Planet Money's new book

NPR’s Planet Money has published its first book, extending the economics franchise beyond audio with a guide released on April 7, 2026. (krwg.org) The book is called *Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life*. KRWG reported on April 13 that lead author Alex Mayyasi and Planet Money co-host Sarah Gonzalez discussed the release in a public-radio interview. (krwg.org) The project is billed as Planet Money’s first-ever book, with Mayyasi writing alongside the hosts of the show and Alex Goldmark contributing the introduction. The publisher page lists W. W. Norton for the print edition and Simon and Schuster Audio for the audiobook. (planetmoneybook.com) (wwnorton.com) (simonandschuster.com) The pitch matches the podcast’s long-running formula: use reported stories to explain how abstract economic forces show up in ordinary decisions about work, prices, savings, and technology. The official book site says the new volume draws on more than a decade of reporting and adds new material on artificial intelligence, dating markets, and sports contracts. (planetmoneybook.com) (barnesandnoble.com) That matters for Planet Money because the show began in 2008 during the financial crisis and has since expanded into a newsletter, a TikTok channel, a radio program, and a sister podcast, *The Indicator*. A book gives the team a format that can package those ideas more permanently than a daily or weekly episode. (planetmoneybook.com) The book tour also shows NPR turning the release into a live event business. The official schedule lists stops from New York on April 6 through Toronto on April 27, including Seattle on April 13, San Francisco on April 15, Los Angeles on April 16, and Chicago on April 23. (planetmoneybook.com) The reporting examples in the book’s description stay close to the show’s style: a smartphone factory in Patagonia, a raisin cartel in California, and a Canadian Indigenous reserve presented as part of a housing story. Those kinds of case studies have been central to Planet Money’s approach since its early years. (planetmoneybook.com) The release also arrives as economics coverage competes with a flood of short-form financial advice online. Planet Money’s bet is that listeners who already know the podcast want a longer, edited guide that connects those scattered stories into one book. (planetmoneybook.com) (krwg.org) For a show that built its audience by making markets sound like stories, the next step is now on shelves. The title says exactly what the team is selling: a guide to the forces shaping daily life, not just another recap of the news cycle. (wwnorton.com) (planetmoneybook.com)