For years, it felt inevitable that physical bookstores would slowly disappear, edged out by digital reading, online retailers, and algorithm-driven discovery. But in 2025, that long-predicted decline simply didn't happen.
Instead, bookstores are experiencing a quiet resurgence.
According to industry data cited by The New York Times, more than 400 new bookstores joined the American Booksellers Association in 2025, nearly 100 more than the year before. Major chains are expanding as well, with Barnes & Noble opening 55 new stores nationwide, a sharp increase from recent years.
“The industry itself is in transformation, which is always very challenging,” said Dominique Raccah, the publisher of Sourcebooks, acknowledging the broader pressures facing publishing even as sales remain steady.
Those pressures are real. Rising costs, shrinking distribution networks, and the flood of low-quality, A.I.-generated books online have made discovery harder. But readers, it turns out, still want books and they increasingly want to find them in person.
Print sales totaled around 707 million units in 2025, only slightly below the pandemic peak and 57 million more than 2019, according to figures cited by the Times. And physical books continue to dominate the market, making up roughly three-quarters of all book sales, according to the Association of American Book Publishers.
Le Divan bookstore, one of the largest bookstores in Paris. (Photo by Riccardo Milani / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by RICCARDO MILANI/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)Genre fiction has helped fuel the momentum. Fantasy, romance, thrillers, and other immersive reads are drawing readers into stores, while genre-specific bookshops, including romance and mystery stores, have opened in cities across the country.
Independent booksellers say the revival goes beyond entertainment. "It's exciting to see so many people shopping in alignment with their values," said Allison Hill, the C.E.O. of the American Booksellers Association. "In some ways, I think that's a response to the turmoil of 2025 in this country and reflects a backlash against billionaires and algorithms. Indie bookstores are proving to be an antidote for the time we're living in."
The renewed interest suggests something deeper than nostalgia. In an era shaped by screens, automation, and endless scrolling, bookstores offer something increasingly rare: human recommendations, physical presence, and the pleasure of discovering a book you didn't know you wanted to read.
Predictions of the bookstore's demise, it turns out, may have been premature. As readers continue to show up, browsing, buying, and building community, bookstores are proving they're not relics of the past, but resilient fixtures of the present.
Hence then, the article about bookstores are thriving again defying years of predictions was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Bookstores Are Thriving Again, Defying Years of Predictions )
Also on site :
- Fran Drescher Mourns Beloved 'The Nanny' Actor and Director
- Mickey Rourke Approves GoFundMe to Prevent Eviction (Exclusive)
- Woman boards Delta flight. Mid-way she looks over, can’t believe what seatmate is doing to pass the time: ‘This feels dangerous’