{
  "id": 5335800,
  "title": "The Independent Press Top 40 Bestsellers: Fiction",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/the-independent-press-top-40-bestsellers-fiction",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-03T13:03:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Literary Hub",
    "slug": "literary-hub",
    "url": "https://lithub.com/the-independent-press-top-40-bestsellers-fiction-33/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "This report presents the Independent Press Top 40 Bestsellers in the fiction category, as determined by sales in independent bookstores across the nation. The list, compiled by the American Booksellers Association and distributed by The Independent Publishers Caucus, reflects the popularity of a diverse range of titles.\n\nAt the top of the chart is Kathryn Stockett's \"The Calamity Club,\" followed by Homer's \"The Odyssey,\" translated by Emily Wilson. Jacqueline Harpman's \"I Who Have Never Known Men\" and Sheila Masterson's \"The Poison Daughter\" also make it to the top five. Douglas Stuart's \"John of John,\" Lily King's \"Heart the Lover\" and \"Writers & Lovers,\" Beth Brower's \"The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1\" and \"Vol. 2\" are among the subsequent entries.\n\nThe list continues with works such as John Williams' \"Stoner,\" Claire Keegan's \"Small Things Like These,\" and Solvej Balle and Barbara J. Haveland's \"On the Calculation of Volume (Book I).\" Virginia Feito's \"Victorian Psycho,\" Octavia E. Butler's \"Kindred,\" and K. S. Shay's \"Portrait of a Witch Undone\" round out the top 20. The remaining spots are occupied by titles such as Brynne Weaver's \"Scythe & Sparrow (Collector’s Edition)\" and \"The Berry Pickers\" by Amanda Peters.",
  "summary": "Here are this week’s Independent Press Top 40 Bestsellers for fiction, based on sales in hundreds of independent bookstores nationwide, generously provided by the American Booksellers Association. Compiled, designed, and distributed by The Independent Publishers Caucus. * 1. The Calamity",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}