US book publishers and readers looking for more diversion, less politics, in 2024.
Catching up with PW's Jim Milliot
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The US presidential election campaign is guaranteed to generate wall-to-wall news coverage on cable television as the calendar inexorably advances to November. Book publishers and their readers, though, may welcome any diversions from politics.
In a recent Circana BookScan webinar, publishing analyst Kristen McLean outlined how she expects the presidential election will impact the adult nonfiction segment, reports Jim Milliot, editor-at-large, Publishers Weekly.
“Since both candidates, Biden and Trump, have been the subject of numerous books and copious media coverage, McLean sees a quiet year for presidential political books, but she does think history books that can give context to current events could do well this year,” Mllliot tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.
As a result, McLean expects readers to be looking for books dealing with self-care and escapism. Religion books and books that can provide adults with an “uplift” should also sell well.
McLean predicted that 2024 “will be the year of romantasy” – the combination of romance and fantasy. The category saw strong sales in 2023, led by Rebecca Yarros’ The Iron Flame and Third Wing.
Another area where McLean expects sales growth in 2024 is books about self-care, Milliot said. Books in the mental/emotional health area, he reported, had solid sales increases between 2019 and 2023. Last year, books on exercise saw sales up 75% over 2022; other categories that saw significant sales jumps included a 20% gain in women’s health, an 11% increase in personal growth, and a 9% increase in sales of mental health books.
Every Friday, CCC’s “Velocity of Content” features the editors and reporters of Publishers Weekly for an early look at what news publishers, editors, authors, agents, and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.
