A Netflix lookahead to 2026 reveals the impact a successful show has on book sales

As part of its round up of 2025 and lookahead to 2026, Netflix demonstrates just how many shows come from books, and just what the impact of a series has on book sales in return. It’s a halo effect, and one Disney+ also mentions from time to time (and it some cases also owns the book publisher!)

What are the examples of 2025 success

First a reminder. Many of their popular series and films are based on books, like Bridgerton, Leave the World Behind, Lupin, Society of the Snow, The Queen’s Gambit, Through My Window and Fool Me Once.

So far this year (2025), book adaptations have driven over 4.5B global views on the strength of new entries like Frankenstein, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Hunting Wives, The Thursday Murder Club, Ransom Canyon and more. In fact, book adaptations have appeared on the Global Top 10 lists every week this year. Netflix has acquired the rights to Emily Giffin’s best-selling novel All We Ever Wanted, and it is now in development as a series adaptation with Hello Sunshine, Final Twist Productions and Quay Street Productions set to produce. This also marks our 13th collaboration with Harlan Coben, who has two adaptations, Run Away and I Will Find You, coming to Netflix in 2026.

As for examples of the impact on book sales (there are more in the Netflix article):

Frankenstein: “The week following the release of the film on Netflix, there was a 180% spike in sales of the movie tie-in edition of the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley,” according to the book’s publisher Penguin Random House. Additionally, Frankenstein was the sixth most searched book on Google in 2025.

The Woman in Cabin 10: “Originally published in 2016,  Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 sales jumped 190% year-over-year in response to the Netflix adaptation, with 2.3M copies now in circulation in the United States,” said Jennifer Bergstrom, SVP & Publisher, Gallery Books & Scout Press

El Eternauta: “In Argentina, the series (in English The Eternaut) effect on the book demand resulted in soaring sales: numbers came up 900%” remarked Myriam Vidriales, from the graphic novel’s publisher, Grupo Planeta. “We have already printed 21 editions (all formats) and people do not seem to have enough of it.”

What about the Netflix lookahead to 2026

Here’s small number of examples from the article:

January 15, 2026: Seven Dials Mystery | Based on the novel by Agatha Christie

January 29, 2026: Bridgerton Season 4 | Based on the best-selling series by Julia Quinn

Lupin Part 4 | Inspired by the Arsène Lupin stories by Maurice Leblanc

The Twilight Saga: Midnight Sun (animated) | Based on the book by Stephenie Meyer

We would bring you more, but we’re just off to write a best-selling novel to sell on as a TV series…