The short answer: when readers ask ChatGPT and Claude for book recommendations, the assistants cite 2,260 different websites across the 31 genres we track, and 81% of them are cited in only one genre. A handful of sites turn up everywhere (publishers’ own pages, Goodreads, Wikipedia), but the sites an author can actually pitch are different for every shelf. This page lists them, genre by genre, from 5,950 answers on our weekly AI Shelf.
Counted by Robert Prime from the AI Shelf, 28 October 2026. Window: the four weekly UK runs to 25 October 2026. Full data: download the CSV (3,842 rows, one per site per genre).
What the map shows
- Every genre has its own trusted sites. Of the 2,260 sites cited, 1,832 (81%) were cited in one genre only. Being on the right three or four sites for your shelf matters more than being everywhere.
- Each shelf has specialist sites the assistants keep returning to. booktrust.org.uk in 52 of 192 children’s picture books answers; deadgoodbooks.co.uk in 22 of 192 cosy crime novels answers; poetryfoundation.org in 19 of 192 poetry collections answers; spiritualityandpractice.com in 15 of 192 spirituality books answers; romance.io in 9 of 192 romantic comedy novels answers.
- Goodreads and Wikipedia are cited in all 31 genres. Goodreads appears in 595 of 5,950 answers (10%). You can’t pitch either, but your book’s pages on both should be complete and accurate.
- Publishers’ own websites are cited constantly (penguin.co.uk, penguinrandomhouse.com, hachette.co.uk, simonandschuster.com in every genre). They only list their own books, so they are marked not pitchable below.
- Reddit barely registers: cited in 2 answers out of 5,950.
The sites cited across the most genres
Across all 31 genres, by the number of genres (out of 31) each site was cited in, then the number of answers citing it. Not pitchable means a shop, a publisher listing its own books, an author’s own site, or a reference source such as Wikipedia.
| Site | Type | Genres | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 31 | 1,013 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 31 | 859 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 31 | 595 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 31 | 508 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 31 | 271 |
| simonandschuster.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 31 | 155 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 29 | 226 |
| publishersweekly.com | Press | 29 | 112 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 28 | 299 |
| simonandschuster.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 28 | 79 |
| bloomsbury.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 27 | 155 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 26 | 177 |
| kirkusreviews.com | Reviewer | 26 | 110 |
| hachettebookgroup.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 25 | 81 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 24 | 182 |
| time.com | Press | 23 | 116 |
| wp.penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 21 | 47 |
| amazon.com | Shop (not pitchable) | 20 | 110 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 16 | 128 |
| medium.com | Community | 16 | 87 |
| bookshop.org | Shop (not pitchable) | 16 | 65 |
| simonandschuster.net | Website | 16 | 35 |
| cdn.penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 16 | 28 |
| barnesandnoble.com | Shop (not pitchable) | 16 | 24 |
| academic.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 15 | 20 |
The pitchable sites cited across the most genres
Leave out shops, publishers, author sites and reference pages, and these are the lists, reviewers and press that the assistants read for many kinds of book.
| Site | Type | Genres | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| publishersweekly.com | Press | 29 | 112 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 28 | 299 |
| kirkusreviews.com | Reviewer | 26 | 110 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 24 | 182 |
| time.com | Press | 23 | 116 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 16 | 128 |
| medium.com | Community | 16 | 87 |
| simonandschuster.net | Website | 16 | 35 |
| quora.com | Community | 14 | 31 |
| apnews.com | Press | 14 | 25 |
| penguinrandomhouselibrary.com | Website | 13 | 16 |
| risingshadow.net | Catalogue | 12 | 67 |
| meetnewbooks.com | Catalogue | 11 | 47 |
| booksofbrilliance.com | Book lists | 11 | 42 |
| vocal.media | Community | 11 | 35 |
Genre by genre
The ten sites cited most for each genre, by the number of answers that cited them (out of 192 per genre; romance novels 190, because two answers that week came back without sources). Each genre links to its live chart on the AI Shelf.
Books about anxiety
Live chart: Books about anxiety on the AI Shelf · 172 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 34 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 33 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 28 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 23 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 23 |
| nhs.uk | Reference (not pitchable) | 21 |
| yalom.com | Website | 17 |
| healthline.com | Press | 15 |
| josephrauch.com | Reviewer | 14 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 13 |
Business books
Live chart: Business books on the AI Shelf · 143 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 37 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 20 |
| store.hbr.org | Shop (not pitchable) | 20 |
| inc.com | Press | 12 |
| practicalecommerce.com | Website | 10 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 9 |
| hbr.org | Website | 9 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 9 |
| simonandschuster.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 9 |
| amazon.com | Shop (not pitchable) | 8 |
Children’s picture books
Live chart: Children’s picture books on the AI Shelf · 85 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| booktrust.org.uk | Website | 52 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 27 |
| walker.co.uk | Website | 14 |
| kirkusreviews.com | Reviewer | 8 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 8 |
| cbc.ca | Website | 8 |
| chipublib.bibliocommons.com | Website | 8 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 7 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 7 |
| readbrightly.com | Book lists | 7 |
Cookbooks
Live chart: Cookbooks on the AI Shelf · 175 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 28 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 27 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 23 |
| bonappetit.com | Press | 21 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 21 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 20 |
| npr.org | Press | 16 |
| saveur.com | Press | 14 |
| thehappyfoodie.co.uk | Website | 13 |
| tollbit.bbcgoodfood.com | Website | 12 |
Cosy crime novels
Live chart: Cosy crime novels on the AI Shelf · 126 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 62 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 28 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 22 |
| deadgoodbooks.co.uk | Book lists | 22 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 21 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 14 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 13 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 12 |
| screenrant.com | Website | 9 |
| bloomsbury.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 8 |
Crime thrillers
Live chart: Crime thrillers on the AI Shelf · 102 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 35 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 23 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 17 |
| collider.com | Website | 13 |
| imdb.com | Website | 11 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 10 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 10 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 10 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 10 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 7 |
Epic fantasy novels
Live chart: Epic fantasy novels on the AI Shelf · 90 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 25 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 14 |
| publishersweekly.com | Press | 13 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 11 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 10 |
| booksofbrilliance.com | Book lists | 10 |
| joeabercrombie.com | Website | 10 |
| reactormag.com | Press | 9 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 9 |
| time.com | Press | 8 |
Graphic novels
Live chart: Graphic novels on the AI Shelf · 150 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 43 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 28 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 28 |
| dc.com | Website | 24 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 20 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 17 |
| publishersweekly.com | Press | 13 |
| imagecomics.com | Website | 12 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 12 |
| comicsgrinder.com | Website | 10 |
Health & fitness books
Live chart: Health & fitness books on the AI Shelf · 194 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 40 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 35 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 31 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 27 |
| bloomsbury.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 19 |
| amazon.com | Shop (not pitchable) | 18 |
| bookauthority.org | Book lists | 17 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 16 |
| origym.co.uk | Book lists | 16 |
| us.humankinetics.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 13 |
Historical fiction
Live chart: Historical fiction on the AI Shelf · 76 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 29 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 23 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 16 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 15 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 13 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 12 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 9 |
| booksofbrilliance.com | Book lists | 8 |
| beyondthebookends.com | Reviewer | 8 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 7 |
Historical romance novels
Live chart: Historical romance novels on the AI Shelf · 109 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 45 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 40 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 24 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 24 |
| underthecoversbookblog.com | Reviewer | 18 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 14 |
| randomolive.com | Website | 12 |
| popvortex.com | Book lists | 12 |
| publishersweekly.com | Press | 11 |
| time.com | Press | 11 |
Horror novels
Live chart: Horror novels on the AI Shelf · 80 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 37 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 26 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 13 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 13 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 12 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 12 |
| booksbonesbuffy.com | Reviewer | 8 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 8 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 8 |
| women.com | Press | 8 |
Legal thrillers
Live chart: Legal thrillers on the AI Shelf · 107 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 42 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 31 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 21 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 13 |
| crimereads.com | Press | 13 |
| medium.com | Community | 8 |
| risingshadow.net | Catalogue | 8 |
| vpl.bibliocommons.com | Website | 8 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 7 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 7 |
Literary fiction novels
Live chart: Literary fiction novels on the AI Shelf · 83 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| theguardian.com | Press | 30 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 28 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 17 |
| thebookerprizes.com | Website | 11 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 11 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 11 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 9 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 9 |
| lithub.com | Press | 7 |
| bookshop.org | Shop (not pitchable) | 5 |
Memoirs
Live chart: Memoirs on the AI Shelf · 100 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 26 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 26 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 26 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 16 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 16 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 14 |
| time.com | Press | 14 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 13 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 13 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 11 |
Middle grade novels
Live chart: Middle grade novels on the AI Shelf · 100 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| booktrust.org.uk | Website | 22 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 18 |
| kirkusreviews.com | Reviewer | 18 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 16 |
| commonsensemedia.org | Website | 11 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 11 |
| readbrightly.com | Book lists | 11 |
| imaginationsoup.net | Website | 10 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 8 |
| scholastic.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 8 |
Parenting books
Live chart: Parenting books on the AI Shelf · 245 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 51 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 48 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 37 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 28 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 23 |
| ebay.de | Shop (not pitchable) | 17 |
| meetnewbooks.com | Catalogue | 13 |
| simonandschuster.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 12 |
| thoughtfulparent.com | Website | 12 |
| oneboredmommy.com | Website | 11 |
Personal finance books
Live chart: Personal finance books on the AI Shelf · 212 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 34 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 32 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 21 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 19 |
| bloomsbury.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 19 |
| upthegains.co.uk | Website | 19 |
| freedomisntfree.co.uk | Website | 17 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 16 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 15 |
| amazon.co.uk | Shop (not pitchable) | 13 |
Poetry collections
Live chart: Poetry collections on the AI Shelf · 96 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 33 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 25 |
| poetryfoundation.org | Website | 19 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 17 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 13 |
| lithub.com | Press | 10 |
| faber.co.uk | Website | 9 |
| debutiful.net | Website | 8 |
| publishersweekly.com | Press | 7 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 7 |
Productivity books
Live chart: Productivity books on the AI Shelf · 174 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 55 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 28 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 26 |
| grahamallcott.com | Website | 21 |
| monday.com | Website | 17 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 16 |
| thedigitalprojectmanager.com | Website | 12 |
| betterup.com | Website | 11 |
| riseguide.com | Website | 11 |
| theadvisorcoach.com | Website | 11 |
Psychological thrillers
Live chart: Psychological thrillers on the AI Shelf · 109 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 30 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 26 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 15 |
| rottentomatoes.com | Website | 14 |
| collider.com | Website | 14 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 12 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 9 |
| time.com | Press | 9 |
| crimereads.com | Press | 9 |
| innisfil.bibliocommons.com | Website | 9 |
Romance novels
Live chart: Romance novels on the AI Shelf · 92 sites cited in 190 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 33 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 32 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 29 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 15 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 14 |
| time.com | Press | 11 |
| nypl.org | Website | 9 |
| romance.io | Catalogue | 8 |
| amazon.com | Shop (not pitchable) | 8 |
| keithapearson.co.uk | Website | 7 |
Romantasy novels
Live chart: Romantasy novels on the AI Shelf · 190 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 48 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 43 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 32 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 25 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 23 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 20 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 17 |
| amazon.com | Shop (not pitchable) | 15 |
| screenrant.com | Website | 15 |
| risingshadow.net | Catalogue | 14 |
Romantic comedy novels
Live chart: Romantic comedy novels on the AI Shelf · 99 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 40 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 32 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 28 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 16 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 11 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 11 |
| romance.io | Catalogue | 9 |
| bookgirlsguide.com | Website | 8 |
| bookshop.org | Shop (not pitchable) | 8 |
| nypl.org | Website | 8 |
Science fiction novels
Live chart: Science fiction novels on the AI Shelf · 101 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 31 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 13 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 12 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 10 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 10 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 9 |
| screenrant.com | Website | 8 |
| booksofbrilliance.com | Book lists | 8 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 8 |
| booksbonesbuffy.com | Reviewer | 8 |
Self-help books
Live chart: Self-help books on the AI Shelf · 120 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 46 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 32 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 13 |
| jamesclear.com | Author site (not pitchable) | 13 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 12 |
| simonandschuster.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 12 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 8 |
| apa.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 8 |
| booktrib.com | Book lists | 8 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 7 |
Spirituality books
Live chart: Spirituality books on the AI Shelf · 120 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 42 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 24 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 22 |
| spiritualityandpractice.com | Website | 15 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 10 |
| bloomsbury.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 8 |
| awarenessjourneybook.com | Author site (not pitchable) | 8 |
| untetheredsoul.com | Website | 7 |
| publishersweekly.com | Press | 6 |
| bookshop.org | Shop (not pitchable) | 6 |
Spy thrillers
Live chart: Spy thrillers on the AI Shelf · 97 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 40 |
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 27 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 14 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 14 |
| johnlecarre.com | Website | 7 |
| marieclaire.com | Press | 6 |
| spybrary.com | Website | 5 |
| simonandschuster.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 5 |
| fivebooks.com | Book lists | 5 |
| amazon.com | Shop (not pitchable) | 5 |
True crime books
Live chart: True crime books on the AI Shelf · 119 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 37 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 29 |
| theguardian.com | Press | 26 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 24 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 22 |
| kirkusreviews.com | Reviewer | 18 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 17 |
| bloomsbury.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 15 |
| time.com | Press | 14 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 11 |
Urban fantasy novels
Live chart: Urban fantasy novels on the AI Shelf · 95 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 56 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 25 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 17 |
| mygeekology.com | Book lists | 17 |
| hachette.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 15 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 14 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 12 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 12 |
| risingshadow.net | Catalogue | 11 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 11 |
Young adult novels
Live chart: Young adult novels on the AI Shelf · 81 sites cited in 192 answers over four weeks.
| Site | Type | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| penguinrandomhouse.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 36 |
| bookriot.com | Book lists | 21 |
| penguin.co.uk | Publisher (not pitchable) | 18 |
| goodreads.com | Catalogue | 18 |
| en.wikipedia.org | Reference (not pitchable) | 14 |
| us.macmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 13 |
| yalsa.ala.org | Book lists | 10 |
| kirkusreviews.com | Reviewer | 9 |
| best-books.publishersweekly.com | Press | 8 |
| panmacmillan.com | Publisher (not pitchable) | 7 |
How to use this if you’re an author
- Find your genre above and note the pitchable sites: the lists, reviewers and press.
- Read what they’ve already published for books like yours, so your pitch fits.
- Offer a review copy, not money. These sites are cited because readers trust them; paid placement is the quickest way to lose that.
- Fix what you can’t pitch: your Goodreads page, your Amazon page and, if you have one, your Wikipedia entry are read in almost every genre.
- Check your own book. The free Book Score check shows which sites the assistants read for books like yours and whether yours is named. The full report lists every site with how to get in touch.
More on how this works: how ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini choose books · does Claude recommend books? · inside our AI Book Discoverability Index, the July 2026 study of 141,282 citations.
How we counted
- Source: the publishing.co.uk AI Shelf. Every week it asks ChatGPT and Claude (both searching the web live) and Gemini the same 12 reader questions per genre, twice each. Full method: bookscore.publishing.co.uk/method.
- Window: the four weekly UK runs from week 41 to week 44 of 2026, the last finished on 25 October 2026. 192 answers per genre cite sources (romance novels 190), 5,950 in all.
- Gemini is not in these counts. It answers from what it already knows, without citing pages, because Google’s terms don’t let tools like ours analyse its web-search answers.
- What a number means: “answers citing it” is the number of answers that cited the site at least once. A site cited three times in one answer counts once. Search-engine links (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo) are left out.
- Types are the shelf’s own labels. A site’s type is the same in every genre.
- Left out: dystopian novels, where the shelf’s current list has a known fault in how one title is read. It returns when that is fixed.
- Check it yourself: for week 44 alone, our count for spy thrillers matches the live spy thrillers shelf site for site.
- Data: the full CSV, 3,842 rows: genre, site, type, answers citing it, times cited, answers in the genre, pitchable, window, source. Free to use with a link to this page.
If your site is on this map and you’d like the full list for your genre, or you think a type is wrong, email hello@publishing.co.uk.
