2025 Year in Review

Publishing expert Jane Friedman recaps the biggest news in the industry.

- BY JANE FRIEDMAN

This year has been defined by disruption layered on growth. Book sales surged in romance and darker genres, with Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros setting a historic sales record. But the business also showed cracks: NaNoWriMo shut down, major arts funding was withdrawn from authors and publishers, and mass-market paperbacks are disappearing from retail. Most noteworthy of all, AI copyright rulings have introduced uncertainty for years to come. The year highlights the paradoxes of today's market: Readers are buying more than ever, but the foundations that sustain publishing are shifting underfoot.

Onyx Storm Becomes Fastest-Selling Adult Title in History

Onyx Storm, the latest installment in Rebecca Yarros' romantasy series, sold 1,288,300 hardcovers, including both deluxe and standard editions, during its first week on sale, based on Circana BookScan figures. That's the highest number of print sales for any adult title since BookScan started tracking book sales in 2004.

Bestselling Romance has a Dark Side This Year

Print sales for romance books are up 24 percent versus 2024; the volume of sales has more than doubled compared to four years ago. The fastest-growing romance categories include romantasy and sports romance, as well as suspense romance and contemporary romance. One key similarity among top titles is dark romance, including paranormal and antihero themes. This trend aligns with other growing segments in adult fiction, including psychological thriller (up 29 percent), dark fantasy (up 23 percent), and horror (up 13 percent).