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

Sarah's Bookshelves Live

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 by Alice Winn | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:26]
• I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai | Amazon | Bookshop.org[32:11]
• The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:29]
• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:39]
• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:15]
• The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:28]
• Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:37]
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:11]
• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:20]
• Wellness by Nathan Hill | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:30]
• Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:52]
• Happiness Falls by Angie Kim | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:14]
• Miracle Creek by Angie Kim | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:35]
• Shark Heart by Emily Habeck | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:50]
• Spare by Prince Harry | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:00]
• The Woman in Me by Britney Spears | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:01]
• Becoming by Michelle Obama | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:39]
• A Promised Land by Barack Obama | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:42]

Bookish Trends of 2023 [44:26]

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:08]
• Educated by Tara Westover | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:23]
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:25]
• The Dry by Jane Harper | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:04]
• All That Is Mine I Carry with Me by William Landay | Amazon | Bookshop.org[48:24]
• Defending Jacob by William Landay | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:38]
• In Light of All Darkness by Kim Cross | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:16]
• You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:36]

Examining the Shift in Publishers’ Calendars [51:43]

Potential Trends for 2024 [54:25]

• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig | Amazon | Bookshop.org [55:20]
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab | Amazon | Bookshop.org[55:24]

Sarah’s Top 3 Books of the Year [56:02]

• Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [56:38]
• Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto | Amazon | Bookshop.org [57:20]
• Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto | Amazon | Bookshop.org [57:38]
• Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett | Amazon | Bookshop.org [58:33]
• Weyward by Emilia Hart | Amazon | Bookshop.org [59:34]