Deals Deals Deals for August 2025 [Teaser]

Summary

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Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode: Deals Deals Deals for August 2025 [Teaser]
Hosts: Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky
Date: August 29, 2025

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Overview

In this teaser episode, Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky (Book Riot) run through a lively, insightful “window shopping” session of hot new book deals recently announced in the publishing world. The segment highlights intriguing forthcoming titles and broader industry trends, touching on popular nonfiction, emerging fiction trends, and significant seven-figure deals. The tone remains conversational, opinionated, and playful—with honest assessments and some deep cut literary references.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Premise of the "Deals" Episode

• Window Shopping Not Curation:
  Jeff frames this quarterly update as keeping tabs on interesting book deal announcements—not personal recommendations, not curation, but a way to put exciting titles on listeners’ future radar.
  • “This is more like window shopping than it is curation or, you know, annotated bibliography.” (B, 00:23)
• No Show Notes or Links:
  Since these are new deals, pre-orders and links don’t exist yet.

2. Adam Grant’s Upcoming Book “Vibe”

• Book Announcement:
  Adam Grant, prolific organizational psychologist and bestselling author, will release Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World with Viking next year. It explores the science of forming and sustaining meaningful human connections.
• Shifting Focus / Brand Trajectory:
  The hosts reflect on Grant’s evolution, noting how topic selection has shifted from “nerdier” territory to broad mainstream appeal.
  • “There’s not, it’s not quite regression to the mean.” (A, 02:34)
  • “It’s like ascension to the mean… a move toward a more common denominator.” (B, 02:38)
  • Concern is expressed that as Grant achieves greater mainstream success, the work risks becoming less distinctive and more generalized, though it still serves a much-needed cultural purpose.
    • “With each successive Adam Grant book, I’m a little less guaranteed to be in.” (A, 04:13)
• Notable Comparison:
  • Contrasted with Daniel Kahneman and Oliver Sacks, both known for retaining uniqueness in their fields even after mainstream success.
    • "[Kahneman] was never a take artist… until he died." (B, 04:24)
    • “[Sacks] was able to take these really scientific, fascinating medical things and spin them into fascinating stories that you did not have to be a medical person to relate to or be awed by.” (A, 04:59)

3. Exciting Forthcoming Literary Nonfiction

• Karen Karbiener, "American Cosmos"
  A new biography on Walt Whitman, promising fresh perspectives on his career, queerness, wellness philosophies, and methods of self-promotion. This was a clear favorite for Jeff.
  • “That’s one for me.” (B, 05:46)
  • “Yeah, that is—looking forward to that.” (A, 05:48)

4. Trends in Fiction

• Rise of "Horror Romantasy":
  Observations of a growing subgenre combining elements of horror with romantic fantasy, outpacing the previously hot “dark academia.”
  • “Emergent trend, maybe even after dark academia, is horror romantasy… but scarier.” (B, 05:52)

5. Major Fiction Deals

• Philip Meyer’s Roman Epic
  • New, as-yet-untitled novel from the acclaimed author of Rust and The Son, focusing on Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Hosts speculate it won’t be mere fodder for the “Stoic bros” podcast crowd, but something more complex and “spiky.”
    • “I would expect this to be spiky in some way that might be unexpected to the Stoic podcast bros—but very enjoyable.” (A, 06:46)
• Yvonne Normandin, "The Good Parts"
  • A much-buzzed, seven-figure dual-timeline speculative love story pitched as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years.” It involves irreversible memory erasure and second-chance romance. International rights sales were particularly strong.
    • “So that's what you get seven figures for these days.” (B, 06:54)
    • “That's going to have a movie deal attached to it, if it doesn't already soon.” (A, 07:30)
    • “You're gonna hear about this.” (B, 07:35)

6. Forthcoming Narrative Nonfiction

• New Yorker Staff Writer’s “Tear Down, Build Over: The Story of New York, New York in Ten Real Estate Deals”
  • Jeff’s enthusiasm is obvious; combining New York’s history, real estate, and magazine journalism makes this a must-follow.
    • “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. New York real estate in 10 deals.” (A, 08:16)
    • “Come on, New Yorker staff writer, let’s go.” (B, 08:22)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There’s not, it’s not quite regression to the mean.” (A, 02:34)
• “It’s like ascension to the mean.” (B, 02:38)
• “If an Adam Grant book stops having charts, I will be very sad.” (A, 02:45)
• “With each successive Adam Grant book, I’m a little less guaranteed to be in.” (A, 04:13)
• “[Sacks] was able to spin [medical things] into fascinating stories that you did not have to be a medical person to relate to or be awed by.” (A, 04:59)
• “Horror romantasy, romanticy, but scarier.” (B, 05:52)
• “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. New York real estate in 10 deals.” (A, 08:16)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:23 – Introduction & premise for the “Deals” episode
• 01:29 – Discussion of Adam Grant’s new book “Vibe”
• 03:32 – Reflections on Grant’s COVID-era writing & broader trends in self-help
• 04:24 – Daniel Kahneman and Oliver Sacks comparisons
• 05:13 – Announcement of Karen Karbiener’s Walt Whitman biography
• 05:52 – Observing trends: horror romantasy
• 06:09 – Philip Meyer’s forthcoming Marcus Aurelius novel
• 06:54 – Big money deal: Yvonne Normandin’s “The Good Parts”
• 08:03 – “Winner” pick: New Yorker staffer’s NYC real estate book

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Conclusion

This teaser effectively whets listeners’ appetites for what’s new and buzzy across genres, mixing humor, critical insight, and genuine booknerd giddiness. The episode is both an industry snapshot and a trusted friend tipping you off to the titles—and trends—you’ll be talking about in a year or two.

For the full conversation and deeper dives, listeners are prompted to join Book Riot’s Patreon.

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Transcript

[A]

You're listening to a teaser for Book Riot Podcast premium content. If you want to hear the rest, join [e-mail] bookriotpodcast for just $10 a month, get access to our full library of premium content. In addition to receiving early ad free access to the regular episodes you hear in the show. Here we go.

[B]

Time now for our quarterly check in on deals. As a warning, as a, I don't know, invitation to remind you what this is, this is more like window shopping than it is curation or, you know, annotated bibliography. This is me keeping track of the deal announcements I see since the last time I did this was in, which is in early mid May. And just for whatever reason, I thought it was worth mentioning. That's it. That's the heuristic. There is no criteria beyond that.

[A]

There are no online listings for the vast majority of these books because the deals were just made. So the books aren't coming out for a while. So there's no list, there's no show notes, there's nothing for you to click and pre order. But just put these in your brain so that you will be. Put the ones in there that sound good. And then when the book comes out, you'll go, oh, that sounds familiar. And I've been looking forward to it.

[B]

All right, let's just get into it. This is both interesting and I want to do a check in on this author with us.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Because Adam Grant has a new book coming out next year from Viking called Vibe. The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World. An exploration of the science of successful relationships that illuminate how we can spark, strengthen sustained connections. This is something we've seen happen with our people. They grow up. They, they go from, you know, writing academic papers about daring greatly just, just to pick one at random. They get a couple books, they show up on Oprah, they do a TED Talk or two, and suddenly we're wearing headsets and talking to the Salesforce Marketing Conference. I would have been more excited about this book a while ago. I've enjoyed Think Again and Hidden Potential. I don't think any of them. I think creatives, the creatives. That was my favorite Adam Grant to this point. That's kind of where I am. And this just happens, you know, you get, you get popular enough in this space, you get less interesting to me personally, but that's no indictment of it.

[A]

Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think there's not, it's not quite regression to the mean.

[B]

It's like ascension to the mean.

[A]

Yeah. Or like a move toward a more common denominator. Like, Grant started off in a nerdier space. The last couple books were still data driven. There were plenty charts. And like, if an Adam Grant book stops having charts, I will be very sad. But I think they do tend to move from more specific concerns into more general, popular, common concerns. And so you go from something like creativity and potential to connection and just like, what are the vibes and how do we all get along? Grant did. He wrote a lot of op EDS during COVID about some of the big buzzwords. Like, he had a take on quiet quitting. He had a take on whatever the term was that they came up with for that, like, ennui that everybody felt for a while.

[B]

Just sort of like, what was that?

[A]

Remember that? Here we both are just trying to remember Pop.

[B]

Great audio. Yeah. It's like stagnation.

[A]

But yeah, the stagnation stuff he wrote about a lot. I'm glad that people are going to bring science to connection. We certainly, like, this is definitely in the water and people need this right now, but it feels it's a more like entry level self help topic, which this is like the rare genre where people move from this specific to this general. Like, often people have to start with something really widely appealing and then earn their way into doing their really specific nerdy things.

[B]

But a pin in that. I've got one for you.

[A]

Okay, great. Yeah, I mean, I'll be looking forward to Adam Grant. I think I'm still in, but with each successive Adam Grant book, I'm a little less guaranteed to be in.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, the exception that proves the rule is Kahneman. Right. Who was never a take artist. You know, he was. He was still, you know, trying to get college students to give him interesting data. Like really until he died. And his own a one of one condiment and then also not an Oliver Sacks, which is became, you know, wasn't ever a scientist in a way that Grant was and like actually doing the research. But more, more. I don't know if this is fair, tell me if I'm wrong, but like had more of a poets and Seekers soul.

[A]

More of a. Like he was able to take these really scientific, fascinating medical things and spin them into fascinating stories that you did not have to be a medical person.

[B]

Right.

[A]

To be able to relate to or be awed by.

[B]

Okay, moving on. NYU professor and cultural activist Karen Carbiners. Sorry for the pronunciation. K A R B I E NER American Cosmos with a K. The lives, loves and worlds of Walt Whitman to Mariner reintroducing the bard of democracy, cultural context and recent primary source discoveries that illuminates the poet's understanding of self promotion, his ideas on wellness, his queerness and more before and after the leaves of grass at auction. So there we go. That's one for me.

[A]

Yeah, that is looking forward to that.

[B]

I have one here that I'm not going to mention specifically, but a trend.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

A sub trend, because it looks like the emergent trend, maybe even after dark. Academia is horror romantasy, romanticy, but scarier. It got looked at several of these. So that thought I would note there. Philip Meyer. Philip with three P's, one at the beginning, two at the end. Who wrote Rust and the Sun? Those are well regarded novels. Ten years ago. His new book sold to Norton is an untitled novel about the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius. All right, and the Stoic bros.

[A]

This is where all their sad young.

[B]

Literary men are podcasting about Seneca. I would be surprised if Philip Meyer gives them un, you know, grist they don't have to chew to swallow. About Marcus Rios. I'm very curious to see what this.

[A]

I would expect this to be spiky in some way that might be unexpected to the the Stoic podcast bros. But very enjoyable.

[B]

Very enjoyable. Sometimes I just because of the numbers involved. So this one was a major deal for seven figures to Grand Central. It's Yvonne Normandin's the Good Parts. This is a novel, a dual timeline. Speculative love story pitches, eternal sunshine. The spotless mind meets Rebecca Searles in five years following a woman who undergoes an irreversible memory erasing procedure. And the man she once loved who re enters her life as a stranger, determined to make her fall for him all over again, but at a cost. So that's what you get seven figures for these days.

[A]

All right. That's going to have a movie deal attached to it, if it doesn't already soon.

[B]

Also a. Also a six figure deal in Germany. It's really unusual to see like the numbers associated to the foreign rights. This one has a long list of foreign rights. So this will be out there. Yeah, you're gonna, you're gonna hear about this. This one, I don't have many buttons, but this one pressed them all.

[A]

Great.

[B]

New Yorker staff writer.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Button one, Tear down Build over the story of New York, New York. Button two. In ten real estate deals. Button three.

[A]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. New York real estate in 10 deals.

[B]

Come on, New Yorker staff writer, let's go.

[A]

Thanks so much for listening. Join [e-mail] bookriotpodcast to hear the rest of this episode and get access to our full back catalog of premium content. That's patreon.com bookriotpodcast.