren desperately wants to stay where she is with Popo. But Popo hands Ren a pencil and gently assures her she will make her own magic in the West.

When Ren gets there, everything is different. Faces and hair are "unusual colors" and even her name is wrong; she's told that in school she'll be called Lauren. Words in books look like "upside-down letters" and Ren cannot "imagine herself in these stories." When she misunderstands the word "short" while getting a haircut, she can't even recognize her own face in the mirror afterward. Ren longs to be "with Popo and her magical stories"--"maybe everything would feel right again."

Just then, a flash of yellow-orange streaks by. Ren chases a giant cat, who invites her to "hop on," and she enters a dreamscape of "strange trees and houses" and "upside-down letters" that dance in the sky. A yellow orange-haired princess in a tower needs saving and, when no fairies appear, Ren sees the "soft glow" of the pencil Popo gave her: "Make your own magic." Ren does just that and saves the princess, with whom she begins to share her drawings. In time and with hard work, Ren begins to make friends and, "like magic," letters begin to make sense.

Bo Lu's expressive language feels intensely personal as she relates how Ren uses her pencil to communicate and create her own "something new." Lu's pencil, watercolor, and digital illustrations are soft with dark blues and purples to indicate the world of stories; she switches styles to include naïve art for the drawings done by Ren herself. Lu seamlessly entwines Ren's inner and outer lives as she portrays how important imagination is when coping with uncertainty. Art and storytelling provide a familiar place wherein Ren can learn to paint her new and old homes together into stories where she belongs. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author

Shelf Talker: The heartfelt and lyrical Ren's Pencil describes how Ren, after moving from "the East" to "the West," uses storytelling and a pencil to learn to create her own magical "something new."

The bestselling Libro.fm audiobooks at independent bookstores during November:

Fiction
1. Brimstone by Callie Hart (Podium Audio)
2. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Penguin Random House Audio)
3. Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (Macmillan Audio)
4. Good Spirits by B.K. Borison (Avon)
5. The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (Macmillan Audio)
6. Quicksilver by Callie Hart (Podium Audio)
7. Bound by Ali Hazelwood (Spotify Audiobooks)
8. Alchemised by SenLinYu (Penguin Random House Audio)
9. A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (Penguin Random House Audio)
10. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Macmillan Audio)

Nonfiction
1. Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (Penguin Random House Audio)
2. Enshittification by Cory Doctorow (Macmillan Audio)
3. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green (Penguin Random House Audio)
4. That's a Great Question, I'd Love to Tell You by Elyse Myers (William Morrow)
5. 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (Penguin Random House Audio)
6. 107 Days by Kamala Harris (Simon & Schuster Audio)
7. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Tantor Media)
8. Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood (Penguin Random House Audio)
9. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (Penguin Random House Audio)
10. ADHD Is Awesome by Penn Holderness and Kim Holderness (Harper Horizon)