Circana BookScan book industry analyst Kristen McLean recently offered a list of areas to keep an eye on this year.
- While the US book market outperformed overall general merchandise in 2023, McLean expects downward pressure on higher-priced titles and increased rates of library borrowing over purchasing in the first half of the year.
- No area is getting as much attention as romantasy, a fan-centric category with authors like Cassandra Clare and Rebecca Yarros. However, McLean notes, “It’s questionable how long the runway will be and whether influencer culture in places like TikTok will remain steadfast enough for the market to size the curve.”
- Sales of history and political science books typically spike in an election year. While BookScan expects a banner year in 2024, the political and social environment is different from that of previous elections. Thus, McLean believes narrative nonfiction that blends history with psychology and storytelling may be more compelling as readers look to escape from today’s reality.
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.
