Bloomsbury Publishing has slated the release of seven new Sarah J Maas titles, starting from early this year and a new author named Samantha Shannon, both of which are fantasy authors. The independent publisher is capitalizing on the fantasy fiction boom. Statista reported that book spending increased to £4.3 billion in 2022, largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bloomsbury has helped establish many famous writers. The publisher discovered Harry Potter author J K Rowling, publishing Rowling’s first book, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, in 1997. Since then, many authors have joined the market, especially in the digital space, which is fuelled by the popularity of self-publishing.
Bloomsbury continues to experience growth in fiction, with the 15 titles by Sarah J Maas among its bestsellers in 2023.
Penny Scott-Bayfield, Bloomsbury’s chief financial officer, that the next Sarah J Maas title, ‘House of Flame and Shadow’ will be published on 30 January and the publisher will release further six titles after that. Scott-Bayfield said hat onboarding new, talented authors is a key part Bloomsbury does. She also indicated that Samantha Shannon could be the next big author in the fantasy genre. Shannon’s book ‘The Bone Season’ instantly became the Sunday Times bestseller, and the author has since released many successful titles.
Scott-Bayfield said:
“Fantasy does better when things are tougher. There is that escapism.”
Scott-Bayfield added:
“Sarah J Maas is an exceptionally strong author. She is reaching a new audience who come in through one series and buy another.”
She also commented that the “front list title” the Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac is a bestseller in UK and US.
In the light of these facts, it’s easy to say that pre-pandemic predictions that books, or fiction, are dying markets, proven wrong. Bloomsbury said that it expects its profits to exceed £33 million for the year to 29 February 2024. In another statement, Scott-Bayfield said:
“It speaks to the strength and balance of our portfolio, highlighting a very strong growth in the fantasy market, within its consumer division, in the past five years.”
Bloomsbury follows a unique strategy of publishing both consumer and non-consumer books, spanning fiction, non-fiction, academic and professional book titles.
Scott-Bayfield said the publisher’s diversified strategy had proven to be very successful, with consumer demand for books growing while academic institutions increased their shift to online learning.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.