meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Sarah's Bookshelves Live

Ep. 156: 2023 State of the Industry with Sarah Landis (Literary Agent)

Sarah's Bookshelves Live

Sarah Dickinson

Bookrecommendations, Bookpodcasts, Sarahsbookshelvespodcast, Sarahsbookshelveslivepodcast, Sarahsbookshelveslive, Bookpodcast, Literarypodcast, Whatshouldiread, Arts, Bookreviewpodcast, Reading, Readingpodcast, Books, Sarahsbookshelves

4.9 • 732 Ratings

🗓️ 29 November 2023

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For our first annual 2023 State of the Industry episode, we’re welcoming back literary agent Sarah Landis for an overview and exploration of some hot topics in the book world this year.  Taking stock of how this year panned out for the publishing industry, Sarah discusses top news stories, dives deep into how specific titles performed this year, and shares current trends she’s seeing in publishing.  Also, Sarah shares her favorite books of 2023!

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Coming Soon

  • The updated 2024 Rock Your Reading Tracker will release on December 6! This year’s updated edition will be exclusively available to our $7/month Superstars Patrons and will not be offered for separate purchase as in previous years. Don’t miss out on this and other bookish goodies – become a Superstars Patron here!

Highlights

  • 2023 bookish news and publishing numbers overview.
  • Sarah talks current popular genres, BookTok trends, and Simon & Schuster sale.
  • A quick dive into IP books, their meaning, and a notable downside.
  • The Elizabeth Gilbert book review bombing situation.
  • BTS vs. Taylor Swift pre-order controversy.
  • Playing Over/Under with this year’s top book performers.
  • Do celebrity book clubs really boost sales? A look at the numbers.
  • Publisher expectations and the influence of page count.
  • Bookish trends of the year: BookTok’s impact on publishing.
  • Examining shifts in publishing calendars.
  • Anticipating 2024’s potential bookish trends.

2023 State of the Industry

High-Level Overview [3:08]

Big Book Stories of 2023 [13:10]

The Over / Under Game [25:17]

Bookish Trends of 2023 [44:26]

Examining the Shift in Publishers’ Calendars [51:43]

Potential Trends for 2024 [54:25]

Sarah’s Top 3 Books of the Year [56:02]

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to Sarah's Bookshelves Live. I'm Sarah of Sarah's Bookshelves. Each week, I talk with a bookish

0:15.6

guest about two old books they love, two new books they love, one book they do not love,

0:22.2

and one new release they're excited about.

0:23.5

We're going to get real and sometimes a bit snarky about all things books.

0:27.7

If you like the show, I'd love it if you follow the show in your podcast player, spread

0:32.2

the word to your reader friends, post about it on your social media, or support the show on Patreon at patreon.com slash

0:41.4

Sarah's bookshelves. Supporting the show on Patreon gets you access to bonus podcast episodes

0:46.5

and lots of other goodies. There's also a link in the show notes and in my Instagram bio.

0:52.1

Let's get rolling. Welcome to our first annual state of the industry episode

0:56.2

with two-time podcast guest literary agent Sarah Landis. Sarah first joined us earlier this year as our

1:02.7

expert for our fantasy speculative fiction 101 episode. And she had so much fascinating behind-the-scenes

1:09.2

insight about the industry in general that we decided to make her an annual guest.

1:14.3

As a literary agent, Sarah represents a wide range of fiction from middle grade to adult.

1:18.8

Her client's novels have received a variety of accolades including Barnes & Noble and Reese's book club selections and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller

1:28.6

list as well as international bestseller lists around the globe. Before joining Sterling Lord

1:33.3

Literistic in 2017, Sarah worked as an editor for 15 years holding roles at GP Putnam's, Hyperion

1:40.4

books, Harper Collins Children's Books, and Houghton-Mifflin-Harkort books for young readers.

1:45.1

Welcome, Sarah.

1:46.1

Welcome back, Sarah, I should say.

1:48.5

Oh, thank you.

1:49.6

Happy to be back.

1:51.5

And for those of you that did not hear Sarah's earlier episode from earlier this year,

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sarah Dickinson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Sarah Dickinson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.