New Shelves Books

12/24/2025

You’ve got plenty of time to give an author the gift of a review! No need to write a book report or worry that your review is “good enough.” A simple star rating on Amazon, a few words about your favorite characters or who you would recommend to book to/for works just fine. Spread some holiday cheer. 🎄

12/23/2025

Reading is leveling up. 📈📚

📊📚 The 2026 State of Reading Report shows readers are more habitual, more social, and more digital than ever, with fantasy, audiobooks, and community leading the way.

💬 “What used to be a quiet, solo hobby is increasingly becoming embedded in communities, conversations, and digital formats.”

From streaks to book clubs to romantasy, this is what reading really looked like in 2025—and where it’s headed next.

Dive into the full Fable: Books & TV report ➜ https://fable.co/blog/2026-state-of-reading-report

Read about A look at the reading trends that shaped our year at Everand and Fable, highlighting what readers are actually reading, how they are reading,...

12/23/2025

The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is now accepting nominations for the Rittenhouse Award, an annual award historically given by PubWest to honor those who have made a significant and lifelong contribution to independent books and book publishing. Nominations are open to publishers, authors, booksellers, sales representatives, librarians, and book designers. One does not have to be a member of IBPA to be nominated, and the award may be given to a living person or awarded posthumously. Nominations may be made by any member of IBPA, as an individual or in a role as a corporate member. Submit your nominations by January 31, 2026.
https://www.ibpabookaward.org/rittenhouse

12/22/2025

It's a ho-ho-holiday tradition around here. Whoever gets the blog on Christmas writes...songs. Or poems. Our Hank Phillippi Ryan continues the tradition.

12/22/2025

📖➡️🎬From page to screen—and back to the bookstore. Netflix says book adaptations drove 4.5B+ global views in 2025, and the ripple effect for publishers is real: massive backlist resurgences, reprints, and new readers worldwide.

💬 “Book adaptations have appeared on the Global Top 10 lists every week this year.”

Another reminder that great stories don’t just travel—they multiply.

Read more from Netflix here ➜ https://about.netflix.com/en/news/another-exciting-chapter-in-our-book-to-screen-journey-and-whats-to-come

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12/20/2025

Want to learn how to use social media to sell more books instead of wasting time scrolling? I can help. No silly dances (or Santa hat) required. 😆 🎅

https://craft.sibyllinepress.com/courses/social-media-barnum-1

12/19/2025

📦📘✨ Big supply-chain news in publishing: Lakeside Book Company is expanding again—this time by acquiring Baker & Taylor Publisher Services.

The move gives Lakeside full end-to-end capabilities (from manufacturing to distribution to order-to-cash) especially strengthening support for small and mid-size publishers.

Read the full Publishers Weekly story ➜ https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99162-lakeside-book-company-buys-b-t-distribution-arm.html

The book manufacturing giant Lakeside Book Company has acquired distributor Baker & Taylor Publisher Services, an important asset of the soon-to-be-closed library wholesaler.

12/18/2025

🎬💙 Streaming prices are up. Titles keep disappearing. And the last great video rental store? It’s not Blockbuster…it’s your public library. 💿📚

💬 “People really seem to want physical media.” — John Scalzo, AV librarian

Libraries are quietly becoming massive archives for films, TV, and even video games—preserving what streaming keeps losing. And yes, some branches are leaning into full Blockbuster nostalgia (minus the late fees 😎).

Read the full 404 Media story ➜ https://www.404media.co/the-last-video-rental-store-is-your-public-library/

Audio-visual librarians are quietly amassing large physical media collections amid the IP disputes threatening select availability.

12/17/2025

🤔 Would you buy an AI-written book? 🤖📚

Waterstones boss James Daunt says yes—if readers want them and if they’re clearly labelled. But don’t expect them front-and-center anytime soon.

💬 “If people want to read that book, AI-generated or not, we will be selling it—as long as it doesn’t pretend to be something that it isn’t.”

As AI debates heat up across publishing, one thing’s clear: readers, transparency, and trust still come first.

Read the full BBC interview here ➜ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvdkw4xgewo

James Daunt says booksellers instinctively have "disdain" for AI but it could be sold if clearly labelled.

12/16/2025

Ever feel like Kindle titles are starting to look like search queries? 📱📚

Readers are frustrated by SEO-stuffed book titles—and it’s exposing how Amazon’s discovery system pressures authors to market inside the title itself.

💬 “If a clean, normal title gets buried but a keyword-stuffed one gets boosted, Amazon is basically encouraging it.”

Authors and publishers get frustrated when Amazon limits their control over metadata and SEO, but it’s things like this that cause them to create and enforce more rules.

Read the full breakdown here ➜ https://www.androidauthority.com/kindle-store-seo-stuffed-titles-3617643/

SEO-stuffed titles are cluttering the Kindle store, and readers say Amazon’s design is pushing authors to optimize instead of storytell.

12/15/2025

🎧🔥🐉 Spotify just dropped its first-ever 2025 Audiobook Wrapped—and the results say one thing loud and clear: romantasy rules the world! From Fourth Wing at #1 to a spike in dystopian classics and memoirs by Cher & Mark Ronson, listeners are exploring more genres than ever.

💬 “This year’s biggest trends were definitely spicy romance and romantasy.” — Katie del Rosario, Spotify

Read the full Publishers Weekly story ➜ https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publishing-and-marketing/article/99213-spotify-releases-year-end-audiobook-listening-data-for-2025.html

For the first time, the streaming giant is including audiobook listening data in its annual Wrapped feature, with Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing securing its spot as the most-listened-to title of the year.