I recently came across an instagram post ( books.on.the.grange) about publishing trends that I found really interesting so I thought I would share. The creators are a copyeditor and a former literary agent, so they’re in the know. They talk about the rapid changes in the publishing industry and I have to say, some points really surprised me and some just made me plain sad. But there’s good news too so here’s the scuttlebutt!
Slashed Library Budgets Across the US.
I’ve noticed this in Canada too. I’ve heard of a number of library systems both in the US and Canada that have cancelled Hoopla (which makes me wanna weep) and in my public library, new additions to Libby have been cut back quite a bit, especially the audio books. (Cue the soundtrack of me weeping.)
Print books are still being ordered – just not as many. I’m guessing the higher price of books, paper, production etc. is the culprit. And that makes sense – library budgets haven’t increased at the same rate as the cost of book production. I’m still so grateful for the books I’m able to check out from my library. I have over thirty out right now so it’s not like I’m left with nothing to read!
Increasing Book Bans – Especially for Children’s Books
This is definitely a controversial topic though not unexpected. Personally, I am not a supporter of book bans. Libraries provide material to meet the needs of all their patrons, and that means they have a mandate to offer a wide cross section of books. They should not be forced to narrow down their collection in order to meet the criteria of a small subset of patrons. Easy enough for all of us to pick and choose what we want to read and just ignore the rest.
School libraries are a bit trickier. I was a school librarian for twenty odd years – elementary schools along with a few years in the school board’s Central Library. A common sense approach to collection development can head off a lot of headaches. But again, the collection should reflect the community it serves and that sometimes means controversy but it shouldn’t automatically mean book banning.
Middle Grade Books are Being Scaled Back
I find this rather alarming! Understandable though when you look at the first two points – library cuts and book bans. Sadly that’s making publishers wary. And there’s a move towards more graphic novels, which I find kinda sad.
More Investment in Adult Books
This really surprised me. There seems to be a resurgence of interest in reading in our adult populations. Yay! In fact some children’s authors are being encouraged to switch to writing for adults! I find this partly encouraging – yay for more adults getting back into reading – but yikes, who will be our future adult readers if we’re cutting back on books for our younger readers?
Increases in Printing Costs
Tariffs and inflation affect every aspect of book production which makes publishers more risk adverse. I’ve definitely noticed less new releases per publishing house when we make up our Reader’s Choice Week wish lists! I’ve also noticed that some publishers are skipping the print editions altogether and only publishing ebook and audio.
Overall, Author Advances are Lower
That doesn’t directly affect us as readers, but I hate to think of authors not being fairly compensated for the amount of work they put into their novels. Plus, if they can’t make a decent wage with their writing they might have to spend more time earning money to support themselves which means fewer books down the road for us! (Is that a selfish take or what?!
AI is clogging up Agents’ inboxes!
This one kinda stuns me. Apparently so many AI generated queries are being sent to agents that it’s taking valuable time to weed through them all. Most publishing houses have anti-AI policies (as they should!) so it’s taking some effort to filter out the AI content submissions. Which is discouraging and must be so frustrating for them! And potential authors waiting for a reply to their genuine manuscripts!
More Indie Books are Converting to Traditional Publishing
This one is another surprise. I would have thought it would be the opposite since traditional publishers are releasing fewer books. It seems they are looking for a sure thing so they are scoping out popular indie authors and signing them up. Makes sense, I guess, since those authors already have an online presence and if they’ve made enough of a name to be noticed by a big publishing firm, then they will come with a huge following which would be a marketing dream.
Big Publishers are Investing in Christian Publishing
Gobsmacked! Whaaattt???? Good news for us because some of the big publishers are expanding their Christian imprints, increasing new titles each year! Exciting to think that we readers are making a difference in the industry just by buying Christian Fiction (or requesting it for our libraries.) Woohoo!
Indie Bookstores are making a comeback!
This is really exciting. Unexpected, but exciting. I actually have two indie bookstores fairly close to me. One is within walking distance (well 30 minutes) and the other is a short bus ride a way. They are both fairly new – The Spaniel’s Tale is about five years old and Westboro Books is maybe two. I honestly thought one of them wouldn’t survive because they are pretty close. Just two neighbourhoods away from each other in an urban setting. But they both have unique spins on marketing and different focuses so they kind of compliment each other too. US indie bookstores have actually increased by 70% in the last five years! That’s amazing!
Film Adaptations Galore
There are a ton of popular fiction being adapted for the big screen and TV. In fact, it seems like books are being used as the inspiration for quite a lot of film creations which is all kinds of exciting (as long as they stick to the plot!!!!)
Lots of conversational talking points here so feel free to chime in with your thoughts in the comments! I look forward to chatting with you!
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