Ep. 156: 2023 State of the Industry with Sarah Landis (Literary Agent)

For our first annual 2023 State of the Industry episode, we’re welcoming back literary agent Sarah Landis for an overview and exploration of some hot topics in the book world this year. Taking stock of how this year panned out for the publishing industry, Sarah discusses top news stories, dives deep into how specific titles performed this year, and shares current trends she’s seeing in publishing. Also, Sarah shares her favorite books of 2023!

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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Coming Soon

• The updated 2024 Rock Your Reading Tracker will release on December 6! This year’s updated edition will be exclusively available to our $7/month Superstars Patrons and will not be offered for separate purchase as in previous years. Don’t miss out on this and other bookish goodies – become a Superstars Patron here!

Highlights

• 2023 bookish news and publishing numbers overview.
• Sarah talks current popular genres, BookTok trends, and Simon & Schuster sale.
• A quick dive into IP books, their meaning, and a notable downside.
• The Elizabeth Gilbert book review bombing situation.
• BTS vs. Taylor Swift pre-order controversy.
• Playing Over/Under with this year’s top book performers.
• Do celebrity book clubs really boost sales? A look at the numbers.
• Publisher expectations and the influence of page count.
• Bookish trends of the year: BookTok’s impact on publishing.
• Examining shifts in publishing calendars.
• Anticipating 2024’s potential bookish trends.

2023 State of the Industry

High-Level Overview [3:08]

• Spare by Prince Harry | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:30]
• The Woman in Me by Britney Spears | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:31]
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:58]
• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros | Amazon | Bookshop.org [7:31]
• Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:08]
• Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:21]
• Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:22]
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:48]

Big Book Stories of 2023 [13:10]

• Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:21]
• Beyond the Story by BTS and Myeongseok Kang | Amazon | Bookshop.org[21:22]

The Over / Under Game [25:17]

• Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah | Amazon | Bookshop.org[26:05]
• Yellowface by R. F. Kuang | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:41]
• Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:17]
• In Memoriam