This weeks Literary Ledger 7 to 14 November 2025
Welcome to your weekly roundup of all things books! We’re keeping it short and sweet, just five stories to keep you in the loop without overwhelming you. Think of this as your quick fix for staying connected to the book world.
I) Booker Prize 2025 Goes to David Szalay’s Flesh
The British-Hungarian author David Szalay has won this year’s Booker Prize for his novel Flesh. The story opens with a teenage István, living with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary. He is emotionally distant and deeply isolated. Flesh unfolds as a series of intimate vignettes spanning decades, an unflinching portrait of a man who’s perpetually at odds with himself.
Roddy Doyle, who chaired the judging panel, praised the book’s uniqueness:
“What we particularly liked about Flesh was its singularity. It’s just not like any other book … It’s a dark book, but we all found it a joy to read.”
Congratulations, David Szalay!
II) OUP Announces 113 UK Job Cuts Amid Market Pressures
OUP has announced that it is beginning a collective consultation with staff, a formal process to discuss proposed redundancies. The plan includes cutting 113 jobs in the UK, which the company attributes to "ongoing difficult trading conditions." Unsurprisingly, OUP points to continued pressure in its Education and ELT (English Language Teaching) divisions as a major factor. This reflects wider issues across the education sector in publishing. Just last week, for instance, we discussed how Hachette Learning notified staff on 5 November 2025 that an unspecified number of roles are “at risk of redundancy,” with a consultation now underway. A smaller number of positions in the Academic and Technology divisions at OUP may also be affected.
OUP reported a turnover of £796 million for 2024/25, but highlighted “market challenges,” particularly a decline in UK school business and in print sales of academic books.
This isn’t the first time OUP has made cuts. In 2024, it eliminated roles in its U.S. operations, including positions in design and content transformation teams. The fact that the latest cuts are concentrated in Education and ELT suggests that OUP is particularly vulnerable in these markets, likely due to broader shifts such as reduced school funding, increased digital competition, and declining demand for printed materials. It’s a trend that could worsen. I’ll be keeping a close eye on it, as the situation is already causing significant concern across the industry, and it doesn’t feel like a safe bet right now.
III) From Fashion to Fiction: Shein Now Selling Books
Is there anything Shein doesn’t do? Up until this week, you could’ve said books, but not anymore. The Singapore-based fast fashion and lifestyle giant is now making its first move into bookselling through a partnership with Alibris. The used books retailer will offer more than 100,000 titles across a range of genres, including "affordable textbooks", through Shein’s U.S. marketplace.
In a survey conducted by Shein of more than 11,000 U.S. adults, roughly one in three respondents reported reading books either daily or weekly. The findings point to a vibrant and growing reading community, especially among Gen Z, who are helping drive a resurgence in print. Romance was the most popular genre, followed by fantasy and mystery.
That said, the implications are worrying. Shein is known for ultra-low-cost, high-volume retail. Applying that model to books could normalise aggressive pricing and “cheap books,” putting pressure on smaller or independent booksellers who can’t compete. Over time, it could also squeeze publishers’ margins if Shein leverages high volume and deep discounts.
We’ve already seen how dominant platforms like Amazon have reshaped the industry, often to the detriment of smaller publishers and authors. Shein’s entry into the book market risks amplifying that trend, siphoning off more of the online book-buying audience and reducing industry diversity. For independent bookstores already under strain, this could be one more blow.
Cheap books aren’t inherently a problem, many people simply can’t afford full-price books, myself being one of them. But if your goal is to save money, there are plenty of alternatives: buying second-hand on Vinted or World of Books, visiting a library, or picking up books at a charity shop. Affordable options already exist without letting ultra-low-cost mass retailers reshape the market.
IV) Fergie’s New Children’s Book Faces Sudden Withdrawal
Unsurprisingly, and arguably wisely, Sarah Ferguson’s new children’s book, Flora and Fern: Kindness Along the Way, has been withdrawn from sale. Originally scheduled for release on 9 October, according to a Bookseller press release, it briefly appeared on Amazon with a 20 November availability, but is no longer listed. Ferguson’s representatives have declined to comment, though the reasons behind the decision are fairly easy to infer.
Ms Ferguson lost her duchess title after her ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, gave up his Duke of York title following his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. More recently, Andrew has also been stripped of his prince title.
V) The Hunger Games Hits the Stage: Mixed Reviews for Ambitious Adaptation
The Hunger Games: On Stage made its debut on 12 November, bringing Suzanne Collins’ bestselling dystopian novels to life in a live theatre format. The story, familiar from the hit film series starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, follows teenagers forced to fight to the death in a televised spectacle.
While ambitious and visually impressive, the show has received a mixed reception. Critics, including The Stage, applauded its technical feats and daring approach, but some felt it didn’t quite capture the emotional depth of the original story.
Euan Garrett, who plays Peeta, told the BBC that it’s important for the show “not to be compared” with the books, as it’s “a reimagining of its own entity.”
Performances have tightened since previews began in mid-October, when some early shows were described as “chaotic” and “messy” by theatre-goers, who reported long queues, delays, and unfinished parts of the venue.
I’m set to see the show in January, so it’s still a while away, but I’m excited to see which reviews I end up agreeing with. I’m a bit skeptical, my friend saw it and said some of the artistic choices were… interesting, to say the least. Still, I want to go in with an open mind, so I shall!
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