In 2023, the book industry was experiencing a decline in sales and a rise in conflict, leading to numerous legal lawsuits, protests, censorship, and forces impacting it far beyond the industry itself.
Sales Decline and the Rise of the Novel
Sales of printed books continued to decline after the surge during the pandemic, but the novel continued to thrive, thanks to young readers on the BookTok platform. Colleen Hoover, one of the prominent BookTok authors, maintained her position at the top of the national bestsellers list, even without releasing a new book in 2023. Three of her novels were among the top ten bestsellers according to Circana tracking, in addition to popular releases from two other authors, Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, who are considered leaders in a new genre of literature that combines romance and fantasy, referred to as “romantasy.”
Notable Literary Works
The standout literary works included Justin Torres’ innovative novel about the hidden history of queer sexuality, “Blackouts,” which won the National Book Award for Fiction. Critics also praised James McBride’s multi-racial crime story “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store,” R.F. Kuang’s satirical “Yellowface,” Paul Murray’s family drama “The Bee Sting,” and non-fiction releases like Jonathan Eig’s biography of Martin Luther King “King,” Naomi Klein’s internet epic “Doppelganger,” and another National Book Award winner for American History, “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History” by Ned Blackhawk.
Conflicts and Book Fairs
The publishing industry’s efforts to provide more diverse books collided with an increase in bans and attempts at censorship, which the American Library Association reported had reached levels not seen in decades, with books like “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and “Looking for Alaska” by John Green being removed from shelves. By the end of 2023, John Green joined a lawsuit filed by Penguin Random House against Iowa’s restrictions on sexual content and gender identity representation.
Even attempts at compromise were unstable. When Scholastic isolated some diverse books in a separate package that communities could opt out of at school fairs, authors were outraged and the children’s publisher apologized. It later announced a new strategy to integrate diverse books into the general catalog while allowing schools to make “local marketing decisions, as they always have, just like any library or bookshop.”
Salman Rushdie Speaks
After being stabbed in August 2022 and hospitalized, Salman Rushdie returned to public appearances, despite increased security measures. He was honored in person during the annual PEN America gala in the spring in Manhattan, received the Peace Prize from the German Book Trade at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October, and was awarded the “Disturbing the Peace” lifetime award in November at the Václav Havel Center in Manhattan. He will soon return to publishing: he is writing a book about the horrific stabbing attack titled “Knife,” scheduled for release in April.
The Rise of Artificial Intelligence
Although ChatGPT has not yet become a major force in the book market, real authors are concerned enough to take legal action to prevent or at least regulate it. Numerous lawsuits were filed in 2023, including a class-action lawsuit by the Authors Guild, George R. R. Martin, John Grisham, and other authors. Plaintiffs claim that ChatGPT is a “massive commercial enterprise” that relies on “systematic large-scale theft.”
The CEO of the Authors Guild, Mary Rasenberger, stated to the Associated Press that she believes the industry is about to see an “explosion” of AI-written books that could significantly impact authors’ earnings, most of whom do not actually earn much from their work.
Conflict
At Home
The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have divided the literary community in ways that reflect other public discussions. Russian writer and activist Masha Gessen resigned as Deputy President of PEN America after the literary and human rights organization canceled an event that was set to feature Russian and Ukrainian participants. Best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert announced she would postpone her novel “The Snow Forest” due to objections from some Ukrainians that the story is set in Russia. Gilbert described her decision as a “course correction.”
Officials at the Frankfurt Book Fair canceled the honor for Palestinian author Adania Shibli, who was set to receive a prize for writers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, or the Arab world. The national book awards sponsor, writer, publisher, and broadcaster Zibby Owens, withdrew her support upon learning that some of the finalists would read a statement about the war. Owens feared that writers would come together to promote a pro-Palestinian agenda and an anti-Israel stance, but the actual statement condemned anti-Semitism, along with Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bias.
The 92nd Street Y in Manhattan canceled an event with Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen because he signed a petition opposing the Israeli invasion of Gaza. With writers criticizing the decision and many staff members resigning, the Y canceled its literary schedule for the fall. Nguyen was instead invited to participate at the independent McNally Jackson bookstore.
Nguyen later wrote on Instagram: “I spoke about my book, yes, but also about how art is silenced in times of war and division because some people want to see the world as us versus them. And writing is the only way I know how to fight. And writing is the only way I know how to grieve.”
Source: https://apnews.com/article/book-publishing-trends-2023-e804eafc54ac0de63ae1130edcc04bdb
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