NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� news will fill the headlines this fall, but, among book buyers, fiction will likely have top billing.
Former President 鈥淧romise Me, America鈥� stands out not just as a White House memoir 鈥� presidential memoirs are events unto themselves 鈥� but as a rare high-profile political book over the next few months. Nonfiction sales have slumped in recent years and political books haven鈥檛 approached the peaks of first term.
鈥淭he energy in political books seems to be subdued. I think folks are just ranted out,鈥� says Kristen McLean, an analyst and vice president for client insights at Circana, which tracks retail book sales.
鈥淚 think the (news) cycle is moving a bit too quickly for a lot of the very specific political books to catch on,鈥� says Shannon DeVito, Barnes & Noble’s senior director of books.
Michael Lewis’ 鈥淏lockers,鈥� a probe into Trump’s second term through the eyes of government workers, may be the only new release to rival the impact of Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s summer bestseller, This fall鈥檚 notable political offerings otherwise revisit the Biden years, from 鈥淧romise Me, America,鈥� to former Middle East envoy Brett McGurk鈥檚 鈥淏rink: Inside the Race to Free the Oct. 7 Hostages鈥� to Akbar Shahid Ahmed鈥檚 study of Biden鈥檚 Gaza war policies, 鈥淐rossing the Red Line.鈥�
Even Bob Woodward, who for decades released timely expos茅s of sitting presidents, is passing on current politics. In 鈥淪ecrets: A Reporter鈥檚 Memoir,鈥� he reflects on presidents and White House sources dating back to the Nixon administration and the Watergate scandal that made him famous..
鈥淏ecause he’s going more into his own life, I expect he’ll have a different and broader audience than for his other books,鈥� DeVito says.
A feast of fiction
Novelists Barbara Kingsolver and Hernan Diaz, co-winners three years ago , will share honors again as two of the featured authors in a busy season. about a onetime musical prodigy drawn again to her past, is the first since 鈥淒emon Copperhead,鈥� her Pulitzer-winning retelling of Charles Dickens’ 鈥淒avid Copperfield.鈥� Meanwhile, Diaz has followed his Pulitzer-winning 鈥淭rust鈥� with the about a young thief in a chaotic future society.
Diaz says he met Kingsolver at the Pulitzer ceremony, where the two drank bourbon and bonded over literature and other common interests.
鈥淚 don’t think literature is a race or a tennis tournament,鈥� Diaz says. 鈥淚 think the more good books that are out there, the richer the conversation becomes and the more readers are engaged.鈥�
Fiction sales have been solid in 2026 and will likely remain high if only because the two most prominent romantasy authors, and , have new books coming. Maas is releasing 鈥淎 Court of Splintered Harmony,鈥� the sixth volume of 鈥淎 Court of Thorns and Roses,鈥� with the seventh installment scheduled for early next year. Yarros’ 鈥淭hreshing Day鈥� compiles 13 stories featuring characters from her Empyrean series, and her stand-alone 鈥淧eculiar Stars鈥� finds protagonist Callista Moran stranded on an island after a sailing accident and discovering unexpected sides to herself.
The new fiction list also features Nobel laureate Jon Fosse’s latest, 鈥淰aim Hotel,鈥� and three contenders for the 鈥� Marlon James’ 鈥淭he Disappearers,鈥� Emma Cline’s 鈥淪witzy鈥� and Rebecca Perry’s 鈥淢ay We Feed the King.鈥� The book most primed for gossip is Rachel Cusk’s 鈥淟ife of M,鈥� a meta-novel about a movie star who may or may not be based on The season’s longest-awaited novel is likely Chad Harbach’s 鈥淭he Brightness鈥�: The parallel and intertwining lives of two close friends in their 20s is his first novel since his acclaimed 2011 debut, 鈥淭he Art of Fielding.鈥�
Min Jin Lee’s 鈥淎merican Hagwon鈥� is her first novel since 2017 and her celebrated 鈥淧achinko.鈥� Emily St. John Mandel’s 鈥淓xit Party鈥� is a story of futuristic breakdown from the author of the futuristic classic 鈥淪tation Eleven.鈥� Yiyun Li, Edwidge Danticat, Kate Atkinson, Deesha Philyaw, Diane Williams, Laleh Khadivi, R.F. Kuang and Norah Labiner also have fiction coming out.
Fans of (and the late Peter Straub) can look forward to 鈥淥ther Worlds Than These,鈥� the final 鈥淭alisman鈥� novel. Alice Hoffman launches a new series with 鈥淭he Witches of Cambridge鈥� and Brandon Sanderson has begun 鈥淏lightfall,鈥� written with Janci Patterson. 鈥淭he French Illusion鈥� is latest thriller. S.A. Cosby’s 鈥淭ruth to Power鈥� is a Marvel Crime novel featuring superhero/sleuth Luke Cage.
Celebrities share their stories
A trio of Oscar-winning superstars will tell their stories this fall: 鈥淭he Steps,鈥� its title a reference to the actor’s iconic upward run in 鈥淩ocky鈥�; 鈥淥ne Helluva Ride,鈥� which the actor and producer has called a corrective to the blurry legends of fame; and 鈥淟ook at Me,鈥� promoted by publisher Simon Six as 鈥渁n intimate memoir about art, ambition, family, friendship, love, aging, and the mysteries of a creative life.鈥�
looks back on her early years in 鈥淎n Unexpected Life鈥� and former NFL quarterback reflects on his activism in 鈥淭he Perilous Fight.鈥� Chuck Lorre’s 鈥淪itcom鈥� is a memoir from the creator behind 鈥淭wo and a Half Men鈥� and 鈥淭he Big Bang Theory.鈥� 鈥淢y Book of Days鈥� comes out just months after the from ALS.
Poetry for all times
Ancient poetry seems new again thanks to Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of which has placed and the late Robert Fagles high on bestseller lists. Wilson has a new book out this fall, 鈥淐rossing the Wine-Dark Sea,鈥� essays that cover everything from Greek tragedy to 鈥渟lut-shaming鈥� Helen of Troy to the 鈥渟ly laughter鈥� of and 鈥淲础笔.鈥�
In 鈥淐loud Runner,鈥� former U.S. poet laureate tries to express what she acknowledges may be inexpressible, the death three years ago of her daughter, Rainy Ortiz: 鈥淚 have lost my girl./Some things do not belong in words,鈥� Harjo writes. Jennifer Franklin channels the mind of James Joyce鈥檚 gifted, ill-fated daughter Lucia in the collection 鈥淎 Fire in Her Brain.鈥�
New work is also expected from Layli Long Soldier, Tina Chang, Patricia Lockwood, Dalia Taha, Avis Blackbird and Hieu Minh Nguyen. The anthology 鈥淥ther Legacies鈥� features tributes from Rae Armantrout, Edward Hirsch and other prizewinners to such lesser-known poets as Rachel Loden, Julia de Burgos and Stephen Jonas.
Making history
Another writer enriched by a Nolan movie 鈥� Kai Bird, co-author of 鈥淎merican Prometheus,鈥� the biography adapted 鈥� has co-written 鈥淎merican Scoundrel,鈥� the story of lawyer/political fixer/Trump mentor Roy Cohn. In 鈥淭he Rush,鈥� award winner Nathaniel Philbrick revisits the 19th century quest for gold. The acclaimed science writer James Gleick examines the evolution of communication in 鈥淭he Telephone: A New History.鈥�
Two books, Timothy W. Ryback’s 鈥�53 Days鈥� and Victor Sebestyen鈥檚 鈥淲eimar Germany,鈥� examine the fall of democracy in 1930s Germany, while other releases warning of contemporary threats include Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor鈥檚 鈥淓nd Times Fascism鈥� and Pulitzer winner Jill Lepore’s 鈥淭he Rise and Fall of the Artificial State.鈥�
Public radio host Celeste Headlee’s 鈥淔reedom鈥檚 Daughters鈥� is one of many works this fall that center on race and racism. Grandmaster Flash has collaborated with Robert 鈥淪coop鈥� Jackson on a history of rap and hip-hop, 鈥淏irth of a Culture,鈥� and Stephanie Phillips’ music history 鈥淲e Were Here鈥� highlights artists from Sister Rosetta Tharpe to Living Colour.
Pulitzer winner Alan Taylor鈥檚 鈥淭ower Hill鈥� offers a fresh look at the 1831 rebellion led by the enslaved Nat Turner. In 鈥淩enaissance Men,鈥� Harriet A. Washington honors three groundbreaking and overlooked Black physicians in a narrative spanning the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, and resonating today.
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