The book publishing industry in 2025 looks different to the way it looked 20 years back; keep reading to learn why.
Now that 2025 has only started, it is a good time to make predictions on what the future of book publishing appears like for the year in advance. Whilst there is no crystal ball to tell us the future, professionals consider annual reports to see if there are any popular patterns that are obtaining traction. If there is a pattern that was consistently and gradually rising all throughout 2024, we can imagine that this will continue this year as well. A prime example of this is the modifications to what the most popular book genres are. Formerly, styles were a lot more clear-cut and distinctive; with the leading genre being a close-tie between either thriller or romance. Nevertheless, in 2024 one of the largest trends in the book sector was a rise in the demand for mixed-genre books. Rather than read one kind of genre, readers were seeking novels which blurred the lines between a variety of different genres. For instance, thanks to online novel communities on social media sites, 'romantasy' is a subgenre which skyrocketed in demand. Romantasy is a mixed-genre which blends fantasy and romance together; meaning that there will certainly often be a dramatic, turbulent and exciting love story in the midst of a fantasy-driven narrative. This could 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 between two students at a wizardry school. Whatever it is, it is expected to continue to be very desired in 2025, as individuals like co-founder of the investment fund which partially owns WHSmith would certainly know.
When looking at the trends from last year, among the most pronounced trends was an increase in self-publishing, as individuals like the CEO of the media conglomerate which owns Penguin Random House would certainly confirm. Primarily, what is self-publishing? To put it simply, self-publishing is when aspiring authors decide to take publishing right into their own hands, as opposed to go down the conventional route of being signed to a publishing firm, hiring a book agent and working with a specialist editor. Instead, they have total control over the writing of their novel, as well as the cover design and advertising and marketing campaigns. If they have the money, self-publishers can choose to get physical books published, or most commonly they can submit their novels to one of the self-publishing websites for individuals to read through web browsers or apps. For those thinking about why self-publishing is better, many people suggest that it offers authors a whole lot more creative freedom and control over their own work. They additionally do not have the extreme time pressures and deadlines which they would undoubtedly have if they worked with a standard publishing house.
According to records, one of the most current trends in fiction books is the growth in limited editions, as people such as the head of the private equity owner of Waterstones would likely confirm. Simply put, even more bookworms are investing in rare, limited edition versions of their preferred novels. These novels could have gold-sprayed edges, or wonderful covers or exclusive material. More readers are wanting to gather some special variations of novels, whether this be for their very own personal collection or with the purpose to sell them at a later day.