Publishing Trends

Circana BookScan book industry analyst Kristen McLean recently offered a list of areas to keep an eye on this year.

The brightest sparks of the year.

Readers seek out dark romance and fantasy romance more than paranormal.

Agents and industry veterans aren’t sure if an influencer- and member-driven publishing model is sustainable or desirable for authors.

Publishers love to see authors provide data that offers marketing insights they would otherwise not have.

An overview of the factors that contribute to market designation in books for older children Traditionally grouped together as children’s

What agents and editors want in romance and YA fiction—plus a kerfuffle about grief stories.

What’s new in #MSWL and TikTok trends.

It’s the 10-year anniversary of MSWL, and agents seek twisty thrills in fiction.

Trends and takeaways in a popular romance subcategory.

Trends and takeaways from the teen/YA market.

Editors and authors agree it’s okay to write outside your lived experience, as long as you do your homework.

To break into the rich romance market, look for a subgenre with high sales and lower competition.

Frankfurt Book Fair took place in person in Frankfurt, Germany, last week with some programming available online as well.

Some work-for-hire jobs are only visible to authors who have literary agents.

It turns out that backlist is capturing most of the pandemic growth in the book market.

The popular genre of urban fantasy is competitive, but with a lot of sub-category crossover.

Last fall, the University of Nevada Las Vegas announced that it would be closing The Believer this spring.

Eight top BookTok influencers will convene in Hay-on-Wye in Wales to create content for the new HarperVoyager TikTok channel.

Female authors, protagonists, and readers contribute to gains in historical fiction as well as mystery, thriller, and suspense.

Fat representation—where being overweight doesn’t mean a character is evil or has something to overcome—is increasingly sought after.

The category invented by indie authors focuses on women in midlife.

A look at the demands of writing historical fiction and what’s selling now .

The creation and fulfillment of Sanderson’s Kickstarter relies on a crack team managing massive amounts of data as well as all aspects of production.

If you subscribe to a large assortment of Substack email newsletters, there is now an app (iOS only, so far) where you can read them all in one place.