In 2025, reading tastes didn’t just shift; they evolved. The genre shifts in 2025 weren’t subtle: they reshaped bestseller lists, redefined reader expectations, and made hybrid storytelling the new norm. For authors, this creates both opportunity and challenge.
In this post, we unpack which genres boomed, which declined, why hybrids rose, and how you can position your writing and your next book to ride the wave into 2026.
Big Winners of 2025: What Outperformed the Market
Romance-Fantasy Hybrids Took Over
Possibly the biggest story of 2025: the meteoric rise of romantasy: romance + fantasy. Sales of science fiction and fantasy books rocketed, increasing by 41.3% between 2023 and 2024, driven in large part by this hybrid trend.
Romantasy’s appeal is broad: emotional intimacy, fantasy world-building, and the familiar tropes of romance all wrapped into one. The success of titles like Fourth Wing (and similar hits) shows how potent the mix can be.
In 2025, many of the top-selling and most talked-about novels combined sweeping fantasy scope with romantic stakes, and readers responded enthusiastically.
What this means for authors in 2026
- If you write fantasy, consider adding romantic tension or a love arc.
- If you write romance, think about speculative or fantasy settings instead of contemporary ones.
- Hybrid works tend to draw from two readerships, increasing discoverability and sales potential.
If you’re experimenting with genre fusion, our blog on Cross-Genre Fiction Trends expands on many of these patterns.
YA Fiction, Fantasy & Dark Academia Stayed Strong, Especially Among Younger Readers
According to multiple market analyses, the most in-demand genres in 2025 included Young Adult (YA), Fantasy, Romance / Romantasy, Dark Academia, and Thrillers/Mysteries.
Fantasy in particular saw a resurgence, with search interest and readership climbing sharply.
What this means for authors
- If you write YA, lean into crossover appeal; many adult readers still buy YA.
- Consider subgenres that mix atmospheric, emotional, and intellectual elements (dark academia, thriller-fantasy, speculative YA).
- Don’t rely strictly on “pure fantasy” tropes; readers often crave emotional nuance, mood, and complexity.
The Rise of Cross-Genre & Hybrid Fiction
Why Genre Blending Became the Norm
As traditional genre boundaries continue to blur, many readers now expect—or even demand—hybrid stories. According to a 2023 network analysis of readers’ preferences (based on Goodreads data), traditional “genre communities” are shifting: readers are more likely to enjoy books that mix realism and fantasy, youth and maturity, or emotional literature with high-concept plots.
In 2025, this shift manifested in:
- Romantasy (romance + fantasy) dominating fantasy charts
- Horror + speculative fiction experiments gaining interest
- Thrillers, mystery, fantasy, and romance blending in new configurations, e.g., fantasy thrillers, supernatural romance, dystopian romance, etc.
Genre blending lets authors deliver familiarity and novelty. For readers, it means unexpected experiences; for authors, it means bigger potential audiences and more creative freedom.
What Authors Should Do Now
If you have an idea, look at it less as “this is fantasy” or “this is romance,” and more as “what emotional or thematic promise do I deliver?”
Use genre as a toolkit, not a box. Hybrid genre => hybrid audience.
Genres Facing Headwinds: What Declined or Became Riskier in 2025
With some genres booming, others felt pressure. Several analyses suggest that genres relying on rigid rules or those that resist emotional or hybrid experimentation struggled. For example:
- Traditional hard sci-fi or straightforward genre-only fantasy that lacks romance or emotional stakes are becoming harder sells, especially among newer readers.
- Some industry voices suggest that agents and editors are becoming more selective, especially in crowded genres.
Takeaway: If your story is tightly genre-bound without cross-genre appeal, you may need stronger hooks, emotional stakes, or unique positioning to break through.
Projections for 2026: What’s Likely to Grow (and What to Watch)
Based on data from 2025 and early signals for 2026, here are the trends to watch and how authors can prepare.
| Trend / Forecast | Why It Matters | What Authors Should Do |
|---|---|---|
| Romantasy & Romance-Hybrid Growth Continues | Demand still high, hybrids continue to top bestseller lists | If you write romance or fantasy, consider combining them. If you don’t, consider adding a romantic sub-plot or emotional arc. |
| Cross-Genre & Hybrid Fiction Becomes Baseline | Reader preferences grow more complex; traditional genre lines blur | Think less category, more experience. Design stories around emotional tone, themes, and hooks rather than rigid genre constraints. |
| Atmospheric & Niche Subgenres Rise (Dark Academia, Cozy Horror, Grounded Speculative) | Growing interest in mood-driven, emotionally rich stories in a turbulent world | Explore tone, setting, and emotional stakes — these can help you stand out, even in crowded genre markets. |
| YA + Crossover Appeal Maintains Strength | YA remains popular with both younger and adult readers; high adaptability on social media & apps | If you write YA, lean into cross-market appeal. If you write adult, consider YA-adjacent themes or styles. |
| Market Saturation Means Unique Positioning Matters More Than Ever | With so many titles across genres and hybrids, standing out requires sharper hooks and strong branding | Invest in strong concept, clear genre-blend identity, professional metadata and cover design, and thoughtful marketing strategy. |
Practical Tips for Authors in 2026: How to Use This Data in Your Writing
Based on the genre shifts in 2025 + 2026 projections, here’s a checklist you can use, whether you’re starting a new manuscript or revising your marketing plan:
- Plot with dual hooks: consider combining high concept (fantasy, speculative, mystery) with emotional stakes (romance, relationships, moral dilemmas).
- Design for flexibility: write stories that can be marketed as hybrid: e.g., “Dark romantasy with suspense,” or “YA fantasy with horror undertones.”
- Be genre-savvy but not pigeonholed: use genres as labels for the shelf, not boundaries for creativity.
- Polish metadata and cover art carefully: unique genre-blended titles benefit from clarity in marketing.
- Know your audience: social media trends (BookTok, fandoms) influence what sells; blend broad appeal with niche hooks.
- Build in emotional resonance and atmosphere: tone, mood, and character complexity matter more than ever.
- Have a long-term plan: with markets crowded, building readership over time (series, backlist, mailing list) can pay off more than betting on one hit.
Final Thoughts on genre shifts in 2025
The genre shifts in 2025 delivered a clear message: readers want more than genre. They want emotion. They want novelty wrapped in familiarity. They want hybrid stories that surprise them yet feel satisfying.
For authors, that means the rules have changed. The safety of rigid genre categories is fading. What matters is the promise, the reader’s emotional and experiential expectation.
If you embrace hybrid storytelling, design for emotion and breadth, and respect both craft and market data, you’re not just writing a book. You’re creating a story that fits 2026.
Stay tuned for Part 3: how the indie boom is changing publishing forever.
