2025 is looking to be a big year for the book publishing sector; listed here are a few of the biggest trends.
Since 2025 has only began, it is a great time to make predictions on what the future of book publishing looks like for the year in advance. While there is no crystal ball to tell us the future, experts consider annual reports to see if there are any type of prominent patterns that are getting traction. If there is a trend that was consistently and gradually increasing all throughout 2024, we can imagine that this will certainly continue this year too. A top example of this is the changes to what the most popular book genres are. Formerly, categories were a whole lot more clear-cut and distinct; with the top genre being a close-tie in between either thriller or romance. However, in 2024 one of the largest trends in the book market was a rise in the demand for mixed-genre novels. Rather than read one sort of genre, readers were looking for books which obscured the lines between a selection of different genres. For instance, thanks to on-line novel communities on social networks, 'romantasy' is a subgenre which skyrocketed in demand. Romantasy is a mixed-genre which blends fantasy and romance with each other; meaning that there will certainly typically be a significant, turbulent and interesting love story in the midst of a fantasy-driven narrative. This may be an enemies to lovers story in between a demon and a demon hunter, or a forbidden romance between a vampire and a werewolf, or cosy romance in between two students at a sorcery school. Whatever it is, it is expected to continue to be incredibly desired in 2025, as people like co-founder of the investment fund which partially owns WHSmith would understand.
When considering the trends from last year, one of the most pronounced trends was an increase in self-publishing, as people like the CEO of the media conglomerate which owns Penguin Random House would undoubtedly confirm. Firstly, what is self-publishing? To put it simply, self-publishing is when aspiring writers choose to take publishing right into their very own hands, rather than go down the conventional path of being signed to a publishing agency, hiring a book agent and working with a specialist editor. Instead, they have complete control over the writing of their novel, as well as the cover design and advertising projects. If they have the cash, self-publishers can decide to get physical books published, or most commonly they can upload their books to one of the self-publishing websites for individuals to read through browsers or applications. For those speculating why self-publishing is better, many people suggest that it provides writers a lot more creative freedom and control over their own work. They additionally do not have the extreme time pressures and target dates which they would certainly have if they dealt with a typical publishing house.
According to records, one of the most current trends in fiction books is the increase in limited versions, as individuals such as the head of the private equity owner of Waterstones would likely confirm. Simply put, more bookworms are investing in uncommon, limited edition variations of their much-loved books. These books might have gold-sprayed edges, or exquisite covers or exclusive material. Far more readers are wanting to collect some special versions of books, whether this be for their own personal collection or with the intent to sell them at a later day.