There are lots of changes afoot in the book publishing world as we settle into 2023. Whether it’s relatively new trends (hello, AI!) or the ramping up of old ones (ebooks are absolutely everywhere), these are the ideas and strategies that will be the talk of the industry throughout the year.

As an author, it’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with what’s coming next so you can incorporate these practices into your writing and marketing plan if they sound right for you. Just remember to pick and choose what feels authentic to you and your book.

Artificial Intelligence

It seems like you can’t read the news without seeing headlines about artificial intelligence writing. Specifically, OpenAI’s ChatGPT is making waves as a writing source for college students and new article generator. But does this mean that the newest entries into the book world will be written by AI this year? Not quite.

Instead, this new resource will likely be incorporated into an author’s writing routine. AI-generated text could help inspire them through particularly difficult passages or to crank out more novels in a shorter period of time. Whether the majority of writers will jump on board the AI train remains to be seen, since the technology is so new and the moral ground is not quite established. But there will definitely be an increase in AI’s use for marketing books, whether authors use it for creative copy, website generators, or blog posts.

Obviously there is still a lot of finesse and oversight that only humans can give, but AI as an assistive tool for writers is something that will likely grow this year.

Ebooks on the Rise

While some of us still love our books in physical paper form (you would have to pry my well-worn copy of The Starless Sea out of my cold dead hands), it’s hard to deny the convenience and affordability of ebooks. According to Statista, revenue from ebook sales is projected to reach $14.21 billion this year. And it’s expected to show an annual growth rate of 2.01 percent over the next four years, meaning a projected market volume of $15.39 billion by 2027. That is a lot of ebooks!

As a writer, this is a trend that should interest you very much when considering your book sales and marketing tactics. And if the idea of getting your book into the digital stratosphere feels overwhelming, rest assured that there are plenty of self-publishing platforms that offer publishing assistance from beginning to end, including the creation of ebooks. Many times, ebooks are more cheaply priced for purchase since they are cheaper to produce, which can also add appeal for potential readers.

Think Globally

International markets have exploded in the book publishing world lately, especially in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. After the United States, Asia (and especially China) is actually the biggest market for books and has shown the most annual growth rates of any place in the world over the last few years.

What does this mean for you as an author? When you market your book, it’s important you don’t limit yourself to what will appeal just to American readers. There is a whole wide world, so authors should be taking a deeper look at how to get their work to a broader audience. You may discover that there is a huge demand for your particular creation in a different country if you spend the time and resources (and, yes, money) to get your name out there.

Increased Direct Sales

More and more authors are discovering the advantages of direct selling. This form of selling means you don’t use an outside company or tools but instead engage directly with your readers through your own personal or professional author website.

Written Word Media points out that the main advantage of selling directly to readers is the amount of data you receive from each purchase. If someone buys your book from Amazon, for example, you know only the price he or she paid. If an author uses direct sales through their website or something like Shopify, they will receive all the purchase data from that buyer. This information can then be used to pinpoint which marketing efforts work and which don’t so they can narrow their marketing into a more refined target that will help increase book sales.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions have, at this point, become almost second nature to people. We have subscriptions for TV, newspapers, magazines, recipes, and, of course, books. Individual authors are increasingly taking advantage of programs like Kindle Unlimited and even offering their own serial fiction via a subscription to their website with exclusive writing and other content.

Once you have a loyal audience, even if (especially if) you have an extremely niche audience, it makes sense to offer some sort of subscription or membership to foster that sense of brand loyalty and inclusiveness. This also helps authors tailor their content specifically to their members, which will in turn help drive up book sales and revenue.

As 2023 picks up speed, take the time to sit and consciously reflect about what you want from this coming year in terms of your writing, editing, and marketing plans—and how the book publishing trends listed above can help you achieve those goals. Obviously there will be certain areas that don’t impact you as much as others. But taking into consideration where the industry as a whole is shifting can help you stay ahead of the curve—especially if you consider the fact that those shifts often become major directional changes as the years go by.

Andrea Moran lives outside of Nashville. She’s a professional copywriter and editor who loves all things books. Find her on LinkedIn.