The 2025 BISAC codes were officially released in early December 2025 and brought some significant changes, particularly in how Fiction and Gardening are categorized. The committee often adds codes to reflect cultural shifts and popular subgenres that previously had to be "tucked away" in general categories.

The key updates are as follows:

1. New Fiction Categories

The Fiction section saw some of the most granular additions to help readers find specific niches:

• FICTION / Cozy (FIC155000): Previously, "Cozy" was usually a sub-category under Mystery. It now has its own top-level designation for general cozy fiction.
• FICTION / Speculative (FIC157000): A new general heading for works that don't fit strictly into Sci-Fi or Fantasy but involve "what if" scenarios.
• FICTION / Surrealism (FIC158000): Added to capture avant-garde or dream-like narratives.
• FICTION / Prejudice, Racism & Colorism (FIC156000): A dedicated code for stories centered on these social themes.

2. Expanded Identity & Diversity

BISG expanded several trees to offer more specific cultural and neurodivergent representation:

• FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Neurodiversity (FAM065000)
• FICTION / Romance / Neurodiversity (FIC027690)
• EDUCATION / Schools / Types / HBCUs (EDU060060): Specifically for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
• FICTION / African American & Black / Afrofuturism & Africanfuturism (FIC049080)

3. Major "Gardening" Overhaul

One of the biggest structural changes in 2025 was the reorganization of the Gardening tree into an Edible & Medicinal branch:

• New Heading: GARDENING / Edible & Medicinal / General (GAR035000)
• Re-mapped: GARDENING / Vegetables moved from its own category to GARDENING / Edible & Medicinal / Vegetables (GAR025000).
• Specific additions:
  
  • GARDENING / Edible & Medicinal / Mushrooms (GAR037000)
  • GARDENING / Edible & Medicinal / Indigenous Crops & Plant Medicines (GAR036000)

4. Romance Seasonal Trends

To keep up with the "seasonal reading" trend (often driven by social media like BookTok), new seasonal sub-codes were added under Romance:

• FICTION / Romance / Seasonal / Winter (FIC027700)
• FICTION / Romance / Seasonal / Spring (FIC027710)
• FICTION / Romance / Seasonal / Summer (FIC027720)
• FICTION / Romance / Seasonal / Autumn (FIC027730)

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Why these changes matter

When a new code like "Cozy" or "Neurodiversity" is added, it allows retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble to create dedicated "shelves" or search filters for those books. Without these codes, publishers often have to use broader tags like "Fiction / General," which makes the book harder to find for a specific audience.

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