Since 1995, World Book Day has served to celebrate the power of reading and copyright to enlighten people of all ages, tell fantastical stories, and serve as a bridge between cultures and generations. Many of fiction's greatest stories originated on the page, and UNESCO uses April 23 to promote the activity and ensure anyone can access the many worlds bound within paper. Netflix understands the potential held within books quite well. In the first quarter of 2026, the streamer didn't go a week without the release of a new film or series adapted from a literary work, from People We Meet on Vacation, based on Emily Henry's romantic novel, to Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole. More often than not, these titles have been among the most popular on the platform upon release, too.
Netflix isn't close to done, either. Next month will see the launch of Remarkably Bright Creatures, adapted from the bestseller by Shelby Van Pelt, while, further on the horizon, Greta Gerwig will venture to Narnia with a much-anticipated take on C.S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew. With so many exciting projects in the works and so much love for what the platform has already delivered, Collider can exclusively share a few insights into the success of these projects from the perspective of the streamer, publishers, and the authors themselves, including a conversation with Remarkably Bright Creatures director Olivia Newman. What's clear is how the platform has built a space where these adaptations can thrive and how each project feeds into the sustained success of their respective source material.
The streamer's success pulling from books didn't start overnight. We confirmed back in September that, up until that point, every week of 2025 saw at least one adaptation crack Netflix's global top ten charts either on the film or television side. Last year also saw adaptations rack up a jaw-dropping 9 billion views globally and accounted for 20% of all hours watched. It's already a place of strength for the platform, but 2026 has taken things to a new level, repeating the previous feat by having new or existing literary titles appear in the top ten across all 13 weeks of the year so far. Moreover, those projects hail from 14 different countries, a testament to how the platform has worked to bridge cultural divides and introduce more viewers to international stories.
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Netflix Adaptations Continue to Elevate the Books They're Based On
When it comes to the success of these projects, it's a case of "a rising tide lifts all boats." Among the books that enjoyed a boost from its respective series was His & Hers, the mystery thriller starring Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson that kicked off the year for Netflix on January 8. Audiences quickly tuned in to see the tale of two estranged spouses investigating the same murder case, propelling it to #1 on the streamer's global charts and, in turn, powering the original 2020 novel from Alice Feeney to #15 on Amazon's bestseller list and driving a 494% increase in listeners to the audiobook on Spotify. It accomplished the feat all while garnering strong reviews from both critics and audiences.
In the eyes of co-showrunner William Oldroyd, the reaction was as perfect as could be. Adaptations don't always please the readers who know the original story, but the fact that His & Hers managed to unite viewers and feed back into the story that made it all possible was heartening for him and a testament to how Netflix inspires new readers.
“It seems that His & Hers has achieved that rare feat of not only satisfying those viewers who haven’t read Alice’s book but also those who have. Clearly it’s hard for any screen adaptation to compete with the version that the reader sees in their mind’s eye, but it seems that fans of the book have loved our adaptation and that Netflix viewers who haven’t read the book have rushed out to buy it straight afterwards (or found it in the local library, as my Dad did!) I really admire what Netflix is doing to help the sale of books and equally how literature has given Netflix some of its biggest hits. Long may it continue.”
The same was true for People We Meet on Vacation. Directed by Brett Haley and starring Tom Blyth and Emily Bader, the rom-com caught fire and topped the charts much the same and, in turn, translated into far more sales and a 515% increase in listens on Spotify. "Emily Henry’s bestseller, People We Meet on Vacation, which already has nearly 3 million copies in print, skyrocketed back onto the New York Times bestseller list and saw a significant 97% increase in sales across all formats in the two weeks after the film release," Ben Lee, Senior Vice President, Backlist for the Penguin Publishing Group, confirmed in a statement. Again, though, it helps to have made a good movie, and that's exactly what Haley did, at least according to the Certified Fresh 76% Rotten Tomatoes score.
“Bringing People We Meet on Vacation from page to screen was really about honoring what readers loved about the book — the characters, their arcs, and the overall spirit of the story — while also accepting that books and movies work very differently," Haley added in his own statement. He sees adaptations as less of a way to directly recreate what authors directly want viewers to imagine in their heads and more about creating a "companion piece" that highlights the storyteller and sparks interest in the source material. "The adaptation was never about recreating the book beat for beat, but about finding a cinematic way to tell the same story. Watching the film connect with such a wide audience on Netflix, and seeing the fandom grow and come alive online, has been pretty amazing. I think of the movie and the book as companion pieces — two honest versions of the same story, meant to live side by side.”
International Adaptations Are Given a Platform at Netflix
Image via Netflix
Some of the biggest booms in sales and recognition have been seen by international titles, like Finding Her Edge. After the announcement of the Netflix adaptation, Canadian author Jennifer Iacopelli's young adult ice-skating romance novel got a massive boost through a newly-released paperback with a tie-in cover and some added weight from the streaming giant that opened doors never thought possible for the author. "Before the announcement [of Finding Her Edge] we had a US and a German publisher," ASH Literary's Alice Sutherland-Hawes revealed. "Within a matter of weeks after the announcement we had a UK publisher and 13 further translation deals in place. On top of that, the author's catalogue has gained renewed international interest, garnering translation sales across her forthcoming titles and backlist."
"Originally published as a hardcover in 2022, Jennifer Iacopelli’s Finding Her Edge paperback with a Netflix burst released in December 2025 and has sold 500% more copies in just 8 weeks compared to the hardcover," Jen Klonsky, President and Publisher of Putnam Books for Young Readers added in a separate statement. The show's most impressive feats in terms of growing the Finding Your Edge fandom, however, are perhaps driving a 990% increase in Spotify listeners and a jaw-dropping 1300% increase in global searches. Again, it speaks to how Netflix has been able to take these stories and find fans around the globe for them, creating a whole new readership that can otherwise be hard to build outside of the biggest names in fiction. Plus, the conversation will keep going thanks to a Season 2 order.
Reaching viewers internationally is great, but Netflix's series have also found a way to reignite interest even among their home countries. Case in point, Agatha Christie's Seven Dials saw a four-times increase in sales as the beloved Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent was brought to life by Mia McKenna-Bruce. Even Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series, despite being the catalyst for one of Netflix's most-watched series ever, still has room to grow, as evidenced by sales tripling with the release of Season 4 based on An Offer From a Gentleman. Jennifer Hart, SVP/Deputy Publisher, William Morrow/HarperCollins US, confirmed those increases, asserting that "We continue to see growth for books that Netflix adapts into series."
Not to be lost in the shuffle is Vladimir, the sizzling adaptation of Julia May Jonas' debut novel starring Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall. Avid Reader Press Vice President and Associate Publisher Meredith Vilarello added that "Q1 2026 sales across all formats of Vladimir are already up 130% over total sales in 2025 as readers discover the incredible book behind the series." Jonas got to recreate her own novel for the screen, instantly drawing the eyes of viewers and challenging Bridgerton on the charts.
'Remarkably Bright Creatures' Director Found Some Relation With the Original Book
Netflix may be a great showcase for these novels, but, at the end of the day, it's still up to the creators to deliver and make something worthy of the stories they adapt. A complete misfire can just as easily suck the air out of an otherwise promising story. Fortunately, the streamer has a good reputation when it comes to the creative process, too. Olivia Newman spoke highly of her experience in a conversation with Collider's Maggie Lovitt, but this was always a project she was eager to be a part of. Known for her previous adaptation of Delia Owens' bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing, she dove into Van Pelt's book at the behest of her producer and became enraptured in the tale of grief, found family, and finding one's place in the world at any age. It certainly presented a few unique challenges, though.
"Well, to be honest, Brian, my producer, sent me the book because we had been looking for a project together for a long time. He produced my first movie, so he sent me the book, and was like, 'Hey, do you think this is a movie?' And I loved all of the relationships in the book. I loved Marcellus' voice. I love that there was this intergenerational relationship at its center between Tova and Cameron. And that the octopus is sort of playing matchmaker. But structurally, it was a real puzzle to figure out how to turn it into a into a movie.
The puzzle stems from how the book is presented. Remarkably Bright Creatures is narrated not by Tova or Cameron, but by the octopus, Marcellus. This is no stereotypical talking animal story, though, instead showing the cephalopod's perspective as he becomes part of a budding friendship with the two afroementioned humans. The widowed Tova, played on-screen by Sally Field, is the one person he has come to tolerate, as she cleans the aquarium he lives within during off hours, while Cameron, embodied by Thunderbolts* standout Lewis Pullman, is a wayward man searching for his long-lost father. The Alfred Molina-voiced Marcellus becomes a sort of link between them, helping the two grow closer and give each other a bit of the connection they've either lost or have always been missing.
Newman was most impressed by how the author captured the sort of hopelessness that can come out of grief, as we try to move on. "I think the feeling of the book, like the emotional journey that I went on reading it, of just feeling like Shelby really understood what it is to be feeling untethered and sort of at a loss for what is next and how to find joy again after grief and loss for three different characters in the book, really, all three of them," she continued. What has made Remarkably Bright Creatures such a success — it's already sold over 4 million copies — in Newman's eyes, is how it uses its unique characters to approach such heavy topics in a way that's digestible, "charming" and, ultimately, "left me feeling very joyful and happy at the end. And it felt like the kind of emotional space I really needed to be in. And I imagined that, oh my gosh, this is the kind of movie that we are missing, that we're not seeing enough of right now. And so, for me, that made me really eager to share that sort of emotional experience with audiences."
Moreover, the message, particularly with Tova, was a personal one that she Newman connected with. "I was dealing with some of these similar challenges with my own parents, with my mother-in-law, with kind of reaching that age in their life, with dear friends of mine, who are in their 80s, and grappling with sort of last chapter decisions. And I love the relationship they have with those generations of mostly women." Reading the book gave her a better understanding of the sort of thoughts and feelings that come with entering the end of one's life, like the pain of losing loved ones and the difficulty of holding onto what little there is left, like, say, cleaning an aquarium. "So for me, it was a very cathartic read, but I love that, in the end, it's celebrating the ability to find joy and happiness at any stage of your life through your connections with other people and other creatures," she added. "That has definitely been a consistent theme for me — always coming back to your community is what matters most."
At a time when the world feels more divided than ever in many ways, a message about rediscovering joy is exactly what the director believes people need to hear. Van Pelt's book is also quite funny, though, and Newman is all for delivering a heartfelt message with a good laugh. "It feels like that kind of really reassuring, warm hug that we all need right now. But you also get to laugh and have a good time through it as well." Given Netflix's global reach, that seems, from the outside, like reason enough to want to pair with the streaming giant.
Newman Appreciated Netflix's Understanding Partnership
The Netflix effect has already been felt on Remarkably Bright Creatures. Miriam Parker, VP, Associate Publisher, Ecco, noted that the excitement for the film's release has book sales already on pace to out-sell 2025. "We’re thrilled at the reaction to the first look announcement for Remarkably Bright Creatures sales across all formats almost doubled," she said. Newman felt the impact of working with the company the moment the script was presented, though. Part of their recipe for success is being able to identify what stories they can elevate, even if the idea is a little further out there. The director recalled how they were able to understand the core themes that viewers can connect with beneath a story filled with magical realism through its cantankerous octopus narrator.
"I think they really got what the movie was immediately from the script. They understood really well how wide a reach this story could have, and they understood our approach to how we wanted to make it and how we wanted it to feel really grounded. They understood me tonally, that I wanted the film to feel grounded and feel real and not be a talking octopus movie, but be a movie about real humans and their relationship that just happened to have an octopus that narrates. So that's a tricky pitch, right? I mean, it sounds even the book when you try to explain it to people, it's odd. It's not your standard fare, which is what I love about it. And I think Netflix, they really understood what we were trying to do with it."
Once the writing process began with John Whittington, Netflix continued be a "wonderful partner" for Newman. "I felt like they really supported my vision from my first draft that I shared with them all the way through to the end, and helped us really make the movie that we imagined from the beginning. So I couldn't be happier." The biggest asset the company has at their disposal are the resources and pull to turn concepts into reality, complete with the right actors to fit the creative's and the author's vision. Again, they're also aggressive in using their global reach to ensure everyone is aware of a novel being adapted from well before the project is ready for release to even after it's out in the world. "And they've been really devoted to kind of making sure it's on people's radars and getting it out there," Newman concluded.
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With Remarkably Bright Creatures, Newman is certainly doing her part to contribute to World Book Day. However, she was asked if there were any other stories important to her that she'd love to see brought to life, either at Netflix or somewhere else entirely. Thinking back to her childhood, the classic Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh came to mind, even though it's already been translated into film starring a young Michelle Trachtenberg and later an animated Apple TV series starring Beanie Feldstein. It represents a type of book she loved growing up that would focus on young girls who took up roles that society otherwise didn't plan for them and encouraged other readers to similarly embrace their dreams without fear.
"So, I wouldn't say there was one book, but there were, certainly, I grew up in the 80s, and I feel like there was a plethora of books that were sort of geared towards girls who weren't really satisfied with the roles that we've been assigned, and encouraged us to kind of break outside the norm. So Ramona the Pest was definitely a character that I resonated with a lot, and Harriet. Those were children's books that I absolutely loved."
What Does the Future of Netflix's Book Adaptations Hold?
Remarkably Bright Creatures leads the pack of upcoming Netflix adaptations on May 8, but there is an avalanche of page-to-screen works coming very soon. Coming up on the television side is Season 2 of the Emma Myers mystery series A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, along with the much-anticipated return of 3 Body Problem from David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo, and The Chestnut Man Season 2, Hide and Seek. Among the biggest new series adaptations is undoubtedly Little House on the Prairie, which will see Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved books given a modern, yet faithful update from Rebecca Sonnenshine on July 9.
The film side, meanwhile, will see the conclusion of Heartstopper with a finale movie, Heartstopper Forever, premiering on July 17, while Millie Bobby Brown becomes Sherlock Holmes' sister once more in Enola Holmes 3 on July 1. Gerwig's Narnia is also a standout, alongside a starry take on the crime thriller The Whisper Man led by Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott and produced by The Russo Brothers' AGBO banner. It's directed by James Ashcroft, who previously helmed The Rule of Jenny Pen.
Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the many book adaptations Netflix has in store in the coming years.