Whether you are an author, reader, or publisher, these are the publishing trends you should be aware of in 2024.
Publishing trends are constantly changing, but this year, we’re seeing some major shifts in the industry.
Here are ten publishing trends to keep an eye on in the coming year:
1. The AI Takeover
One of the biggest publishing trends in 2024 is the influence of AI.
More and more books will be written with the help of AI, whether it be for research, writing, editing, or design.
We’re even seeing a push for AI narration in audiobooks, which could make a big difference in book trends once it gets underway.
With the influence of AI, we’re bound to see different workflows and tools emerge this year. It will be interesting to see how the gap starts to form between authors who embrace AI and those who refuse to use it.
There will undoubtedly be more lawsuits this year, with plagiarism, identity, and the use of copyrighted materials being at the forefront of legal issues.
Publishers are going to need to be on the lookout for AI-written content, and vet authors to ensure the content they are writing is actually their own work. This makes for some very interesting publishing trends across the industry this year!
Meanwhile, AI will provide opportunities to those who have never considered writing before.
We’re going to see lots of new authors who never considered writing before, a wealth of new writing tools, and a whole lot of legal disputes.
Even if some authors choose not to use AI to supplement their writing, many will use it to help with creating images, ads, and revisions in 2024. AI will continue shaping publishing trends for years to come.
2. Recession Reading
This year, we are seeing a couple shifts in publishing trends that are at odds with each other.
One: book prices are increasing.
Two: An economic recession is predicted.
What does this mean for authors, and why are prices going up?
One reason for the increased price of books is inflation, of course, but a big influence on book costs is that the price of paper has increased. This has made it more expensive to publish and produce books, and thus the price of physical books has been marked up significantly.
How much does it cost to publish a book in 2024? It can be a massive range (from $200 to over $20,0000) but you can probably expect to spend around $6,000 all-in on publishing your book this year.
As readers deal with increased book costs and lower disposable income, they will either be making fewer book purchases, or they will be looking for lower-priced books from indie authors that fit their budgets.
3. Hybrid Publishing Models
One of the main publishing trends for 2024 is the blurring of lines between traditional and self-publishing as authors take more control over the publishing process.
But authors should be wary before choosing a hybrid publishing company. There are a lot of vanity publishing companies out there that are preying on new authors who don’t understand how the self-publishing process works.
It will be important for authors to vet publishing companies carefully when determining how to publish their new book.
4. Making Way for Kids
Move over YA books, children’s book sales are on the rise!
As we become more and more reliant on technology, some consumers are turning away from tablets and video games in favor of a delightful book. Family time is being more prioritized, and more and more parents are finding time in their schedule to read to their kids.
This is one of the publishing industry trends to really look out for. While book trends change frequently, YA has been on top of a long time in terms of sales, so this shake-up is one to keep your eye on. Publishers are going to be searching for the best new children’s authors to line the shelves of bookstores with.
2024 book trends are going to see an increase in fun and educational stories for children, and if you are a new or established author, you might want to jump on the train. It’s never too late to learn how to write a children’s picture book.
5. An Increase in Direct Sales
Recent publishing trends show a change in marketing tactics among authors. More and more authors are taking control over their own marketing, and reaching out to their fans via social media platforms, email lists, Patreon, and more.
Don’t just rely on social media, either. One publishing expert says that email is 100x more effective than social media when it comes to book sales.
If you are interested in trying direct sales yourself, there are so many book marketing ideas to consider. You can make your own author website, grow your Instagram or TikTok following, use payment platforms like Substacks, make NFTs, or host virtual events.
The options are endless.
When looking at publishing trends, there is real value in promoting your author brand and increasing your direct interaction with your readers in 2024. The rise of AI is going to underscore the importance of human connection between authors and their readers.
6. A Push for Global Distribution
If you’re only marketing to your home country, you’re doing it wrong. One of the biggest publishing trends in 2024 is a wider distribution of books internationally.
Nearly 20% of the world speaks and reads English, so if you’ve written in English, you should be marketing your book in other countries, too. The third largest market for English books is in, so that’s a good place to start after the US and UK.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should discount other countries for your book sales. Germany has $7 billion in sales for English language books alone!
It’s easy to market your book internationally through platforms like Amazon KDP. You can also enlist in the help of translators to distribute your book even further internationally.
When targeting international markets, you should keep cultural preferences in mind and play with different formats, book covers, or ads that speak to each target demographic.
7. The Rise of Audiobooks
Audiobooks are the fastest growing book format in 2024.
A survey conducted by the Audio Publishers Association (APA) in 2023 found that 53% of adults had listened to at least one audiobook last year, up from 45% in 2022.
In addition, fiction audiobooks saw a 64% increase in sales. This is the 11th year in a row with double-digit growth in audiobook sales, and this is one of the publishing trends that isn’t slowing down.
Audiobook revenue is expected to grow 26.4% every year from 2022 to 2030 and reach $35.05 billion and at least 9% of all book sales in the US are in audiobook format.
Consumer preferences are changing, and publishers need to pivot to stay on top of the industry. Readers don’t want to hold their e-readers. They want books they can multitask with and listen to while commuting, cooking, or even working.
This is one of the publishing trends you need to pay attention to. If your book doesn’t have an audiobook format, it’s time to record one. Just making eBooks isn’t going to cut it anymore, because eBook sales are actually projected to fall in 2024.
8. The Age of BookTok
The influence of BookTok is another one of the publishing trends that isn’t going away. In fact, this is a publishing industry trend you really need to jump on. BookTok is simply too big to be ignored.
What is BookTok? It’s a TikTok community of authors, publishers, and readers with all the book-related content you could ever need. Book reviews, reactions, book marketing videos, you name it.
If you’ve written BookTok off as just a way for Gen Z to pass the time, think again. Publishing trends have shown that BookTok is majorly affecting book sales, with some books even shooting to bestseller status from BookTok alone.
Barnes & Noble and other publishers are already partnering with TikTok in a big way with “Popular on TikTok” sections reigning supreme in bookstores.
Publishers need to maximize their TikTok presence and watch for BookTok videos that mention their books. #booktok has over 30 million posts with over 100 billion views, so if you can rake in even a fraction of those, it can be an absolute game changer for book sales.
TikTok parent company ByteDance has even filed a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office to become a publishing entity, which could shake up publishing trends going forward in a major way.
9. A Self-Published Majority
Learning how to self-publish a book is becoming more and more popular among authors. In fact, one of the publishing trends we’re seeing in 2024 is that self-publishing is actually outpacing traditional publishing for the first time.
The self-publishing market is currently seeing a 17% annual growth rate, which is significantly larger than the 1% growth rate of the traditional publishing market.
While the New York Times bestseller list still requires a traditional publishing process, the Pulitzer Prize and British Book Awards are now open to self-published books. This means there are more and more opportunities for self-published authors.
Why the switch to self-publishing?
When you look at self-publishing vs traditional publishing, self-publishing is significantly faster and easier. You also get to keep a much bigger chunk of the book royalties, which is attractive to new authors.
According to the Alliance of Independent Authors, more than 2,000 authors earned over $100,000 in royalties in 2022 alone!
Digital publishing has opened so many doors for writers, but now the key is to stand out amidst the abundance of content. To succeed, authors should focus on eye-catching book covers and smart book marketing.
10. A Call for More Diversity
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) recently analyzed diversity statistics for children’s and YA books and has some interesting findings. Nearly 42% of the 3,700 books had a caucasian main character.
Even more shockingly, the second largest demographic has an animal as a main character, leaving BIPOC characters far behind.
And when you combine main characters from any other race besides white, you only end up with 36% of the books.
Yikes.
So there is a lack of diversity in the book market, and one of the publishing trends of 2024 is calling that out. You should expect to see a lot more diversity in the representation of both characters and authors this year.
This isn’t just about race either, publishing industry trends will see more representation for LGBTQ+ characters and characters with disabilities, too.