NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast

In Episode 27 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Philip and Belle count down the UK's bestselling books of October (01.53), share their Beyond the Bestsellers picks (13.42) and, in Under the Spotlight (21.40), they discuss the phenomenon that has taken the book world by storm, a BookTok-fuelled hybrid between the Romance and Fantasy genres that has been gone from a niche subcategory into mainstream success. Find out more about Romantasy's enormous readership capture, the record-breaking blockbusters published within it, and some data-informed speculation as to why its success is so enduring.
Books featured in this episode that can be purchased at all good booksellers include:

— Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Splintered Harmony
— Alice Cooper's Devil On My Shoulder
— The 1% Club Book 3
— Martha Mumford and Laura Hughes' We're Going on a Ghost Hunt
— Rebecca Yarros' Threshing Day
Links to articles mentioned: 
https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/commentary/2025/bookdata-romantasy-blog/
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/nov/03/sarah-j-maas-court-of-splintered-harmony-uk-fastest-selling-adult-fantasy-novel
https://www.thebookseller.com/news/jeffrey-archer-earns-posthumous-number-one-while-donaldson-and-scheffler-knot-another-top-spot
The views expressed in this podcast are those of the presenters and not that of NIQ. For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on Instagram (@_bookdata) and Linkedin (@nielsen-book). Get in touch with Philip and Belle at thebestsellerspodcast@nielseniq.com.

Episode hosted by Philip Stone and Belle Edelman, and produced and edited by Chris White. Theme music by Nela Ruiz. 

Thanks for listening!

In Episode 26 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Philip and Belle count down the UK's bestselling books of September (02.33) and share their Beyond the Bestsellers picks (18.57). In Under the Spotlight (30.02), Belle welcomes Claire Harrison, NielsenIQ BookData's expert on the Australian book market, for an exclusive discussion of new research into audiobook consumers in Australia. Tune in to discover the two titles that set tills ringing in September with enormous first-week sales, which puzzle book could be the new Murdle, and what's fuelling Australia's audiobook boom.

Books featured in this episode that can be purchased at all good booksellers include:

— Jamie Oliver's 20 Minute Meals
— Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's Gruffalo Granny
— Richard Osman's We Chase Shadows
— Charles Spencer's Swan Song
— Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor's End Times Fascism
The views expressed in this podcast are those of the presenters and not that of NIQ. For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on Instagram (@_bookdata) and Linkedin (@nielsen-book). Get in touch with Philip and Belle at thebestsellerspodcast@nielseniq.com.

Episode hosted by Philip Stone and Belle Edelman, and produced and edited by Chris White. Theme music by Nela Ruiz. 

Thanks for listening!

In Episode 25 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Philip and Chris count down the UK's bestselling books of August (03.00), share their Beyond the Bestsellers picks (09.43), and, in Under the Spotlight (17.02), explore one of the most popular sectors of the book market: crime fiction. Tune in to discover which writer earns a spot in the monthly top 20 on a five-day sale alone, which prize-winning book is enjoying record sales, which sub-genres are propelling the current crime wave in the UK, and which writer accounts for 12p in every £1 spent on a crime novel.

Books featured in this episode that can be purchased at all good booksellers include:

— Freida McFadden's Brain Damage
— Annie Jacobsen's Biological War: A Scenario
— Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
— Patrice Karst's The Invisible String
— Seishi Yokomizo's Murder at the Black Cat Cafe
Link to Lee Child's bibliography on FantasticFiction.co.uk
Link to Psychology Today: Why are we so interested in crime stories?
Link to National Centre for Writing: The enduring allure of crime fiction
Link to JustWatch.co.uk page for Gone Girl
Link to The Home of Agatha Christie
The views expressed in this podcast are those of the presenters and not that of NIQ. For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on Instagram (@_bookdata) and Linkedin (@nielsen-book). Get in touch with Philip and Belle at thebestsellerspodcast@nielseniq.com.

Episode hosted by Philip Stone and Belle Edelman, and produced and edited by Chris White. Theme music by Nela Ruiz. 

Thanks for listening!

In Episode 24 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the UK's bestselling books of July (04.36), share their Beyond the Bestsellers picks (13.26), and, in Under the Spotlight (20.25), explore the resurgence of the religious books market. Tune in to discover which familiar face reaches number one in paperback for the first time in eight years, which TV spin-off, the first of its kind in more than 30 years, has become an instant bestseller, which children's title is the latest to surpass one million copies sold, and why bible sales are reaching record levels around the world.

Books featured in this episode that can be purchased at all good booksellers include:

— Bear Grylls' The Greatest Story Ever Told
— Alice Feeney's My Husband's Wife
— Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do-It-Yourself Book
— Homer's The Odyssey
— The Bible
Link to The Bookseller article: "A Homer run: Poetry poised to hit its all-time UK high"
Link to Emily Wilson's review of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in the London Review of Books
Link to The Guardian article: "‘It’s younger people seeking some sort of spirituality’ — UK Bible sales reach record high"
Link to The Bible Society's The Quiet Revival report
Link to BBC iPlayer's Red Dwarf S06 E03 episode, "Gunmen of the Apocalypse"
The views expressed in this podcast are those of the presenters and not that of NIQ. For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on Instagram (@_bookdata) and Linkedin (@nielsen-book). Get in touch with Philip and Belle at thebestsellerspodcast@nielseniq.com.

Episode hosted by Philip Stone and Belle Edelman, and produced and edited by Chris White. Theme music by Nela Ruiz. 

Thanks for listening!

In Episode 23 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the UK's bestselling books in the month of June (01.17), share their Beyond the Bestsellers picks (13.19), and, in Under the Spotlight (21.59), review the bestselling books of 2026 thus far and highlight forthcoming titles likely to make a big impact in the second half of the year. Tune in to discover the effect of Women's Prize wins on sales of Virginia Evans' The Correspondent and Lyse Doucet's The Finest Hotel in Kabul, which book is enjoying the latest big-screen sales boost, and which genres continue to go from strength to strength in the UK book market.

Books featured in this episode that can be purchased at all good booksellers include:

— The Secret Barrister's The Cut-Throat Trial
— Caro Claire Burke's Yesteryear
— Freida McFadden's The Divorce
— Jamie Oliver's 20 Minute Meals
— Trisha Paytas's Crying on the Kitchen Floor
Link to the Women's Prize impact study (.pdf)
Link to The Bookseller's new titles previews
Link to The Bookseller article on a rise in children's reading enjoyment
Link to The Odyssey trailers
Link to the Met Office's weather forecasts
The views expressed in this podcast are those of the presenters and not that of NIQ. For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on Instagram (@_bookdata) and Linkedin (@nielsen-book). Get in touch with Philip and Belle at thebestsellerspodcast@nielseniq.com.

Episode hosted by Philip Stone and Belle Edelman, and produced and edited by Chris White. Theme music by Nela Ruiz. 

Thanks for listening!