The Indie Bestsellers List

 

 

Published Wednesday, September 17, 2025 (for the sales week ended Sunday, September 14, 2025). Based on reporting from hundreds of independent bookstores across the United States. For information on more titles, please visit IndieBound.org.

 

Debuts for the week:

 

Hardcover Fiction

#1-The Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown (9780385546898)

#6-Clown Town, by Mick Herron (9781641297264)

#11-You Weren’t Meant to Be Human, by Andrew Joseph White (9781668038079)

 

Hardcover Nonfiction

#1-All the Way to the River, by Elizabeth Gilbert (9780593540985)

#8-Separation of Church and Hate, by John Fugelsang (9781668066898)

#11-Art Work, by Sally Mann (9781419780714)

#12-Listening to the Law, by Amy Coney Barrett (9780593421864)

 

Paperback Fiction

#7-People Watching, by Hannah Bonam-Young (9780593871881)

#9-The City and Its Uncertain Walls, by Haruki Murakami (9780593687840)

#11-Wild Card (Deluxe Edition), by Elsie Silver (9781464220845)

 

Paperback Nonfiction

#14-The Barn, by Wright Thompson (9780593299845)

 

Early & Middle Grade

#1-The Poisoned King (Impossible Creatures #2), by Katherine Rundell, Ashley Mackenzie (Illus.) (9780593809907)

#2-Troubling Tonsils! (Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales!), by Aaron Reynolds, Peter Brown (Illus.) (9781665961080)

#4-Pocket Bear, by Katherine Applegate (9781250904362)

#5-Howl’s Moving Castle Deluxe Limited Edition, by Diana Wynne Jones (9780063416468)

#8-Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town, by Li Chen (9798881602215)

 

Young Adult

#3-Blood Moon, by Britney S. Lewis (9798890032294)

 

Children’s Illustrated

#4-Just Shine!: How to Be a Better You, by Sonia Sotomayor, Jacqueline Alcántara (Illus.) (9780593206294)

#11-Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat, by Julien Chung (9781665954785)

#12-Bluey and Bingo’s Book of Scary Things, by Charlie Moon (9780593891254)

#14-The Pigeon WON’T Count to 10!, by Mo Willems (9781454964407)

#15-The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Peekaboo Halloween, by Eric Carle (9780593890172)

 

Children’s Series

New: InvestiGators: Case Files, by John Patrick Green, Steve Behling, Chris Fenoglio (Illus.) (9781250223227)

 

HARDCOVER FICTION

  1. The Secret of Secrets- Debut Dan Brown, Doubleday, $38, 9780385546898
  2. Katabasis (Deluxe Limited Edition) R. F. Kuang, Harper Voyager, $35, 9780063021471
  3. My Friends Fredrik Backman, Atria Books, $29.99, 9781982112820
  4. Buckeye Patrick Ryan, Random House, $30, 9780593595039
  5. Atmosphere Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine Books, $30, 9780593158715
  6. Clown Town- Debut Mick Herron, Soho Crime, $29.95, 9781641297264
  7. Katabasis (Standard Edition) R. F. Kuang, Harper Voyager, $32, 9780063446243
  8. Wild Reverence Rebecca Ross, Saturday Books, $32, 9781250373359
  9. The Correspondent Virginia Evans, Crown, $28, 9780593798430
  10. James Percival Everett, Doubleday, $28, 9780385550369
  11. You Weren’t Meant to Be Human- Debut Andrew Joseph White, S&S/Saga Press, $29, 9781668038079
  12. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil V. E. Schwab, Tor Books, $29.99, 9781250320520
  13. Dungeon Crawler Carl Matt Dinniman, Ace, $30, 9780593820247
  14. The Wedding People Alison Espach, Henry Holt and Co., $28.99, 9781250899576
  15. The River Is Waiting Wally Lamb, S&S/Marysue Rucci Books, $29.99, 9781668006399

 

On the Rise:

  1. Play Nice Rachel Harrison, Berkley, $30, 9780593642573

 

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

  1. All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation- Debut Elizabeth Gilbert, Riverhead Books, $35, 9780593540985
  2. The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About Mel Robbins, Sawyer Robbins, Hay House LLC, $29.99, 9781401971366
  3. Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection John Green, Crash Course Books, $28, 9780525556572
  4. The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World Robin Wall Kimmerer, John Burgoyne (Illus.), Scribner, $20, 9781668072240
  5. Mother Mary Comes to Me Arundhati Roy, Scribner, $30, 9781668094716
  6. Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America Robert B. Reich, Knopf, $30, 9780593803288
  7. The Little Frog’s Guide to Life: Love, Advice and Inspiration for Every Day from the Internet’s Beloved Mushroom Frog Maybell Eequay, Summersdale, $11.99, 9781837994731
  8. Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds- Debut John Fugelsang, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, $29.99, 9781668066898
  9. The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life Suleika Jaouad, Random House, $30, 9780593734636
  10. Abundance Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, $30, 9781668023488
  11. Art Work: On the Creative Life- Debut Sally Mann, Abrams Press, $35, 9781419780714
  12. Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution- Debut Amy Coney Barrett, Sentinel, $32, 9780593421864
  13. A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck (Indies Introduce) Sophie Elmhirst, Riverhead Books, $28, 9780593854280
  14. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This Omar El Akkad, Knopf, $28, 9780593804148
  15. The Little Frog’s Guide to Self-Care: Affirmations, Self-Love and Life Lessons According to the Internet’s Beloved Mushroom Frog Maybell Eequay, Summersdale, $11.99, 9781837991013

 

On the Rise:

  1. The People’s Project: Poems, Essays, and Art for Looking Forward Saeed Jones, Maggie Smith, Washington Square Press, $22, 9781668207024

 

PAPERBACK FICTION

  1. Remarkably Bright Creatures Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $19.99, 9780063204164
  2. Project Hail Mary Andy Weir, Ballantine, $22, 9780593135228
  3. I Who Have Never Known Men Jacqueline Harpman, Transit Books, $16.95, 9781945492600
  4. The Life Impossible Matt Haig, Penguin, $19, 9780593489291
  5. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping Sangu Mandanna, Berkley, $19, 9780593439371
  6. The Lion Women of Tehran Marjan Kamali, Gallery Books, $18.99, 9781668036594
  7. People Watching- Debut Hannah Bonam-Young, Dell, $19, 9780593871881
  8. Martyr! Kaveh Akbar, Vintage, $18, 9780593685778
  9. The City and Its Uncertain Walls- Debut Haruki Murakami, Vintage, $19, 9780593687840
  10. The Thursday Murder Club Richard Osman, Penguin, $18, 9781984880987
  11. Wild Card (Deluxe Edition)- Debut Elsie Silver, Bloom Books, $18.99, 9781464220845
  12. The Frozen River Ariel Lawhon, Vintage, $18, 9780593312070
  13. Tell Me Everything Elizabeth Strout, Random House Trade Paperbacks, $18, 9780593446119
  14. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store James McBride, Riverhead Books, $19, 9780593422953
  15. Demon Copperhead Barbara Kingsolver, Harper Perennial, $21.99, 9780063251984

 

PAPERBACK NONFICTION

  1. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century Timothy Snyder, Crown, $12, 9780804190114
  2. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $22, 9781571313560
  3. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder David Grann, Vintage, $21, 9780307742490
  4. All About Love: New Visions bell hooks, Morrow, $16.99, 9780060959470
  5. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession Michael Finkel, Vintage, $18, 9781984898456
  6. The 2026 Old Farmer’s Almanac Old Farmer’s Almanac, $10.95, 9781961793682
  7. Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World Anne Applebaum, Vintage, $18, 9780593471203
  8. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., Penguin, $19, 9780143127741
  9. The Artist’s Way: 30th Anniversary Edition Julia Cameron, Tarcher Perigee, $24, 9780143129257
  10. The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917—2017 Rashid Khalidi, Metropolitan Books, $19.99, 9781250787651
  11. The Backyard Bird Chronicles Amy Tan, Knopf, $36, 9780593536131
  12. The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness Morgan Housel, Harriman House, $19.99, 9780857197689
  1. The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook Hampton Sides, Vintage, $19, 9780525565703
  2. The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi- Debut Wright Thompson, Penguin, $22, 9780593299845
  1. A People’s History of the United States Howard Zinn, Harper Perennial Modern Classics, $23.99, 9780062397348

 

MASS MARKET

  1. 1984 George Orwell, Signet, $10.99, 9780451524935
  2. Animal Farm George Orwell, Signet, $9.99, 9780451526342
  3. Mistborn: The Final Empire Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $10.99, 9781250318541
  4. The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank, Bantam, $8.99, 9780553577129
  5. The Long Walk Stephen King, Pocket, $11.99, 9781668052013
  6. Slaughterhouse-Five Kurt Vonnegut, Dell, $9.99, 9780440180296
  7. The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula K. Le Guin, Ace, $10.99, 9780441478125
  8. Jurassic Park Michael Crichton, Ballantine, $10.99, 9780345538987
  9. The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger, Little, Brown, $9.99, 9780316769488
  10. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams, Del Rey, $9.99, 9780345391803

 

EARLY & MIDDLE GRADE

  1. The Poisoned King (Impossible Creatures #2)- Debut Katherine Rundell, Ashley Mackenzie (Illus.), Knopf Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9780593809907
  2. Troubling Tonsils! (Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales!)- Debut Aaron Reynolds, Peter Brown (Illus.), Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $13.99, 9781665961080
  3. Impossible Creatures Katherine Rundell, Ashley Mackenzie (Illus.), Yearling, $11.99, 9780593809891
  4. Pocket Bear- Debut Katherine Applegate, Feiwel & Friends, $17.99, 9781250904362
  5. Howl’s Moving Castle Deluxe Limited Edition- Debut Diana Wynne Jones, Greenwillow Books, $24.99, 9780063416468
  6. Hurricane Heist (The Sherlock Society #2) James Ponti, Aladdin, $18.99, 9781665932561
  7. Space Case The Graphic Novel Stuart Gibbs, Ward Jenkins (Illus.), Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $14.99, 9781665934817
  8. Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town- Debut Li Chen, Andrews McMeel Publishing, $12.99, 9798881602215
  9. The Eyes and the Impossible Dave Eggers, Shawn Harris (Illus.), Yearling, $14.99, 9781524764234
  10. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby: Color Edition Dav Pilkey, Graphix, $14.99, 9781338687859
  11. Dream On Shannon Hale, Marcela Cespedes (Illus.), Roaring Brook Press, $14.99, 9781250843074
  12. Hatchet Gary Paulsen, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $9.99, 9781481486293
  13. The Cartoonists Club: A Graphic Novel Raina Telgemeier, Scott McCloud, Graphix, $14.99, 9781338777215
  14. The Last Resort Erin Entrada Kelly, Scholastic Press, $17.99, 9781546132431
  15. Charlotte’s Web E. B. White, HarperCollins, $10.99, 9780064400558

 

YOUNG ADULT

  1. Sisters in the Wind Angeline Boulley, Henry Holt and Co. BYR, $19.99, 9781250328533
  2. Falling Like Leaves Misty Wilson, Margaret K. McElderry Books, $12.99, 9781665975193
  3. Blood Moon- Debut Britney S. Lewis, Page Street YA, $18.99, 9798890032294
  4. We Were Liars (Deluxe Edition) E. Lockhart, Delacorte Press, $14.99, 9798217118076
  5. Nothing Like the Movies Lynn Painter, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $13.99, 9781665947145
  6. Thorn Season (Deluxe Limited Edition) Kiera Azar, Storytide, $24.99, 9780063464773
  7. The Outsiders S. E. Hinton, Viking Books for Young Readers, $14.99, 9780142407332
  8. Better Than the Movies Lynn Painter, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $12.99, 9781534467637
  9. A Theory of Dreaming (Deluxe Limited Edition) Ava Reid, HarperCollins, $24.99, 9780063432925
  10. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen, Anna Bond (Illus.), Puffin Books, $17, 9780593622452
  11. If He Had Been with Me Laura Nowlin, Sourcebooks Fire, $10.99, 9781728205489
  12. The Giver Lois Lowry, Clarion Books, $11.99, 9780544336261
  13. The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel Maggie Stiefvater, Stephanie Williams, Sas Milledge (Illus.), Viking Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 9780593621189
  14. By Invitation Only Alexandra Brown Chang, Margaret K. McElderry Books, $19.99, 9781665972437
  15. The Book Thief Markus Zusak, Knopf Books for Young Readers, $14.99, 9780375842207

 

CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED

  1. Hansel and Gretel Stephen King, Maurice Sendak (Illus.), HarperCollins, $26.99, 9780062644695
  2. Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler (Illus.), Dial Books, $9.99, 9780593110409
  3. Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $10.99, 9780694003617
  4. Just Shine!: How to Be a Better You- Debut Sonia Sotomayor, Jacqueline Alcántara (Illus.), Philomel Books, $18.99, 9780593206294
  5. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle, World of Eric Carle, $10.99, 9780399226908
  1. Richard Scarry’s Halloween Cars and Trucks Richard Scarry, Random House Books for Young Readers, $4.99, 9780593905166
  2. Aggie and the Ghost Matthew Forsythe, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, $19.99, 9781534478206
  3. Baby Pumpkin: Finger Puppet Book Yu-Hsuan Huang (Illus.), Chronicle Book, $7.99, 9781797232782
  4. The Wild Robot on the Island Peter Brown, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9780316669467
  5. Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak, Harper, $21.99, 9780060254926
  6. Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat- Debut Julien Chung, Beach Lane Books, $19.99, 9781665954785
  7. Bluey and Bingo’s Book of Scary Things- Debut Charlie Moon, Penguin Young Readers, $10.99, 9780593891254
  8. Indestructibles: Baby Loves Fall Workman Publishing, Workman Kids, $5.99, 9781523528783
  9. The Pigeon WON’T Count to 10!- Debut Mo Willems, Union Square Kids, $9.99, 9781454964407
  10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Peekaboo Halloween- Debut Eric Carle, World of Eric Carle, $9.99, 9780593890172

 

CHILDREN’S SERIES

  1. Dog Man (hardcover) Dav Pilkey, Graphix
  2. InvestiGators (hardcover) John Patrick Green, Steve Behling, Chris Fenoglio (Illus.), First Second New in Series: Case Files (9781250223227)
  3. The Hunger Games (hardcover and paperback) Suzanne Collins, Scholastic Press
  4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (hardcover) Jeff Kinney, Harry N. Abrams
  5. I Survived (hardcover and paperback) Lauren Tarshis, Chris Chalik (Illus.), Scholastic
  6. Wings of Fire (hardcover and paperback) Tui T. Sutherland, Mike Holmes (Illus.), Scholastic
  7. Elephant & Piggie (hardcover) Mo Willems, Hyperion
  8. Magic Tree House (hardcover and paperback) Mary Pope Osborne, Kelly Matthews (Illus.), Random House Books for Young Readers
  9. The Powerless Trilogy (hardcover and paperback) Lauren Roberts, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
  10. The Wild Robot (hardcover and paperback) Peter Brown, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers