CHENNAI: Often, the bestsellers of the year are the least expected books. However, the most anticipated ones are often by bestselling authors or sequels to previously successful books. Expected bestsellers of 2025 include Sunrise on the Reaping, the fifth book in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins; Onyx Storm, the third book in the Empyrean fantasy series by Rebecca Yarros; and the twentieth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney.
The Hunger Games series has sold over 100 million copies worldwide and continues to be a significant influence in young adult literature and popular culture. Rebecca Yarros, who drew on her experience with chronic illness and life in a military family to write the bestselling Fourth Wing, has created a spicy fantasy series with bookstores planning midnight release parties for Onyx Storm.
This level of fan fervour reminds booksellers of the excitement surrounding the Twilight and Harry Potter series. The Empyrean series is also set to be adapted into a television series by Amazon. By the end of 2025, Jeff Kinney’s wildly popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series will see the return of Greg Heffley, the crude and clueless protagonist. Personally, I am looking forward to reading this new instalment to my son. The appeal of Jeff Kinney’s books lies in their depiction of a regular kid dealing with everyday problems.
Celebrity memoirs often enjoy a strong initial run. Bill Gates’s new memoir Source Code, set to be released in February 2025, will recount his early years, from childhood to his decision to leave college and start Microsoft with Paul Allen. Another anticipated release is Mark Twain’s biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow, adding to his collection of bestselling historical non-fiction biographies.
I always look forward to a new book by Arun Shourie, one of the finest scholars whom I have been fortunate to know closely as a mentor. In The New Icon, Shourie delves deep into Savarkar’s books, essays, speeches, and statements, exhumes archives of the British government, takes us through contemporary records, and unearths facts that will surprise you.
For those who love books about books, Nick Basbanes’s Before Paper: Unlocking the World’s Earliest Writings is a must-read for bibliophiles. Book collectors should know that Arion Press’s edition of The Epic of Gilgamesh with wood carvings by the legendary Barry Moser was sold out before its release date.
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by rare book dealer Rebecca Romney offers a page-turning literary adventure, introducing readers to the women writers who inspired Jane Austen, such as Ann Radcliffe, Elizabeth Inchbald, and Frances Burney. This book explores why these influential women writers have largely disappeared from our shelves.
Some big names with yet-to-be-announced titles are John Grisham and Ken Follett. Grisham, known for his legal thrillers, has written 37 consecutive number-one fiction bestsellers, and his books have sold 300 million copies worldwide. Follett, who writes thrillers and historical novels, has sold nearly 200 million copies across his 44 books. Both will be major publishing events.
In fiction, The Courtesan, Her Lover and I by Tarana Husain Khan interweaves the stories of two women writers — one a 19th-century courtesan overshadowed by her famed lover, the other a modern-day woman navigating her own creative and personal struggles.
As Rukmini unearths the forgotten life of poet Munni Bai Hijab through letters and lost verses, she confronts parallels in her own journey — a stifling marriage, fraught relationships, and the quest for artistic recognition. Set against the rich backdrop of pre-Independence and present-day India, Tarana’s novel is a vivid exploration of love, identity, and the timeless fight for a woman’s voice to be heard.
Finally, on a personal note, I am looking forward to the paperback edition of Shelf Aware (with an exciting new cover) in January 2025 and the third volume of my graphic series, GRIT, in November 2025!