New and forthcoming books for religiously unaffiliated readers—so-called nones—highlight unconventional sources of spiritual inspiration that are as diverse as their audience. Nones, defined by researchers as atheists, agnostics, and those who describe their religious identity as “nothing in particular,” accounted for 28% of adult Americans in 2023, according to the Pew Research Center’s “Religious ‘Nones’ in America” report released earlier this year. More recently, the Public Religion Research Institute’s “Religious Change in America” survey found that the only major religious group to have experienced growth in 2023 was “unaffiliated,” which, it says, accounts for 26% of Americans.

With more Americans becoming allergic to religion, publishers are stepping up with new options for finding fulfillment. “I think there’s a big appetite for books that are spiritual but not religious, as people seek meaning, purpose, and healing outside the traditional institutions,” says Donna Loffredo, executive editor for Harmony and Rodale.

Working in the spiritual and wellness categories at HarperOne, assistant editor Maya Alpert notes a rising demand for books on holistic healing that “offer wisdom and aesthetic appeal across identity, culture, or religious-spiritual affiliation.” She adds, “I see upward trends for books that offer personalized approaches to better living, help readers look inward for growth and transformation, and dispel wellness myths spread on social media.”

Llewellyn is leaning into works that reveal how “spiritual experiences, depth of knowledge, and emotional healing can all be found without a formal belief system,” according to acquisitions editor Heather Greene.

Nones are many

Some nones self-identify as “unchurched,” “dones,” or “exvangelicals”—all indicating a departure from their faith of origin. Still more nones prefer not to label their spiritual lifestyles at all. And while they check the “none” box when asked to specify their religion, religiously unaffiliated adults have wide-ranging beliefs.

The Pew study revealed that 13% of nones believe in the biblical God, while most (56%) believe in a higher power. Yet the group rarely attends religious services. This may be a problem for churches but not for publishers, as it creates an opportunity to serve readers who are searching for what places of worship once offered: guidance, encouragement, comforting rituals and sacraments, and community.

“People are simply feeling more comfortable admitting that they do not belong to an organized religion,” says Joe Grimm, a journalism professor at Michigan State and founding editor of the school’s Bias Busters, a series of guides aimed at better understanding aspects of American culture. The latest Bias Busters publication, 100 Questions and Answers About the Religiously Unaffiliated: Nones, Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists, Freethinkers, Secularists and Skeptics, was published in conjunction with Front Edge in March and outlines how vast and diverse a group the religiously unaffiliated are.

“This project was sparked by the news that the number of religiously unaffiliated people had overtaken major U.S. religions such as evangelicalism and Catholicism,” Grimm says. “This surprised a lot of people and turned around thinking about religion today.”

From Skinner House in June, Blessing It All: Rituals for Transition and Transformation, edited by Heather Concannon and Allison Palm, lays out instructions and guidance for marking life’s milestones, whether births, deaths, and marriages, or developments such as the end of a marriage, joining a blended family, and changing names or pronouns. An accessibility expert reviewed the book in order to ensure that the prescribed rituals are inclusive for all bodies, and that the title targets readers of all (or without any) faith backgrounds. “The book empowers people to claim ritual for themselves outside of traditional faith community settings,” according to the publisher, “and without traditional religious beliefs.”

Direct access to the divine

Religiously unaffiliated readers seeking help with life’s problems can find it in a broad range of titles. “You were never meant to manifest, solve problems, make decisions, or figure anything out in life by yourself,” Tammy Mastroberte writes in The Higher Help Method (Sounds True, Apr.). “You have direct access to the Divine, along with a supportive and specialized team of higher helpers, to assist you. The Universe, your angels, guides, loved ones who have passed on, and an infinite amount of other higher guides are standing by ready to help.” The book aims to teach readers how to invoke guidance from these sources, such as by recognizing signs.

Heavenly Alliance: Call on Your Spirit Guides, Ancestors, and Angels to Manifest the Life You Want by Samantha Fey (RWW, Oct.) features forgiveness exercises, energy clearing practices, and visualization techniques intended to help readers use innate spiritual gifts to create fulfilling lives and reach higher consciousness.

Real Life Intuition: Extraordinary Stories from People Who Listen to Their Inner Voice (Llewellyn, out now) positions universal energy as a wellspring of wisdom and a tool for physical and emotional wellness. Author Melanie Barnum, a life coach and psychic medium, collects experiences from professionals such as physicians, attorneys, and therapists whose intuition led them toward success and joy.

Your Deepest Ground by John J. Prendergast (Sounds True, out now) emphasizes the importance of one’s root chakra—the source of grounding and stability—and makes a case for its propensity for healing, spiritual growth, self-awareness, and self-confidence.

Soul-searching by all means

Seekers of spiritual wisdom and empowerment are leaving no stone unturned, as reflected in spirituality books that promote the cosmic qualities of everything from root vegetables to the moon.

African healing arts take center stage in Motherland Herbal: The Story of African Holistic Health (HarperOne, June), which features recipes and rituals for overall health. Author Stephanie Rose Bird draws on inspiration from ancestral stories and spiritual helpers as well as herbalism, nature, and folk medicine to offer guidance in the realms of gardening, spirituality, and wellness. HarperOne’s Alpert describes the book as a “wonderfully exhaustive collection of holistic herbal wisdom.” Bird writes, “The message of this book is: hold onto your yams, your collards, watermelon, and roots. There is magic, mystery, connection, and healing stored within them.”

In The Way of Virtue (Sounds True, June), author Robert Peng aims to bring the benefits of the Chinese self-healing practice of Qigong to all spiritual seekers by exploring the spiritual wisdom contained within one’s body—particularly the organs. “I present the teachings of Xiao Yao in the simplest way so that it can be a guide to the greatest number of people of as many backgrounds as possible,” Peng writes in the book. “Practice diligently and you will also advance toward perfection and awaken your virtue.”

The Gift of Sleep: Powerful Practices to Welcome the Wisdom and Spiritual Gifts of Sleep by Clare R. Johnson (Llewellyn, Jan. 2025) argues that consciousness remains active during slumber, and that dreams can provide an opportunity for growth. “We have so much to discover about what happens in the sleep state and how to maximize its benefits,” Llewellyn’s Greene says. “The book speaks to sleep as a powerful resource for deep healing. During sleep, dreams are a way to problem-solve, take control of anxieties, and a tool to reframe the mind.”

Magick—the practice of reshaping reality through intention and will—can benefit from the power of the moon, writes Julia Halina Hadas in The Modern Witchcraft Book of Moon Magick (S&S, out now). The book examines every lunar phase and its impact on magical practices, spells, and rituals.

DIY faith

As the demand rises for eclectic or nontraditional approaches to spirituality, new books are combining various traditions and forming a do-it-yourself religion. Anxiety to Empowerment: Exercises & Meditations to Stop Stressing & Start Engaging by Amanda Huggins (Llewellyn, May) prescribes journaling, visualizations, meditation, and other practices intended to tap into the soul’s inherent wisdom.

In addition to shaking up traditional spiritual practices, authors are reconsidering the teachings of traditional religions. The Mystic Jesus: The Mind of Love by Marianne Williamson (HarperOne, May 2024) explores Jesus as an “authentic spiritual force” whose spirit is still alive today, according to the publisher. (For more on Williamson, see “Mind of Love,” p. 21.)

The Salt of the Universe: Praise, Songs, and Improvisations by Amy Leach (FSG, Aug.) explores earthly delights—music, coffee, love, and what the publisher calls “the wild joys of experience and improvisation.” Leach, a Pushcart Prize winner, draws on her up-
bringing in the Seventh Day Adventist Church to critique fundamentalism in all its forms while examining questions about freedom, the soul, Jesus, and more.

Spirituality’s wild side

The natural world can play a key role in our spiritual health, according to three new titles. Craig Foster, the documentary filmmaker behind the Academy Award–winning My Octopus Teacher, explores the spiritual power of nature in Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World (HarperOne, May). The memoir features stories from Foster’s decades of ocean diving in an effort to help readers celebrate Earth’s beauty and deepen their love for all living things.

Based on animism, From Elder to Ancestor: Nature Kinship for All Seasons of Life by S. Kelley Harrell (Destiny, June) contends that a direct, personal connection with nature can help readers form a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Tony Jones, a theologian and former pastor, describes how spending time outside led him away from traditional Christianity and toward an emergent church movement in The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors (R&L, out now). “Tony traces his journey out of the church and into the woods, which transformed his experience of the divine,” says Richard Brown, senior executive editor at Rowman & Littlefield. “It’s a story of pain and heartache, redemption and hope, of mindful immersion into the great outdoors.”

Looking down the road

Even in the face of so many choices for nones, publishers agree: there is much more to say about the spiritual but not religious experience and its ethos. And as cultural, social, psychological, and ideological factors continue to impact individuals’ interest in religion, books can help readers—especially younger ones—parse their spiritual selves.

“We know it is possible to connect to something ‘larger than us’ outside of a religious framework, and Gen Z and millennials never thought otherwise,” Llewellyn’s Greene says. “We expect these trends to continue and intensify over the next year as people search for personal power and control over their lives, increased connection, and healing.”

Alpert at HarperOne concurs: “I do believe folks who prefer to reject traditional labels will always be a part of our diverse spiritual ecosystem.”