State of the Publishing Industry in 2025 with Laura McGrath, Author of the textCrunch Substack (Ep. 210)

In Ep. 210, Laura McGrath, author of the popular Substack newsletter, textCrunch, joins Sarah to take a sharp look at the State of the Publishing Industry in 2025. This packed episode covers a high-level look at the top sales and book trends, as well as Laura’s insights into the future of the book world for 2026. Also, Laura shares her favorite books of 2025!

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Highlights

• Laura McGrath’s book Middlemen (publishing April 28, 2026) is available for pre-order here: Amazon | Bookshop.org 
• Fiction’s performance in the sales charts since 2019.
• The trend seen in nonfiction over the past few years and where it may be headed.
• The continued debate about whether 2025 has a “Book of the Year.”
• Surprising sales trends in religious books and imprints.
• How self-publishing still brings us successful authors.
• What Laura sees in her research that she thinks publishers should be paying attention to.
• A bit about the current outlook for mid-list and debut authors.
• Laura’s predictions for 2026 book trends.

State of the Publishing Industry in 2025

HIGH-LEVEL OVERVIEW [2:45] 

• Onyx Storm (Empyrean, 3) by Rebecca Yarros (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [7:49]
• Fourth Wing (series, 1) by Rebecca Yarros | Amazon | Bookshop.org [8:58] 
• The Women by Kristin Hannah (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [9:21]
• James by Percival Everett (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [9:59]
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [10:02]
• Flashlight by Susan Choi (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [10:25]
• The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [11:58]
• The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [12:04]
• A Guardian and a Thief by Leela Tapryal (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [12:31]
• The Names by Florence Knapp (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:19]
• Audition by Katie Kitamura (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:57]
• The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:59]

2025 BOOK SALES & TRENDS [14:41]  

• The Martian by Andy Weir (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:03] 
• The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [21:38]  
• The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [21:40]  
• Heart the Lover by Lily King (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:42] 

BIG BOOK STORIES OF 2025 [30:18] 

• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:30] 
• V by Thomas Pynchon (1963) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:32] 
• Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth (1969) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:41] 
• The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead (1999) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:47] 
• The Mothers by Brit Bennett (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:54] 

2026 PUBLISHING PREDICTIONS [42:29] 

• Audition by Katie Kitamura (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [4:41]
• Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:55] 
• Discipline by Larissa Pham (January 20, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:01] 
• Under Water by Tara Menon (March 17, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:07] 

Laura’s 3 Favorites Books of 2025 [45:31] 

• Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:17] 
• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghey (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[47:59] 
• The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [49:38]

Other Links

• The New York Times | The Dogged, Irrational Persistence of Literary Fictionby Gerald Howard
• The Walrus | Publishing Has a Gambling Problem by Tajja Isen
• Time | How Taylor Jenkins Reid Became a Publishing Powerhouse by Lucy Feldman
• Book Riot | How Much Does Genre Matter to Readers? (Podcast Episode)
• Public Books | Who Cares About Literary Prizes? by Alexander Manshel, Laura B. Mcgrath, & J. D. Porter