Publishers Marketplace, which has been tracking book deals for 20 years, has released 2020 stats reflecting that—even during a pandemic—dealmaking was up across all major categories (subscription required). Overall, deals were up 8 percent after being flat for four years; adult fiction deals grew the most, by 14.7 percent.
While six-figure deals declined on average for adult books, they spiked for children’s work by 43 percent over the previous four-year period, particularly for middle-grade fiction and graphic novels. However, YA fiction still held the most six-figure deals overall. Debut adult fiction deals were up 13.6 percent and saw more six-figure deals than the prior year, while women’s fiction and romance deals increased by 28 percent.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
