Cindy Orr, Digital Collection Advisor at OverDrive, told me that escapist fiction that feels good or dark, as well as nonfiction that explores things such as hobbies, armchair travel, and spirituality, are becoming increasingly popular.
In the same vein, Mark Fink, Executive Director of Anythink Libraries, a public library system in Adams County, Colorado, said that he sees continued popularity and interest in expansive, operatic, epic works of science fiction. Two titles come to his mind: Red God by Pierce Brown and A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett.
The Rise of Translated Literature
Translated literature, unknown history, and non-European settings are also rising in popularity, Orr added.
Matthew Galloway, Collection Development Librarian of Anythink Libraries, like Orr, has noticed a trend of translated fiction, particularly from Japan and South Korea. “There’ve always been some literary and mystery novels translated, but the rise of ‘healing fiction’ seems to be opening the door to further genres.”
Genres Blurring the Lines
Meanwhile, Galloway commented that people continue to crave hotness and horror, with the romantasy and horror trends growing and even blending a little. “I’ll be interested to see if romantasy settles into a more solid definition because it’s grown to encompass other existing subgenres such as urban and paranormal fantasy and many books that previously would just be called ‘fantasy.’”
He pointed out that, while cozy fantasy may be waning in popularity, it leads people into the gentler edges of romantasy, where there’s plenty of acceptance and found family. Additionally, he mentioned a new blend that people are exploring, called horromance or horrormance, which is influenced by novels like those by Isabel Cañas (The Possession of Alba Díaz and The Hacienda, for example).
“Next year, I think we can expect these MMCs to get even more morally gray as readers and authors alike play with boundaries and what they enjoy.” —Alessandra Ferreri, Wattpad’s Head of Content
Galloway added that genre blends are becoming more and more common. He cites works like Andrea Hairston’s science fiction mystery, The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays, which features a dog detective from another universe; Jared Poon’s urban fantasy, City of Others, which follows a team that attempts to protect Singapore from the supernatural; and Heather Fawcett’s cozy, romantic fantasy, Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, which features a woman seeking help from a magician to save her cat shelter.
Alessandra Ferreri, Wattpad’s Head of Content, agrees with what the predictions above say when it comes to the lines between fantasy and other genres becoming increasingly blurred, but she thinks that the fantastic appeal of soulmates, fated mates, and one true pair will be major drivers.
More Spice
When it comes to romance and romantasy, Kris Austin, CEO and co-founder of Draft2Digital, a self-publishing and distribution platform, revealed that “action-packed athletic billionaires” is trending, based on their preorder data for titles releasing in the first half of 2026. These are romance novels about billionaires, sports, the military, and suspense. Austin also revealed that erotica’s market share in their catalog has nearly doubled from 2024 to 2025.
Ferreri, meanwhile, believes that there’s no slowing down in the popularity of dramatic, character-driven romance, particularly the spicier tropes with a brooding, bad-boy MMC (Male Main Character) at the center. “Next year, I think we can expect these MMCs to get even more morally gray as readers and authors alike play with boundaries and what they enjoy.”
Romantasy will continue to grow, but the juicy, escapist fantasy element of the ideal “book boyfriend” or love interest will be what draws readers, according to her. As mentioned before, fated mates is another popular spicy Wattpad trope that is transcending genre definitions.
Savannah from Reedsy, who writes about books and literary trends for the Reedsy blog and other bookish sites, agrees that a new subset of romantasy will emerge. She believes dragons are at market saturation, fae romance is overdone, and she hopes for mermaids or other water-dwelling or amphibious creatures. “We’ve been in the air for a little too long. It’s time to take things back down to earth (or water) when it comes to romantasy.”
Trends come and go—this is especially true in the world of books and publishing, where sales are based on hits or bestsellers.
Some of the predictions from 2025 may still be in effect in 2026, according to the commentary from some experts. Some bookish trends, such as romantasy, appear to have a longer lifespan than usual.
New genres and subgenres emerge. New business models flourish. New audiences discover old and new books. The year of books in 2026 is not far removed from the previous year. Hopefully, the world of publishing will weather all of these changes. “At the end of the day, readers are craving connection, escapism, and characters they can obsess over together, and 2026 is shaping up to deliver exactly that,” Ferreri said.
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