Over the course of three days in London, thousands of editors, publishers and agents, among others, decide what we’ll be reading in the coming year or so.
Here’s our round-up from London book fair, which took place from 18 to 20 April, taking in the essentials of what the publishing landscape will look like for the next 12 months, from what we’re going to buy, to the big issues occupying the industry.
1. Book prices will go up
Brian Murray, the CEO and president of HarperCollins, told the fair that “big, double-digit increases” in things like paper and freight costs mean book “prices need to adjust to offset some of that”, reported the Bookseller. His words echo the thoughts of publishers, particularly independents, who have said they are being squeezed by rising costs.
Meanwhile, prize-winning author Lydia Davis’s new collection of short stories, Our Strangers, will not be sold on Amazon, as the author does not “believe corporations should have as much control over our lives as they do”. Amazon is often able to offer big discounts on books, meaning independent retailers find it difficult to compete, as they often have to sell for the RRP of a title.
2. Lots of BIG debuts are on the way
Publishers spent a lot of money on debut novels, buying books in auctions as well as buying in pre-empts that mean books are taken off the table before multiple bidders can make offers.
Harriet Constable’s debut, a historical novel called The Instrumentalist, is inspired by the true story of Anna Maria della Pietà, who was an orphan, musical prodigy and student of Antonio Vivaldi. Bloomsbury won a seven-publisher auction and paid six figures for The Instrumentalist and one other book.
Writer and filmmaker Essie J Chambers’ Swift River, bought by Dialogue Books for six figures, is described as “exceptional”. Set in the New England town of the title in 1987, it follows teenager Diamond and her mother as they prepare to declare Diamond’s long-missing father legally dead, all while Diamond discovers that her hometown, in which she has been the Black person since her father disappeared, has a hidden history.
Scream School by Catherine Airey is described as “deeply compulsive”. The novel, bought for six figures by Penguin Random House’s Viking, follows three generations of women from New York City to County Donegal in Ireland.
Natalie Sue’s “laugh-out-loud funny” debut I Hope This Finds You Well was bought in a six-figure deal by The Borough Press. The book is about Jolene, who copes with her boring office job by emailing colleagues with her petty grievances. When one of the messages goes public, it results in her getting access to her co-workers’ inboxes and DMs, and she decides to turn the tables in the face of impending layoffs.
Described as an “outrageously original” meta-crime novel, West Heart Kill unfolds over the Fourth of July weekend at an exclusive American country club in the 1970s. Raven Books bought Dann McDorman’s book, plus another by him, in a six-figure deal.
3. Sustainability is top of the agenda
The publishing industry contributes to climate change through its use of paper, its manufacturing processes and its transportation of books. It’s no surprise, therefore, that the future of the planet was on the minds of everyone, affecting the books they acquired as well as the action the industry takes to mitigate its climate footprint.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was the most high-profile advocate of doing more to tackle climate change, introducing his book Breathe.
Continuing a trend for books addressing climate change and how we can help the planet, independent publisher Jacaranda Books will publish Sister Nature by climate activist and former beekeeper Jess de Boer. The author’s second book is a look at restorative action in education systems, food production techniques and the growing disconnect of our youth with the natural world.
Publishers also took part in a discussion about concrete actions and ways to work together to help the industry tackle climate change, including using the Carbon Calculator created by the Publishers Association to help publishers monitor for greenhouse gas emissions made by companies themselves, emissions they produce indirectly, and emissions in their supply chain. And authors got in on the action too, as the Society of Authors launched a new guide to helping writers hold their publishers to account on sustainability.
4. The cookery stars of the future are from social media
If you’ve spent hours scrolling through TikTok for recipes, then you’ll take the news that cookery’s future stars are from social media in your stride.
DK won a five-way auction for Bake It Better, by self-taught pastry chef Matt Adlard, who has more than two million followers across his TikTok, YouTube and Facebook channels. Adlard also runs the Bake It Better online cookery school.
The publisher also bought Have You Eaten? Deliciously Simple Asian Cooking for Every Mood, by content creator and influencer Verna Gao, who has more than half a million followers across Instagram and TikTok and who used cooking to stay connected to her Chinese heritage after moving to the UK.
5. We’ll be escaping into fantasy fiction, whatever our age
From stories exploring colonialism through the lens of fictional societies to tales of baby dragons, fantasy novels will be bigger than ever in the coming year, with many inspired by myths and cultures from around the world.
Puffin will publish three books by illustrator Dapo Adeola, the first of which is titled Aniyah and the Dragon, in a new series inspired by African mythology, while Hachette Children’s Group will publish Spellcasters, an “empowering, action-packed” middle-grade series by Crystal Sung, a creative partnership between Storymix, debut author Tania Tay and illustrator Wendy Tan.
Penguin Random House Children’s paid six figures for three books by Molly X Chang, including To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, a fantasy novel described as a “compelling anti-colonial fantasy inspired by the Manchurian ghost stories, shared with Chang by her grandfather, and the devastating history of colonial rule in the city of Harbin in China”.
For adults, HarperCollins bought two new novels from Rebecca F Kuang, including a fantasy novel that is “a story of dusty archives, unreliable sources, and an unstable sense of history that looks at what happens if, in the process of uncovering archives and piecing together the truth, we might reach backwards, grasp the ghosts, and help them push history off its course”. The publisher also bought a new fantasy trilogy by Saara El-Arifi, which is inspired by west African lore and takes place in a world where humans and fae (fairies) are long dead, survived only by the elves that now rule and fight over the remaining lands. The first book, out in February 2024, is called Faebound.
