On the eve of the London book fair, publishers were excited by news that sales of physical books were up for the second year in a row – 7% more than in 2015. And, following Waterstones’ return to profit for the first time in years, there was also good news for bricks-and-mortar bookshops, with a 4% rise in purchases across the UK. Meanwhile, ebooks declined by 4%, the second consecutive year digital book sales have fallen.
Is this the start of a trend? While it was too early to tell at this year’s book fair, more than one publisher was whistling a happy tune as they entered the Olympia exhibition centre on Tuesday. With print books having a higher average price point than ebooks, and with a weaker pound benefitting exporters – German publishers in particular bought big this year – the mood among the hundreds of publishers was optimistic. As an industry that works 18 months ahead of the reader, the future of publishing looks bright.
There was a lot to be cheerful about. The boom in celebrity memoirs appears to be over, a shift many publishers spoke of with glee. Despite a slew of deals announced at the fair, the starry names attached to books were rock royalty rather than reality TV or soap stars. The only name familiar to the gossip columns was model-turned-actor-turned-author Cara Delevingne, who has lent her name to a YA novel called Mirror, Mirror (“exploring the themes of identity, sexuality, friendship and betrayal”) that will be co-written with author Rowan Coleman.
After David Walliams, Russell Brand, Frank Lampard and Pharrell Williams, Delevingne is the latest in a long line of celebrities choosing to write children’s books rather than a memoir. However, Jeremy Trevathan, publisher at Pan Macmillan, said this change is recognition that fame alone does not make sales. “These books are still in evidence,” he said, “but there has to be more to them. Longevity or a real connection with readers seems to be the order of the day.”
Famous names with book deals announced at the fair were notable for their connections to 80s and 90s pop music, following the success of autobiographies by Bruce Springsteen and Smiths frontman Morrissey. But, though serious money changed hands for titles by musician and DJ Goldie, Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker and Suede’s Brett Anderson, the advances were “sensible” high five- and six-figure sums, rather than stratospheric seven-figure ones, which may now be a relic of the past.
While publishers secretly celebrated the end of a craze that had cost them dear, many were less happy with the continued demand for psychological thrillers, or “grip-lit” in the mould of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl or Louise Doughty’s Apple Tree Yard. Across LBF’s packed halls, editors and agents were agreed that the genre has peaked.
One agent, who did not want to be named for fear of upsetting lucrative clients, said: “We really needs to move on, but no one has come up with anything to replace it.” Alluding to the publishing creed that readers’ taste in fiction is a direct reflection of the state of the economy, she added: “We want something more positive, something more life affirming.”
Jon Wood, publisher at Orion, agreed. “There’s been a lot of talk [at the fair] about a move towards escapist or more uplifting stories as an antidote to what’s happening in the world,” he said. But agent Jonny Geller of Curtis Brown was pessimistic about the prospect of readers becoming bored of grip-lit any time soon. Working 18 months ahead of what book buyers see on shelves means publishers are always first to call the end of a trend, he said: “Readers still want psychological thrillers, even though we’re all really tired of them.”
“If you cry, you buy” was the mantra of the fair, according to Geller. Publishers at LBF were taking an expensive punt on the genre, as the trade sought to cash in on the success of JoJo Moyes’ weepfest Me Before You – though whether it will be the next big thing remains to be seen.
Perhaps the most lucrative deals will be the unexpected ones. Sixtysomething Scottish schoolteacher Mick Kitson sent his manuscript of Sal to Canongate’s communications director Jenny Fry to read “for advice” after meeting her at a family memorial. But, by the end of the fair, Canongate’s Jamie Byng expected Kitson’s novel to be published in 20 countries, including the US, Italy and Spain.
Described by Byng as “Hansel and Gretel set in the west coast of Scotland”, Sal tells the story of a young girl who escapes appalling conditions to live wild. “There is nothing sentimental about it,” the publisher said. “It is strong and brutal, but also redemptive and hopeful.”
Kitson was at the fair with his daughter and admitted he felt dazed by the speed with which the book had gone global. “When I was called by Canongate, I thought it was a member of my family taking the piss,” he told the Guardian. “I’m still in shock.”
