6 Non-Obvious Book Publishing Trends From 2023

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6 Non-Obvious Book Publishing Trends From 2023

By Rohit Bhargava | Inc Magazine | December 7, 2023

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For the past several years, spotlighting trends in publishing has been a part of Inc annual recap of books.  This year, Inc spotlighted six themes and included an overview of each one — and the books included in them — as part of its shortlist announcement show. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. #humanai.  In a year when ChatGPT exploded into public consciousness, there has been a lot of angst about the impact of generative A.I. on work, class, and life. Many of the books published this year explored two specific ideas: how we might build A.I. with a human-centric focus, and how its rise might challenge some fundamental elements of our shared humanity. This is a future that is very much still being written, however.

2. #goodwork.  An upheaval in where work was being done largely defined 2022. Should we go back to in-person workplaces or stay remote? This year, books seemed to focus on a different question: Is the work we’re doing fulfilling in the first place? Rather than fighting over whether to do a job you hate from home or from the office, many of these books suggest reevaluating your relationship to work itself. Good work, which offers intrinsic motivation to do it, is the ideal. We need more good jobs. Maybe the solution, for some, is to quit. Or automate your busywork. Whatever the answer may be, this range of books seems to suggest that good work will be a key issue moving forward.

3. #beyondhappiness.  For years, the ideal condition that we were all meant to maximize was happiness. This year, many books tried to take the next step to go beyond this one elusive state. Wonder, awe, naiveté, awkwardness, and conscious connection were all featured as possible secrets to finding more joy at work and in life. Happiness, it turns out, may not be the ultimate goal worth chasing … or perhaps there are other paths to find it.

4. #brokenhealthcare.  While this might seem like a universal theme across a range of nonfiction books every year, this year seemed to invite more criticism than usual of the health care industry and the players within it. From books revealing the financial underbelly of the medical industry to insider looks at all the ways the system prevents true connections between doctors and patients, this was once again a hot topic — and one that certainly does affect us all.

5. #forgottenfoundations.  One of the beautiful things about books is how they can bring forgotten details to light, and this year there were plenty of books that did just that. Several focused on infrastructure, cars, roads, and even the role of parking in our lives. Others explored the language and science of trees, or the mysteries and secrets of ocean exploration. All of these are elements of the world that are easy to overlook.

6. #fixthefuture.  Books in this theme, offer an optimistic look at how we might shape a more positive future. This thread of optimism was a key element in all the books we included in this trend, and it’s important. The only future we can build is the one we can imagine.

2 key takeaways from the article

1. For the past several years, spotlighting trends in publishing has been a part of Inc annual recap of books.  
2. This year’s six themes are, in no particular order:   Many of the books published this year explored two specific ideas: how we might build A.I. with a human-centric focus, and how its rise might challenge some fundamental elements of our shared humanity.  Rather than fighting over whether to do a job you hate from home or from the office, many of the books suggest reevaluating your relationship to work itself.  Wonder, awe, naiveté, awkwardness, and conscious connection were all featured as possible secrets to finding more joy at work and in life.  This year seemed to invite more criticism than usual of the health care industry and the players within it.  One of the beautiful things about books is how they can bring forgotten details to light, and this year there were plenty of books that did just that. And another trend is books offering an optimistic look at how we might shape a more positive future.

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Topics:  Publishing, Trends, Future