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Explore every episode of the podcast NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast

Dive into the complete episode list for NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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1–22 of 22

TitlePub. DateDuration
#22 — May 2026 bestsellers + the colouring book boom09 Jun 202600:45:43

In episode 22 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the UK's bestselling books in the month of May (01.51), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (13.12), and put colouring books "Under the Spotlight" (21.40). Tune in to discover which writer returns to familiar territory and tops the chart, which series celebrates its 20th birthday in style, the latest book to get a small-screen boost, and what gems can be found in the colouring book long tail.

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

— Freida McFadden's The Divorce
— Keir Radnedge's FIFA World Cup 2026: The Official Guide
The Disneyland Parks Colouring Book
— Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris's The Book of Birds
— Bobbie Goods' Do Dia Para a Noite 

Link to The Bookseller article on Usborne's Sticker Dolly Dressing range
Link to Springer Nature paper on anxiety reduction during adult colouring
Link to Healthline article on the benefits of adult colouring
Link to The Guardian article on the British birdwatching boom
Link to NHS/Rethink Mental Illness "Stress Bucket" resource (.pdf)


For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#21 — April 2026 bestsellers + book to screen adaptations12 May 202600:42:43

In episode 21 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Chris count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of April (02.35), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (12.34), and put film and TV adaptations "Under the Spotlight" (26.28). Tune in to discover which books have benefitted from big and small-screen boosts, and the vital importance of books to the film and TV industries.

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

— Lena Dunham's Famesick
— Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah
— Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary
— Katie Kirby's The Seriously Epic Holiday of Lottie Brooks
— Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights

Link to the Publishers Association's "Books on Screen" study
Link to IMDB's "based on novel" title search 

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#12 — July 2025 bestsellers + the travel book market15 Aug 202500:35:46

In episode 12 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of July (01.03),  reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (06:47), and put travel books "Under the Spotlight" (16:48). Along the way Belle and Philip discuss a first adult number one for an established children's writer, celebrate and reflect on the podcast's first birthday, highlight two books enjoying sales boosts for very different reasons and, inspired by Slutty Chef, reveal their go-to cheeky Nando's order.

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

— Slutty Chef's Tart
— Holly Jackson's Not Quite Dead Yet
— Ozzy Osbourne's I Am Ozzy
— Michael Palin's Himalaya
— Richard Osman's We Solve Murders

Further reading:

The Bookseller on travel book sales
The Observer on The Salt Path
Service95 interview with Slutty Chef
BBC article on potty training
The Story Exchange on Gen Alpha Slang 101

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#11 — June 2025 bestsellers + Australia book market sales and trends11 Jul 202500:51:38

In episode 11 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast Philip and Belle count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of June (01.52) and reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (08:52). Then, in "Under the Spotlight" (21:35), Belle sits down with our colleagues down under, Olivia and Abbey, to chat about the Australian book market. Tune in to find out where Richard Osman and Freida McFadden rank in this month's chart, what non-fiction books were unwrapped by dads on Father's Day in June, which authors, titles and characters (spoiler alert: Bluey) are proving popular across the globe, and Belle and Philip's favourite dinosaurs.  

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

— Rebecca Yarros's Onyx Storm
— Yael van der Wouden's The Safekeep
— Nagi Maehashi's Recipe Tin Eats Tonight
— Bluey: My Dad is Awesome
— Scott Pape's The Barefoot Investor

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#10 — May 2025 bestsellers + cookbook sales and trends08 Jun 202500:43:09

Philip and Belle count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of May (01.35), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (11.14) and, in "Under the Spotlight",  discuss what cookbooks have been selling like hot cakes  (21.40). Along they way they discuss football memoirs, air fryers, an international superhit, the ultimate BBQ side dish, video-game inspired cookbooks and celebrate a writer with an enviable Sunday Times number one record. 

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

— Jamie Oliver's Easy Air Fryer
— Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club
— The Highway Code
— Snoop Dogg's From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes From Tha Boss Dog's Kitchen
— David Attenborough and Colin Butfield's Ocean

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#9 — April 2025 Bestsellers + who buys books?13 May 202500:50:19

This episode's Spotlight segment features a special guest, NielsenIQ BookData's expert on Books and Consumers research, Steve Bohme. Steve sits down with Belle to discuss book purchasing behaviour in the UK and the various interconnected factors behind individual purchases. 

Prior to that, Philip and Belle count down the UK's top 20 bestselling books in the month of April (01.45) and reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (10.31). Along the way they discuss the surge in paperback fiction sales brought in by warmer weather, how the passing of Pope Francis influenced the book charts, and how two former members of pop band McFly are now bestselling children's authors. Belle also receives a rude awakening that she has worked in the book industry for a decade.

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

— Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
— Conclave by Robert Harris 
— Hope by Pope Francis
— Gary Stevenson's The Trading Game
— Little Easter Bunnies by Martha Mumford. 
— The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Nagawe
— Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
— BBC Proms Guide 2025

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#8 — March 2025 bestsellers + international book sales13 Apr 202500:53:51

Philip and Belle count down the UK's top 20 bestselling books in the month of March (01.40), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (10.27), and discuss international markets and bestsellers in "Under the Spotlight" (23.14). Along the way they discuss the huge sales of the fifth Hunger Games novel, how TV adaptations impact book sales, the global popularity of puzzle books, and bookshelf aesthetics. Belle also ranks her favourite Beatles and Philip finally pronounces Dav Pilkey's first name correctly (as in "Dave").

Link to Ash Sarkar's "I'm a communist" moment
Link to The Bookseller's article about books' exclusions from Trump's tariffs
Link to The Bookseller's article on "sporror"
Link to The Sunday Times bestseller lists

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

— Donna Ashworth's To the Women
— Morgan Housel's The Psychology of Money
— Joël Dicker's Wild Animal
— James Clear's Atomic Habits
— Ian Leslie's John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#7 — February 2025 bestsellers + World Book Day08 Mar 202500:48:49

Philip and Belle count down the UK's top 20 bestselling books in the month of February (04.03), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (13.18), and discuss World Book Day in "Under the Spotlight" (23.34). Along the way they discuss the huge popularity of Bluey, World Book Day costumes, the enduring success of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and get all nostalgic reminiscing about Choose Your Own Adventure books, the life of Steve Irwin, and a Chinese restaurant in Chesterfield.

Link to Bluey: Rug Island episode page
Link to World Book Day website
Link to BBC article: World Book Day: How to make a last-minute costume

Books featured in this episode that can be purchased from all good booksellers include:
— Julia Donaldson's Tales from Acorn Wood: Who's in Acord Wood?
— Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back
— Tom Fletcher's There's a Bunny in Your Book
— Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
— Stephenie Meyer's Twilight

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#6 — January 2025 bestsellers + New Year, New You09 Feb 202500:44:40

Philip and Belle count down the UK's top 20 bestselling books in the month of January (02.21), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (11.24), and discuss New Year, New You season in "Under the Spotlight" (24.39). Along the way they discuss the record-breaking sales of a new fantasy novel, the dramatic rise in sales of personal development titles over the past decade, books that change your life, Plato, Stoicism, linocut Christmas cards, and get all nostalgic looking back at diet fads in years gone by (The Dukan Diet! Dr Atkins! GI Hip and Thigh!).
 
Link to The Guardian's article on the rise in childhood anxiety
Link to The Bookseller's article on sales of Rebecca Yarros's Onyx Storm
Link to Knowledge at Wharton: Life Hacks from Marcus Aurelius
Link to Exupery Design's New Year's Resolutions Generator
 
Books featured in this episode that can be purchased from all good booksellers include:
— Jamie Oliver's Easy Air Fryer
— Jennie Godfrey's The List of Suspicious Things
— Coco Wyo's Girl Moments
— Daniel Levitin's Music as Medicine
— Anthony Kessel's American Mystery

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#5 — December 2024 bestsellers + 2024 in review13 Jan 202500:43:23

Philip and Belle count down the UK's top 20 bestselling books in the month of December (02.48), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (11.10), and review book sales in 2024 in "Under the Spotlight" (19.41). Along the way they discuss the bestselling books of the year, two writers that dared to sell more books that Richard Osman, why books are great value for money, and which of us was on Santa's Naughty List (as they didn't receive any books this Christmas).
 
Link to The Bookseller's article on predictions for 2025
Link to Brandon Sanderson's $40M Kickstarter
Link to Nielsen BookData book market overview blog for the UK and Ireland in 2024
Link to Nielsen BookData blog about audiobook listening in 2024 
 
Books featured in this episode that can be purchased from all good booksellers include:
— Asako Yuzuki's Butter (translated by Polly Barton)
— Richard Osman's We Solve Murders
— Viktor E. Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning
— Brandon Sanderson's Wind and Truth
— Freida McFadden's The Housemaid

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#4 — November 2024 bestsellers + genres that spike at Christmas09 Dec 202400:53:40

Philip and Belle count down the UK's top 20 bestselling books in the month of November (03.02), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (14.45), and chat about genres that enjoy sales spikes at Christmas in "Under the Spotlight" (26.14). Along the way they discuss the stonking sales of the latest Booker Prize winner, non-fiction books currently selling for under £10 that could be good options for listeners participating in office Secret Santas, "achievable" world records, and  colouring in.
 
Link to the recent Booker Prize announcement
Link to the Guinness World Records page: "most piercings in a lifetime (female)"
Link to The Bookseller's article about Vietnamese artists' collective Coco Wyo's deal with Penguin Random House
Link to a Telegraph article on "French flaps" (SFW)
 
Books featured in this episode that can be purchased from all good booksellers include:
— Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat: Home to Roost
— The Night Before Christmas
— Asako Yuzuki's Butter 
— George R R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series
— Samantha Harvey's Orbital

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#3 — October 2024 bestsellers + the race for the Christmas Number One11 Nov 202400:45:16

Philip and Belle count down the UK's top 20 bestselling books in the month of October (02:20), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (11:53), and chat about books gunning for the Christmas number one spot (26:30). Along they way they discuss a cookbook that sold like hot cakes in Australia, why Barack Obama will forever be linked with the UK book trade's "Super Thursday", how nice Rick Astley and Stanley Tucci are, and Pokémon hunting in a posh hotel.
 
 Books featured in this episode that can be purchased from all good booksellers include:
 — Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga's The Courage to Be Disliked
— Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess
Guinness World Records 2025
— Vex King's One Day One Moment
— Lee and Andrew Child's In Too Deep

Link to Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up
Link to The Bookseller's story about Boris's memoir hitting the charts
Link to interview with Nobel Prize in Literature 2024 winner Han Kang
Philip's Pokémon Go trainer code: 2058-8321-0182

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#20 — March 2026 bestsellers + American fiction14 Apr 202600:50:10

In episode 20 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of March (02.03), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (13.52), and put the United States under the spotlight (24.31) — discussing trends Stateside and the impact of American fiction in the UK. Tune in to find out which former chart-topper returns to top spot, the huge value of Easter-themed books, and why the US and UK book markets might be more similar than you think.

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

— Freida McFadden's Want to Know a Secret?
— Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter's The Dinosaur That Pooped Easter!
— Chloe Walsh's Binding 13
— Mel and Sawyer Robbins' The Let Them Theory
— Herman Melville's Moby Dick

Link to The Bookseller article on translation in the age of AI
Link to The Bookseller article on simultaneous publication dates
Freida McFadden reveals her true identity (USA Today)
The Great American Novel (The Atlantic)

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#2 — September 2024 bestsellers + "evergreen" books04 Oct 202400:41:06

Philip and Belle count down the UK's top 20 bestselling books in the month of September (02.08), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (10.55), and chat about book trade "evergreens" (19.09) — old books that continue to fly off the shelves to this day. Along they way they discuss folding over the corner of pages instead of using a bookmark, Philip's book-related tattoo, and celebrities writing books for children that involve poop.

Books featured in this episode that can be purchased from all good booksellers include:
— Rebecca Kuang's Yellowface
— Richard Osman's We Solve Murders
— Sally Rooney's Intermezzo
— Janet and Allan Ahlberg's Funnybones
— Rhonda Byrne's The Secret

Link to Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience
Link to Nielsen BookData's The Bestseller Awards

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#1 — August 2024 bestsellers + the Sunday Times top 100 of the past 50 years06 Sep 202400:35:18

Philip and Belle count down the UK's top 20 bestselling books in the month of August (02.00), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (11.28), and chat about The Sunday Times's recently-published top 100 of the past 50 years (19.30). Along they way they discuss TikTok's influence on the UK book market, judging a book by its cover, a book often bought but rarely read, the fact that UFOs are now called UAPs, and that you can cook gnocchi in an air fryer.

Books featured in this episode that can be purchased from all good booksellers include:
— Fiona Watt's That's Not My... Witch
— James Clear's Atomic Habits
— Bob Mortimer's The Hotel Avocado
— Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us
— Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series

Link to It Ends With Us trailer
Link to Mark Owen's pronunciation of "Clementine"
Link to Joe Rogan's chat with Luis Elizondo
Link to The Sunday Times's Top 100 bestsellers of the past 50 years
Link to Nielsen Book blog on judging books by their covers

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#19 — February 2026 bestsellers + the children's books market09 Mar 202600:39:58

In episode 19 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of February (02.57), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (13.10), and put children's books under the spotlight (20.15). Tune in to find out how many World Book Day £1 exclusives scored top 20 status in February (spoiler alert: a lot), which popular children's author's sales have grown eight years in a row, and how many items The Very Hungry Caterpillar munches through in the book of the same name.

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

— Jamie Smart's Bunny vs Monkey
Peekaboo Love
— Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's Zog and the Flying Doctors
— Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara's Little People, Big Dreams: Taylor Swift
— Dav Pilkey's Dog Man: The Scarlett Shedder

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#18 — January 2026 bestsellers + New Year, New You hits10 Feb 202600:40:37

In episode 18 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of January (04.21), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (15.47), and put the latest tranche of New Year, New You hits under the spotlight (27.09). Tune in to find out how many Freida McFadden thrillers scored top 20 status in January (spoiler alert: a lot), which bestseller chart record McFadden broke, whether there's any truth to recent claims that bible sales are at an all-time high, and which authors went home very happy from the latest NielsenIQ BookData Bestseller Awards ceremony.

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

— Jennette McCurdy's Half His Age
— James Clear's Atomic Habits
Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution
The Bible
— Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#17 — December 2025 bestsellers and 2025 in review12 Jan 202600:51:25

In episode 17 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of December (05.40), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (15:57), and review 2025 in "Under the Spotlight" (26:44). Tune in to find out what book topped the charts on Christmas Day, who was 2025's bestselling writer, which genres hit all-time sales highs last year, and what books Belle and Philip received from Santa this Christmas.

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

— Richard Osman's The Impossible Fortune
— Joe Wicks' Protein in 15
— Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets
— Jamie Oliver's Eat Yourself Healthy
— Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#16 — November 2025 bestsellers + Christmas hits12 Dec 202500:51:07

In episode 16 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Phil review the bestselling books in the month of November (02.26), discuss their Beyond the Bestsellers picks (13.45), and put Christmas under the spotlight (28.58). Along the way they discuss which books have been rapidly climbing the charts as Christmas Day nears, how Black Friday created one of the most expensive Sunday Times bestsellers of all time, and make their predictions for the coveted Christmas Number One crown. 

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

— Charlie Mackesy's Always Remember

— The 1% Club Books 1 & 2

— Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary

— Guinness World Records

— The Dishoom Cookbook


For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#15 — October 2025 bestsellers + international hits in 202513 Nov 202500:51:55

In episode 15 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of October (01.24), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (15:57), and put International markets in 2025 "Under the Spotlight" (29:25). Along the way they highlight a strong contender for 2025's Christmas number 1, look back on 20 years of Twilight, and reflect on the enduring, international appeal of Freida McFadden. 

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

— Philip Pullman's The Rose Field: Book of Dust Volume 3
— Charlie Mackesy's Always Remember: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox & The Storm
— Thomas Pynchon's Shadow Ticket
— Jason Burke's The Revolutionists
— Mel & Sawyer Robbins' The Let Them Theory

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#14 — September 2025 bestsellers + spooktacular Halloween and horror book sales14 Oct 202500:44:30

In episode 14 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of September (02.04), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (13:18), and put horror and ghost stories "Under the Spotlight" (24:50). Along the way they discuss some big first-week sales numbers for a few new fiction hardbacks, a GCSE set text that's a perennial September seller, and Stephen King's influence on the horror market.

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

— Jamie Oliver's Eat Yourself Healthy
— SenLinYu's Alchemised
— Janet and Allan Ahlberg's Funnybones
— Bram Stoker's The Burial of the Rats
— Seishi Yokomizo's Murder at the Black Cat Cafe

Further reading:

The Bookseller on the record-setting sales of Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook
The Guardian on SenLinYu's Alchemised
Dazed on horror's new popularity

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). 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!

#13 — August 2025 bestsellers + Summer Reading11 Sep 202500:45:05

In episode 13 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the top 20 bestselling books in the UK in the month of August (02.56),  reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (10:54), and put Summer Reading "Under the Spotlight" (20:12). Along the way Belle and Philip discuss a mammoth first-week sale for the August number one, fantasy romance (a.k.a. "romantasy") and its increasing influence on the bestseller charts, the popularity of the Richard and Judy Book Club, and, umm, nuclear warfare.

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

— Andrew Lownie's Entitled
— Adam Kay's A Particularly Nasty Case
— Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
— Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
The Disneyland Parks Colouring Book

Further reading:

Forbes on the power of booktok
The Bookseller on BookTok, romantasy and follower counts
The Richard and Judy Book Club Facebook page
The Times on Andrew Lownie's Entitled

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

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