What Does Publishing Have to Say About the PBS and NPR Defunding?

What should publishers say about PBS and NPR refunds?

In the publishing agency subsack, Kathleen Schmidt points to the silence of publication as NPR and PBS face large cuts recently approved by the Senate. I personally know that I have sought book recommendations and conversations from these organizations. I may be part of the literary media landscape, but I think I imagine people who are bookish just thinking about the demographics of PBS/NPR. More pointedly, these major outlets create spaces online, particularly through podcasts and other media, for book promotions and discussions. They do the book marketing book work organically and otherwise. So why is the industry silent when PBS and NPR need all the support they can get? Schmidt is concerned that it has something to do with Big Five’s conservative publishing department. Whatever the reason, PBS and NPR are important sources of information both within and outside the book world, so we hope that the publishing industry will step up and speak out.

“Where did you get that book?” Results Survey Series

The 2025 freckles report has been published! The report comes from a project in which American readers asked, “Where did you get the book?” Through surveys since 2019. This report provides annual insight into American reading habits and how they have changed since the project began. This effectively shows how the pandemic has affected reading habits. Library Journal’s Infodocket shares some important insights from this year’s report. This states 76% of library use, and in-person library visits have not recovered since Covid. One insight I totally anticipated is that digital library usage continues to gain traction, with e-books and audiobook usage increasing from 8% in 2015 to 45% in 2025. It’s attractive.

These are books on the list of “Best Books of 2025”

If you’ve heard the latest episodes of The Riot Patreon Podcast in the book, The Wheelhouse and follow alongside Jeff, Rebecca, Laura McGrath and the book Fantasy League of 2025, you’ll see that this is the list you used to step into yourself when it’s time to swap some of the drafts. What are the great resources to help you figure out which books are likely to land on the final best-of-list? Are there viral moments and authors profiled by a big outlet and even won major literary awards? These are the titles I’m seeing, and if you’re looking for a big buzzy release that you can read and get available right now, you’ll be on the right list.