Filipino authors published by PRH US in 2025

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PRH US titles from Filipino creators

Obviously this post is work-related, but I also love doing this, so let's call this a mix of business and pleasure.

A few months ago, I posted a version of this on my IG, but lists and announcements in the industry are constantly updated, so I've updated this list as well. This is supposed to be a list of Filipino authors and illustrators (creators) who are being published this 2025 by Penguin Random House US and its distribution clients (publishers who do not belong to PRH US, but who are distributed by PRH both in the US and worldwide). But I snuck in two kids' titles that were pubbed in 2023, because, well, I just found out that the illustrator was from the Philippines.

Does this happen often, that I realize belatedly that a creator is from the Philippines? Not often, because we honestly make it a point to find the Filipino creators on our lists. But it does happen occasionally because, well, we have a very big list.

This list also has what we call conversions, meaning titles that were converted from a first format, e.g., hardcover, to a second format, e.g., trade paperback. So you'll see some familiar titles that were originally published a year or so before, but who have new conversions this year.

Have also organized it according to fiction, nonfiction, children's, and YA, and have sorted within categories by when the books are going to be released.

And it represents Filipinos both based in the country and from the diaspora. 

Below, the creators with an asterisk after their names are the ones who are based in the Philippines (or SEA, as in the case of F.H. Batacan). I often like highlighting these authors because, to me, they're wonderful examples of how our writers have made and are making it in the world stage, even if they're not based in the US. And I think the country should also celebrate them because it's no small thing to be published or distributed by the world's largest English language publisher in the world's largest book market. I also hope other Filipino writers take inspiration from them and, yes, follow in their footsteps, because it's one pretty effective way to bring more Filipino stories out to the world.

Titles whose creators are based in the Philippines (or SEA).

Where possible (at least as of this posting), I've also included links to where you can get the titles from local (Philippine) bookstores. But you can click on the title itself to bring you to its PRH book page, which has the links to the US stores from where you can get the titles.

The list:

Fiction

WATER MOON by Samantha Sotto Yambao* (Jan 2025)

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical quest when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike fantasy novel.

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN by F.H. Batacan* (Mar 2025)

From the master of Filipino crime fiction, a genre-bending collection that documents murders, disappearances, and acts of violence in stories that range from procedural crime to horror to near-future noir

CAT'S PEOPLE by Tanya Guerrero* (Apr 2025)

A stray cat brings together five strangers over the course of one fateful summer in this heartwarming novel about love, found family, and the power of connection.

TUSK LOVE by Thea Guanzon* (Jul 2025)

A merchant’s daughter who yearns for adventure gets more than she bargained for when she falls for a broodingly handsome stranger in this saucy romantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars.

MODERATION by Elaine Castillo (Aug 2025)

A bold and inventive novel about real romance in the virtual workplace—​bringing Castillo's trademark wit and sharp cultural criticism to an irresistible story about the possible future of love.

HOUSE OF MONSTROUS WOMEN by Daphne Fama (Aug 2025)

A young woman is drawn into a dangerous game after being invited to the mazelike home of her childhood friend, a rumored witch, in this gothic horror set in 1986 Philippines.

In this game, there’s one rule: survive.

DEATH AND DINUGUAN by Mia P. Manansala (Nov 2025)

Love is in the air for the citizens of Shady Palms, but Cupid’s arrow isn’t the only thing striking the town—not with another killer on the loose.

Nonfiction

SOME PEOPLE NEED KILLING by Patricia Evangelista* (Mar 2025)

TIME’S #1 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR • A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP 10 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

“Tragic, elegant, vital . . . Evangelista risked her life to tell this story.”—Tara Westover, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Educated

A “riveting” (The Atlantic) account of the Philippines’ state-sanctioned killings of its citizens under President Rodrigo Duterte, hailed as “a journalistic masterpiece” (The New Yorker)

DARK FAIRY TALES by Kerby Rosanes* (Mar 2025)

Explore the wicked side of folktales in this brand-new collection from the bestselling illustrator Kerby Rosanes

SIKODIWA by Carl Lorenz Cervantes* (Dec 2025)

Researcher and lecturer Carl Lorenz Cervantes explores the timeless wisdom, ancestral worldviews, and spiritual tools of Filipino psychology and culture—and offers Indigenous ways of knowing for all readers, Filipino and non-Filipino alike.

Drawing from folklore, language, ethnography, and personal story, Sikodiwa is a mind-opening exploration for readers of Braiding Sweetgrass and Fresh Banana Leaves

Children

WHO IS BARACK OBAMA? and WHO WAS SHIRLEY CHISHOLM? by Lisbeth Kaiser, illustrated by Geraldine Sy* (2023)

The latest addition to the Who HQ program: a biography of Barack Obama and of Shirley Chisholm, created specifically for the preschool audience!

RIDING THROUGH RICE FIELDS by Michelle Sterling, illustrated by Bianca Austria (Mar 2025)

A gorgeously written picture book about how healing it can be to return home, the natural beauty of the Philippines, and the concept of bayanihan.

A trip home reminds us of who we are.

THE GOBBLING GOBLINS by Maika Llaneza, illustrated by Ara Villena* (Apr 2025)

Gobble up this new picture book inspired by Filipino mythology featuring trinket-stealing goblins whose knack for thievery just might save the day.

Mind your manners; hang on to your toys (and pineapples?)

MAGIC TREE HOUSE FACT TRACKER GRAPHIC NOVELS: DINOSAURS by Mary Pope Osborne and Jenny Laird, illustrated by Jomike Tejido* (Apr 2025)

When Jack and Annie got back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #1: Dinosaurs Before Dark, they had lots of questions about dinosaurs. Learn more along with them as they track the facts about these amazing prehistoric creatures--available for the first time ever in a nonfiction graphic novel format!

MAGIC TREE HOUSE FACT TRACKER GRAPHIC NOVELS: SPACE by Mary Pope Osborne and Mai Nakamura, illustrated by Jomike Tejido* (Sep 2025)

When Jack and Annie got back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #8: Midnight on the Moon, they had lots of questions about planets, stars, and the universe. Learn more along with them as they track the facts about space—available for the first time ever in a nonfiction graphic novel format!

ISABEL IN BLOOM by Mae Respicio (Apr 2025)

A girl discovers a connection between her home in the Philippines and her new home in the U.S. through a special garden in this middle grade novel that celebrates nourishment and growth.

THE SPIRIT GLASS by Roshani Chokshi (Sep 2025)

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents a standalone quest adventure based on Filipino mythology by Roshani Chokshi, author of the best-selling Aru Shah series.

DAYBREAKER: ILUSTRA VOL. 1 by Tori Tadiar* (Sept 2025)

Mika always thought the gods and goddesses of the Philippines were no more than legend—until she wakes one and discovers a destiny she never imagined.

This middle-grade graphic novel series starter by an award-winning Filipina artist, inspired by the folklore of the Philippines, is perfect for readers of Amulet and Percy Jackson.

THE SUPER-SECRET MISSION TO THE CENTER OF THE MOON (PIE) by Melissa de la Cruz (Feb 2025)

In the second book in Melissa de la Cruz’s wacky new middle grade adventure series, the Octos find themselves on a mission to the moon. Which might not be made out of cheese after all.

Young Adult

THE ENCANTO'S DAUGHTER (Feb 2025) and THE ENCANTO'S CURSE (Mar 2025) by Melissa de la Cruz

A YA romantasy inspired by Filipino mythology, the first in an enchanting new duet by #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz. Now in paperback!
--------

The vampire queen must break her curse in this YA romantasy inspired by Filipino folklore, a sequel to The Encanto’s Daughter by #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz!

SUNLIGHT PLAYING OVER A MOUNTAIN by Selina Li Bi (Apr 2025)

A lyrical, mythology-tinged debut novel about a Chinese-Filipino teenager whose world of daydreams is destroyed by a family secret—perfect for fans of Emily X. R. Pan and Ann Liang.

DEATH IN THE CARDS by Mia Manansala (May 2025)

The young adult debut from the award-winning author of Arsenic and Adobo! When a high school tarot reader’s latest client goes missing after a troubling reading, she must apply everything she’s learned from her private investigator mother to solve a case of her own.


I hope you find something of interest in these titles! I also love how they range across categories.

Finally, should there be any errors or anything missing, let me know! (It past 4AM where I am, so it's quite possible I missed something.) Happy to correct or add.

As always, happy reading!

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