Total net book sales in May in the U.S. fell 7.5%, to $1.06 billion, compared to May 2024, representing sales of 1,325 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. For the year to date, net book sales were down 1.8%, to $5.18 billion.

Net revenues for trade books fell 8.1%, to $737 million in May, with hardcovers down 10.3%, to $261.7 million, paperbacks down 12.7%, to $262.6 million, mass market down 33%, to $7 million, and special bindings up 8.4%, to $14.7 million.

In trade formats, trade paperbacks accounted for 35.6% of sales, hardcovers 35.5%, e-books 11.5%, digital audio 11.4%, special bindings 2%, mass market 0.9%, and other 2.9%.

Sales by category for May 2025:

Miss Willa's Bookshop, which focuses on romance fiction, hosted its grand opening weekend recently at 201 N. George St. in Charles Town, W.Va. The Journal reported that "book lovers buzzed with excitement on Saturday as they lined up around the block" to welcome the new store. The shop is owned by bestselling author Jennifer Armentrout and "inspired by one of her beloved characters," Miss Willa Colyns, who features in Armentrout's Blood and Ash book series.

Miss Willa's staff and volunteers, with author/owner Jennifer Armentrout (front, in black)

Armentrout said she had always dreamed of owning a bookstore, and as a Jefferson County local, she wanted to play a part in helping the town thrive. When she found the location, she knew it would be the perfect fit. "Despite being an old building, construction and renovation of the space went smoothly. Armentrout worked with her team to decorate the space, even gluing flowers on the wall herself," the Journal wrote.

"I wanted it to be in a place that was walkable," Armentrout said. "I wanted to have that hole-in-the-wall feel to it, but I also wanted it to feed back into the community here."

She added: "Bookstores are places that for many people it feel like going home. There is a community there. I want people to come here and feel comfortable and welcome. I believe books do something important for people. They provide escape. Before I started writing, I went to school for psychology and sociology, so I realize how important it is for people to escape before asking for help."

On Monday, Miss Willa's Bookshop posted on Facebook: "We did it!! The store is closed for the night and our grand opening weekend has ended. Thank you to all our visitors. We know the days were hot and long, we do appreciate you being willing to not only travel to see us, but to endure Mother Nature taking things to the extreme! I'm thinking we need some # I Survived MWB's Grand Opening Weekend shirts. But seriously, thank you."

Good Spot Bookshop opened in June at 102 East Kimberly Road in Davenport, Iowa. KWQC reported that the "warm and inviting indie bookstore located very near to NorthPark Mall specializes in romance fiction, ranging from sweet and subtle to delightfully spicy." 

The store hosted its grand opening celebration recently, and KWQC noted that "the space is a cozy retreat for anyone seeking a new literary escape or a thoughtful gift."

"I read romance novels for the last 20 years," said owner Christine Goodall. "I think there's a romance book out there for everyone. I think everyone should be included in that. And so I just wanted a place where you felt happy and comfortable."

Since opening, she noted that business "has been good. It's been a learning curve but everybody that's been coming in has been so welcoming, so genuinely nice, and it's been great meeting people that enjoy the same genre of book I do. And just getting to talk and chat has been great."

Ed Spade

Ed Spade is stepping down from his position as president of sales at HarperCollins, effective August 15, after four years with the company. Doug Lockhart, senior v-p, sales and marketing, will oversee the sales department on an interim basis while the company searches for a successor.

Spade joined HarperCollins in 2021 as senior v-p, online sales, through the acquisition of HMH Books and Media. He "played a pivotal role in integrating our organizations and aligning efforts across divisions," the company said.

He was appointed president of sales in 2023, and "his strategic vision and warm leadership helped reshape our approach to sales, strengthened key account partnerships, and built data-led collaboration across teams," HarperCollins noted, adding that Spade "has deepened our expertise in the online marketplace, opened new channels in special markets, and realized efficiencies in our processes. Ed's passion for publishing and books--and his commitment to empowering teams--have made a lasting impact."

Thomas Sayers Ellis, a poet, photographer, and bandleader "who explored race, music, politics, academia and family in dazzling, erudite and often funkified verse--'percussive prosody,' he once called it--and who was a founder of the Dark Room Collective, a noted community of Black poets," died July 17, the New York Times reported. He was 61.

Growing up in Washington, D.C., Ellis "was captivated by its hometown sound, go-go music--a funky, jazzy, wildly percussive form that sprung up there at the turn of the 1970s," the Times noted. He played drums in a few bands before starting his own, and named his first book of poetry The Maverick Room (2005), for a local go-go club. 

Ellis's high school nickname was Sticks, which referred to his drumming skills as well as his slender frame. The Times highlighted one of his poems with that title, in which "he used the language of percussion to connect the violence he saw in his father, whose strength he revered as a child, with his own development as a writer":

I discovered writing,
How words are parts of speech
With beats and breaths of their own.
Interjections like flams. Wham! Bam!
He went on:

My first attempts were filled with noise,
Wild solos, violent uncontrollable blows.
The page tightened like a drum
Resisting the clockwise twisting
Of a handheld chrome key

Poet and composer Janice Lowe, another Dark Room founder, said Ellis's work was "very much rooted in musicality, in all kinds of Black musical and linguistic traditions and in the way people play with language... It can fly you into the surreal, into jazz or film, or root you in something familial--whatever he was dialoguing with--but it never rests, never stays in the familiar. It always travels and transforms and transgresses."

In 1986, while living in Cambridge, Mass., Ellis and poet Sharan Strange began putting together a library of works by Black authors of the diaspora. They created it in a former darkroom in their house and called the collection, "The Dark Room."

When James Baldwin died the following year, Ellis, Strange, and their housemates "made a pilgrimage to his funeral in New York City," the Times wrote. "It was a heady literary event--Toni Morrison, William Styron, Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka all delivered eulogies--and it galvanized them to create a collective that would honor and support writers of color. They already had a name, the Dark Room, and, with Ms. Lowe, they began to host readings in their living room."

"In a city where everybody acts like they've read everything, he actually had," said author and Arrowsmith Press publisher Askold Melnyczuk, who was an early booster, including Ellis's work in Take Three: Agni New Poets Series (1996), which he edited, and later publishing The Corny Toys (2018). Ellis's other books include Crank Shaped Notes (2021), Skin Inc.: Identity Repair Poems (2010), and The Genuine Negro Hero (2001).

Ellis taught at Case Western Reserve University and Sarah Lawrence College, among other institutions. The Times noted that in 2016, "a year before the #MeToo movement took off, Mr. Ellis was a visiting professor at the Iowa Writers' Workshop when a women's literary group known as Vida published, online, a collection of anonymous accounts of what it said was sexual misconduct by Mr. Ellis. His classes were canceled." 

The Dark Room Collective grew to include, among many others, Kevin Young, Tracy K. Smith, and Natasha Trethewey. Jeff Gordinier, writing in the New York Times in 2014, called the Dark Room "a flash of literary lightning" akin to the Beat poets and the Black Arts Movement. The collective lasted, in various forms, until 1998.

"You need other people who think like you, maybe, who read like you, maybe, who walk and breathe like you, maybe," Ellis told an audience in Santa Fe, N.M., in 2013 during one of the Dark Room Collective's reunion tours. "You think you're adding something that's needed, that you don't see. There's something about that, that never ends, no matter who you are and where you are."

"Love is in the air at TBR Books & Tea! This past Saturday, something truly magical happened--Ken asked Victoria to marry him right here in our shop... and she said YES!" TBR Books & Tea in Baton Rouge, La., posted on Instagram, adding: "We're so honored to have been part of such a beautiful moment, surrounded by family and friends. May your story together be filled with love, laughter, and lots of books & tea. Congratulations, Ken and Victoria!"

"Elizabeth does not care if you want to see that hefty copy of Rembrandt, His Life, His Work, His Time," The Diana bookstore, Winchester, Ill., posted on Instagram.

Bunns Rabbit by Alan Barillaro (Candlewick Press).

Tomorrow:
CBS Mornings: Ellen Hendriksen, author of How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists (St. Martin's Essentials, $30, 9781250291875).

The View repeat: Sen. Raphael Warnock, author of We're in This Together: Leo's Lunch Box (Philomel, $19.99, 9780593691526).

Netflix unveiled a first look and cast additions for Pride and Prejudice, an upcoming limited series based on Jane Austen's classic novel. Variety reported that "the six-part limited series promises a faithful adaptation of Austen's immortal 1813 novel from Heartstopper director Euros Lyn and screenwriter Dolly Alderton." Production has begun in the U.K.

Joining the cast are Rufus Sewell as Mr. Bennet, Freya Mavor (Jane Bennet), Jamie Demetriou (Mr. Collins), Daryl McCormack (Mr. Bingley), Louis Partridge (Mr. Wickham), Rhea Norwood (Lydia Bennet), Siena Kelly (Caroline Bingley), and Fiona Shaw (Lady Catherine de Bourg). Hopey Parish and Hollie Avery make their debuts as Mary Bennet and Kitty Bennet, respectively.

Additional new cast members are Anjana Vasan, Sebastian Armesto, Rosie Cavaliero, Saffron Coomber, James Dryden, Justin Edwards, James Northcote, Eloise Webb, and Isabella Sermon. They join previously announced stars Emma Corrin, Jack Lowden, and Olivia Colman, who lead Pride and Prejudice as Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy and Mrs. Bennet, respectively.

"Once in a generation, a group of people get to retell this wonderful story and I feel very lucky that I get to be a part of it," Alderton said. "Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is the blueprint for romantic comedy--it has been a joy to delve back into its pages to find both familiar and fresh ways of bringing this beloved book to life."

The 13-title longlist for the £50,000 (about $66,625) 2025 Booker Prize has been released and includes authors representing nine nationalities across four continents. For the first time, the shortlist of six books will be announced at a public event in London on September 23. The shortlisted authors each receive £2,500 (about $3,330) and a specially bound edition of their book. The Booker Prize winner will be named November 10 during a ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London. This year's longlisted Booker titles are:

Love Forms by Claire Adam
The South by Tash Aw
Universality by Natasha Brown
One Boat by Jonathan Buckley
Flashlight by Susan Choi
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
Audition by Katie Kitamura
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
Endling by Maria Reva
Flesh by David Szalay
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga

Chair of judges Roddy Doyle said: "Seven months, 153 books--the five judges have met and decided on the 13 novels that make up the 2025 Booker longlist. It wasn't easy; at times, it was agony. There were so many contenders, so many excellent books, saying goodbye to some of them felt personal, almost cruel. But I loved every minute of the experience, and being in the company of my fellow judges. There was a small, discreet UN peace-keeping force close at hand, but it wasn't needed. My four colleagues are a generous, funny group but what was clear from the outset was that these are people who love--actually, who need--great books. Every decision was carefully measured; each of our books was examined with skill, wisdom and affection."   

photo: Tina Wood Photography

Laura Resau is the author of 11 books for young people. The Alchemy of Flowers (Harper Muse, July 29, 2025), her debut novel for adults, is an modern-day take on The Secret Garden, sprinkled with magic. Her novels have won five Colorado Book Awards and spots on "best-of" booklists from Oprah, the American Library Association, and more. Resau, who is trilingual, has lived in Provence in France and Oaxaca in Mexico, and studied cultural anthropology and languages. She teaches graduate creative writing at Western Colorado University. You might find her writing in her cozy vintage trailer in Fort Collins, Colo., where she lives with her rock-hound husband, musician son, wild husky, and 100 houseplants.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

A broken woman. A mysterious job ad. A chance to heal in French castle gardens--but strange things are growing behind the ancient stone walls.

On your nightstand now:

I've just started In the Beautiful Dark by Melissa Payne. She's another Colorado author--we have such a supportive writing community here. I love the heartwarming aspects of found family, small-town settings, and wonder that permeate her storytelling.

Favorite book when you were a child:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle made me think about existence in an expansive and mind-bending way as a child. I understood then that a story can alter your entire way of seeing yourself and your place in the universe.

Your top five authors:

At the moment, my favorites are Laura Pritchett, Liane Moriarty, Sarah Penner, Jaclyn Goldis, and Evie Woods. They all write captivating stories of women's journeys with depth and heart, no matter the genre.

Book you've faked reading:

In my high school English class, we were assigned to read The Iliad by Homer. I felt daunted. My mom, a book lover who read to me every night all the way through middle school, was determined to get me interested in it. She first read it alone--several times and very thoroughly--then she recapped it for me with such extreme enthusiasm that I couldn't help but get on board. I don't think I actually read it, just listened to her animated, play-by-play synopsis. She's always been my cheerleader in my own writing, giving me insightful feedback on early drafts. Interestingly, there are a bunch of Greek goddess references in my new novel, The Alchemy of Flowers, which is dedicated to my mom. Who knows, they might have secretly stuck with me over the decades since The Iliad. (Thanks, Mom.)

Book you're an evangelist for:

I've recently been spreading the word about The Wedding People by Alison Espach. Like my new novel, it takes a deep dive into infertility issues in a genre-blending way. To me, her book feels framed as a rom-com, but goes into deep, raw, complex, unexpected territory. I loved it!

Book you've bought for the cover:

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. I love the jewel-toned palette, the mystical flowers, the blue butterfly, and the apothecary bottle evoking ancient potions and secrets. I buy little vintage glass bottles whenever I go to flea markets, and I couldn't resist gifting one to Sarah Penner when she came to town. (Apparently, I wasn't the only one--she has a lovely shelf dedicated to these!)

Book you hid from your parents:

As a child, I regularly hid books under my covers, reading by flashlight, deep into the night, way past my bedtime. I don't think I read anything taboo--my mom and my childhood librarian (whom I'm still friends with) helped me pick out my titles every week.

Book that changed your life:

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett enchanted me, utterly and completely. As a child, I was in love with everything about the hardcover edition I got for Christmas. The story mesmerized me--the mysterious garden, the high walls, the found family, the renewal and healing. When I think about it, it's no surprise that my new novel, The Alchemy of Flowers, is essentially a magical, modern, adult version of this story.

Favorite line from a book:

"One sees clearly only with the heart." I love this line from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I adored this book, which I first read in French in high school. I read it over and over, dog-earing and underlining and starring. When I was writing Red Glass (my second young adult book), which opens with a little boy lost in the desert, I remembered my decades-old copy of The Little Prince sitting on my shelf. I pulled out my favorite lines and quoted them in the Part headings in Red Glass. The theme of human connection in both books feels like a thread reaching from my teen reader self to my adult author self.

Five books you'll never part with:

Interestingly, my desert island books are mostly poetry. I don't write poetry for publication, but I find it inspiring for my own storytelling. My ancient, well-worn favorites are: Selected Poems by e.e. cummings, Selected Poems by Pablo Neruda, New and Selected Poems by Mary Oliver, The Essential Rumi translated by Coleman Barks. And the final one is a picture book (which I consider poetry as well): Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I've included quotes by most of these writers in my own books over the years, most recently: "And Max, the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all."

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

I adore Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot, and I've reread it many times. It's a unique second-chance romance with warm humor and a fascinating structure--a woman gets amnesia and forgets the past decade of her life. Most of the story involves her trying to figure out what the heck went wrong and to salvage her relationships. It's a nuanced exploration of marriage and family, and I appreciate the way it explores infertility in a deeply resonant way. On my first read, I was utterly riveted and had no idea how the story would end.

Higher Ground, an innovative children's graphic novel by Tull Suwannakit (illustrator, Sad, the Dog), is a moving account of a family relying on each other and a bit of hope in the face of a natural disaster.

A "frail and weak" grandma, her two grandchildren, and their pet rabbit are unable to evacuate before an unprecedented storm, so they take refuge in a shed on their building's rooftop. The next morning, the "Great Flood" has ravaged their city and all they see is "water all around." Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and no help arrives. Grandma teaches the older child narrator and her granddaughter survival skills--how to start a fire, how to grow a garden, how to fish, how to "keep [their] dreams afloat." The water brings them things left behind by their neighbors: a life jacket. A first aid kit. A "ragged and worn" notebook with drawings of life before the storm; this the granddaughter uses to record Grandma's lessons and life on the rooftop.

Seasons come and go, and Grandma grows weaker while the storms grow stronger. The floodwaters continue to rise, so the grandchildren build a raft. Grandma tells her grandchildren she won't be joining them, and it feels like "the world [is] crashing down." But Grandma reminds them that "with each ending, a new beginning unfolds. Embrace it." And so, a frightening and exhausting--yet also hopeful--journey to a new home begins.

This cli-fi story's depiction of adaptation, the importance of family, and overcoming adversity is affecting and delivered in an uncommon format. Rather than make Higher Ground a picture book or a graphic novel, Suwannakit combines elements of picture books, journals, and graphic novels in a multilayered format. Stunning, dynamic watercolor, graphite, acrylic, and gouache illustrations bolster sparse text; wordless sequences of flipbook-like panels create visceral visual storytelling; and bird's-eye-view depictions of the granddaughter's journal pages provide facts and instructions readers can return to repeatedly.

Although the older grandchild narrates, the sweet and inspiring relationship created by their grandmother anchors the story. Grandma imparts her wisdom about sustainability and survival by sharing stories, traditions, and talents from her past, like harvesting and resourcefulness. The narrator then takes over when Grandma becomes too weak and shares knowledge with the granddaughter in the same way their grandmother did. This captivating work is both a warning about the effects of climate change and a reflection on the power of resilience and hope in the face of disaster. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader

Shelf Talker: In this captivating, innovative children's graphic novel, a grandma, her two grandchildren, and their pet rabbit rely on each other and a bit of hope in the face of a natural disaster.