While the publishing industry has experienced some dramatic shifts in recent years, the number of books being self-published continues to climb steadily—and this year is no exception! At Self-Publishing Relief, our experts are continuously tracking the latest trends, changes, and developments in self-publishing. If you’re considering traditional publishing for your book, you’ll first need an agent—and Writer’s Relief can help you with that! But for those of you on the self-publishing track, here’s what we’ve noticed are the top 5 self-publishing trends emerging in 2023.

5 Self-Publishing Trends Topping The List In 2023

One: Books Are Offered In Multiple Formats

Once upon a time, print books were the only game in town. But as technology continues to evolve, more and more readers are enjoying their books in new formats. While e-books have been around for a while and continue to rise in the sales ranks, audiobooks have become popular with readers but remain an untapped opportunity for many self-published authors.

Print books are still the most-purchased option, but offering your book in multiple formats gives your readers more choices, which can translate to more sales. Don’t limit your self-published book to only one format.

Two: Genre Books Remain Bestsellers

In both traditional publishing and self-publishing, genre books continue to remain popular. Book buyers are still snapping up romance, mystery, fantasy, and sci-fi.

The good news is that the readers are out there; the numbers prove it. However, since the pool of novels in these genre categories is so large, you need to be sure you’re marketing your book properly so that your intended audience can actually find it. (HINT: Using the best keywords will put your book in front of more of your readers.)

Three: Personal Brand-Building

This is true for the publishing industry as a whole: Authors are expected to carry more of the responsibility of promoting their books, even within traditional publishing.

Book readings and signings, interviews, and paid ads are just some of the ways to build your author brand and reach your readers. You can also promote your book without breaking your budget: TikTok has become a fantastic platform for authors to build a personal brand and sell their books. Twitter, podcasts, and newsletters (think Substack) are also popular options.

Four: People Are Back To Attending In-Person Events

The pandemic proved to be a double-edged sword for many self-published authors. Consumer spending on leisure reading saw a spike, likely because people were staying home and cut off from a lot of in-person entertainment. But the pandemic also meant that authors couldn’t hold public book launches, signings, readings, or any of those other in-person events meant to connect them with potential buyers.

Now that we are returning to in-person activities, author appearances are making a comeback—and readers are eager to attend! Conferences and other events centered around self-publishing have also returned.

Five: Artificial Intelligence’s Impact On Self-Publishing

Like it or not, artificial intelligence has made its way into self-publishing. Books written with ChatGPT are already available for sale on Amazon. Over 200 books on Amazon currently list ChatGPT as a co-author—and the actual number using AI is probably much higher.

However, there are advantages to using AI. You can use artificial intelligence responsibly as another tool to help fine-tune your book manuscript in half the time it might have taken otherwise. And with AI, a writer might create multiple “choose your adventure” endings to a novel or more easily narrate an audiobook.

These are the major self-publishing trends we’ve seen developing in 2023. Our crystal ball tells us that self-publishing will continue to offer cutting-edge opportunities, so if it’s something you’ve been thinking about, now’s the time to get started!

If you’re unsure about navigating the many technical steps of self-publishing, our experts are here to help! We’ll walk you through every step of the process to create a book you’ll be proud to put your name on. Schedule a free consultation with us today to learn more!

Question: Which trend do you think will have the most impact on self-publishing?