Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode: Speculating on The Book of the Year and the Impacts of AI on Writing
Date: November 10, 2025
Hosts: Jeff O’Neal & Rebecca Schinsky

Overview

This episode dives deep into speculation around what could become 2025’s “Book of the Year,” a rundown of industry shortlists and lists, reflections on trends in publishing and reading, and an analysis of how AI is shaping the writing and publishing landscape. The conversation is rich with candid opinions, playful banter, and insider industry observations, making it a must-listen for anyone keen to know where book culture is headed as the year winds down.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Quiet Before the Year-End Storm (00:52–02:44)

• Both hosts discuss a lull in book news:
  • “We are in that lull in between shortlists being announced and book awards actually being given next week…” (Rebecca, 01:31).
  • Anticipating upcoming major book announcements: the Booker Prize, National Book Awards, Amazon’s Best Books list (~Nov 13), and the New York Times list at Thanksgiving.
• Industry context: the impact of the election cycle and seasonal advertising business.

2. Speculating on “Book of the Year” Candidates (02:44–12:07)

• The hosts agree it’s difficult to point to a single standout “book of the year.”

• Notable contenders discussed:

  • A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar (National Book Award finalist, Oprah pick).
  • A Loneliness of Sonja and Sunny by Kiran Desai (Rebecca: “600ish pages, more than 600 pages. That can be tough for people.” 04:40).
  • Katabasis – Not as big as expected.
  • Audition by Katie Kitamura (“I would love to see that happen.” – Rebecca, 05:39).
  • Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones.
  • Wild Dark Shore (Amazon’s best book pick, sold extremely well).
  • Buckeye by Patrick Ryan.
  • Mona’s Eyes (Barnes & Noble finalist).
  • Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – Considered by Jeff as “maybe the book of the year, even though…it’s more of a broad culture event.” (06:50)
  • Celebrity memoirs—no breakout Michelle Obama-type book this year.
  • Nonfiction: One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad, Let Them Theory, Abundance, Empire, and Dream Hotel.

• Trends cited:

  • Fewer “big” books this year, a “quieter publishing year.”
  • Notable gap in major history or "dad books" this year (anticipation for America’s 250th in 2026 will see “bonkers” releases – 07:14).

Memorable Quote

“I don’t know. It’s just been a much quieter publishing year. There have been great books, but it’s been a much quieter year.”
—Rebecca Schinsky (05:07)

3. How to Choose “The” Book: Audience Engagement (08:59–12:07)

• Idea: Let listeners vote on which 2025 novel the hosts should give their signature “zero to well read” treatment.
• Discussion of whether to pick from among top award contenders or commercial hits.

Memorable Quote

“Now that is maybe even a more interesting question to me than what we think the book of the year might be—what are people most interested in hearing about that they maybe didn’t read themselves?”
—Jeff O’Neal (09:39)

4. Browsing Lists and Their Surprises (16:45–19:59)

• Praise of Publishers Weekly’s (PW) approach to best books lists:
  • “They seem to take the philosophy of however many books deserve to make it on the list, make it on the list.” —Rebecca (18:12).
  • Noted that PW’s top 10 includes lesser-known titles, translated works, and nonfiction—a more diverse spread.

Notable Books from Lists

• The Calculation of Volume Book 3 by Solvej Balle.
• Searches by Vauhini Vara.
• The Slip by Lukas Schaeffer.
• Sola by Allegra Goodman.
• Flesh by David Zaslay.

5. The Phenomenon of Popular Fiction (& Adaptations) (19:59–25:15)

• Discussing the “phenomenon” effect: Frida McFadden and Colleen Hoover compared.
• Upcoming adaptation: The Housemaid movie, but skepticism about its emotional impact vs. Colleen Hoover.

Memorable Moment

“Freedom McFadden books are being read a lot by very, very many people. But I don’t think I see the readers having, like, the emotional attachment…It’s just like popcorn reading that you can plow through really quickly.”
—Rebecca Schinsky (22:40)

6. Genre Trends & Audience Tastes

• Climate fiction, literary horror (Buffalo Hunter Hunter), commercial romance, and litfic—the boundaries and crossovers.
• Wild Dark Shore noted as an emerging climate fiction phenomenon (24:07).

7. Industry Downturn & Digital Growth (25:48–27:35)

• Book sales are down in most categories; only digital format shows growth (+6.8%).
• Discussion on economic pressures tightening budgets for books: “Books are a luxury item.” (Rebecca, 25:58)

8. Debating the Purpose and Pick of “Book of the Year” Lists (27:35–32:49)

• Insight into how books are shortlisted for commercial viability (“Swiss army knife gift recommendation”).
• Discussion of Mona’s Eyes as a possible surprise Barnes & Noble Book of the Year.

Quote

“It just seems it would be surprising for a book to kind of have come out of nowhere, appeared at the top of their fiction list, and be nominated for this without there being a bigger story to it.”
—Rebecca Schinsky (27:50)

Conversation Deep Dive: AI and Writing (36:32–43:42)

• Industry Use of AI:

  • Many writers use AI for research and structuring, but only 11% of fiction writers use AI to generate “publishable text.”
  • Both hosts skeptical about AI’s stylistic abilities:
    • Jeff: “I find that the writing…it suggests I give in front of other humans, I find laughable and embarrassing.” (37:23)
    • Rebecca’s practical use: AI helped her “brain dump” and edit an email to a zoning board to sound professional (38:04).

• Ethical and Educational Implications:

  • Some creative writing teachers accept and guide student AI use, helping students formulate their own ethical standards.
  • Jeff: “You can read a summary of any one of these books. But if you think there are quote unquote, answers for you to harvest from an AI summary of Oedipus the King, well, then I got news for you, buddy…That’s not what we’re here on earth to do.” (41:36)
  • Process vs. product: Both agree the “process is the thing” in creative work.

Memorable Quotes

• “AI is a regression to the mean and we want your writing to be the regression to the me for you of like, what you can tell us.”
  —Jeff O’Neal (42:55)
• “If you are a thought leader for realsies, you don’t have to declare it.”
  —Rebecca Schinsky (39:05)

Other Notable Segments

Bookish Vocabulary and Fun Facts (51:26–53:41)

• “Chiton” – a toga-like Greek garment—came up in The Secret History and then in the NYT crossword.
• “Pugmark” – the paw print of a tiger.

Recent Reads and Recommendations (44:44–58:58)

• The Ten-Year Affair by Erin Summers:
  • Both hosts loved this contemporary marital drama, with creative structure and “crackly dialogue.”
  • “There's a lingering warmth to it. It's not dark, really.” (Jeff, 49:14)
• The Running Mode by Nick Thompson:
  • Memoir about running, family, and personal growth.
• Craftland by James Fox:
  • On dying English crafts, “really charming on the audio.” (Jeff, 57:21)

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On 2025’s Book of the Year:
  • “In terms of even picking four or five to choose from, I think that’s a pretty difficult conversation at this point.”
    —Jeff O’Neal (03:38)
• On AI & Writing:
  • “Let’s each sort of set out to create our own personal...ethical commitments about how you want this to figure into your work.”
    —Rebecca Schinsky (40:13)
• On phenomenon books:
  • “Stepford Knives is the genre. Like, that’s all it is.”
    —Jeff O’Neal (23:36)
• On the publishing slump:
  • “Books are a luxury item. So I think...this is not a recession indicator, but an indicator of people tightening their belts. You're spending 10 bucks a pound on ground beef for taco night at home. That’s gonna eat into your paperback budget.”
    —Rebecca Schinsky (25:58)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|--------------------| | 00:52 | Introduction & reflection on the news lull | | 04:03 | Speculation on major awards, “Book of the Year” contenders | | 08:59 | Audience engagement idea for “zero to well read” | | 16:45 | Discussion of Publishers Weekly's approach to lists | | 19:59 | Book phenoms: McFadden, Hoover, adaptations | | 25:48 | Book industry sales/macro-economic effects | | 36:32 | The rise of AI in writing and creative fields | | 41:05 | Navigating AI and education/ethics | | 44:44 | Recent reads: “The Ten-Year Affair” & more | | 51:26 | Vocabulary: “chiton” & “pugmark” |

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• 2025 has been a quieter year for standout titles, with many strong books but none dominating the cultural conversation as in previous years.
• Lists and awards are about to drop—but the “book of the year” might be as much about what readers want talked about as what actually grabs headlines.
• AI is reshaping workflows for writers and students, but not yet changing the creative heart of fiction writing—process over product still rules.
• Industry challenges linger, but digital sales provide a lifeline; bookstores position best-of lists as gift guides more than as literary canons.

For listeners and readers alike:

If you want to navigate year-end gift-giving, discover the next breakout book, or get a grounded sense of literary trends and discussions, this episode encapsulates the publishing world’s mood, questions, and forward-looking curiosity as 2025 draws to a close.

Have a book you want to see discussed or need a recommendation? Email: podcast@bookriot.com