Agents tip 'joyful' stories, vampires and cosy crime to boom in 2022

Literary agents are predicting “joy” will be a dominant theme among submissions in 2022 with cosy crime continuing, renewed fervour for historical fiction and vampires, plus further exploration of the Substack model.  

The Bookseller spoke to various agents about what trends they predicted this year and what they most wanted to see as Covid-19 continues to impose varying restrictions across the UK.  

Several emphasised a desire to see uplifting storylines, including Catherine Cho of Paper Literary (pictured). She said: "I feel that there’s still an appetite for escapism, stories as a place of refuge. Personally I’d love to find some ’big’ stories, something sweeping, perhaps set in an unusual place. I’d also love to find something that is joyous.”  

Amanda Harris, m.d. of books at YMU, agreed. “Joy-seeking will be a big theme this year, as readers continue to gravitate to books that inspire, lighten and distract,” she told The Bookseller. “‘Authenticity’ can often be an overused word in our industry, but I believe it will also become increasingly important in 2022 and beyond.”  

Anna Power, of Johnson & Alcock, believes the thirst for nature writing in non-fiction could seep into fiction as a way of escape: “I also see the appetite for nature and travel writing growing through to beautifully crafted fiction that provides adventure and escapism,” she said  

Jonny Geller, c.e.o. of The Curtis Brown Group, suggested a further move away from dystopian themes which dominated submissions in recent years. “I feel everybody is willing 2022 to be more positive and hopeful and I imagine submissions will reflect this,” he said. “The glut of dystopia on Netflix, bleak visions of our futures, may create a backlash in our reading tastes. I am interested in reading more fiction that takes us out of our everyday."

He added: "Brilliant thrillers, genre leaders will still dominate, but there may be an appetite for stories that challenge us to open our minds, feel change is possible. I feel we will be coming out of our introspective period and want novels that make us see the world – past, present and future – differently, but not necessarily purely apocalyptically. Themes of connection, imagination, empowerment and hope will be my guess for 2022.”  

Carrie Plitt, of the Felicity Bryan Agency (pictured right), was one of many to cite the continued appetite for cosy crime. “It’s so hard to know how long this pandemic will last, but I foresee a continued trend towards escapism in both fiction and non-fiction. So in the midst of a bleak world, people will be captivated by lush historical novels, big family sagas, cosy crime, absorbing narrative non-fiction and travel.”  

Harry Illingworth, of DHH Literary, said: “I’ve no doubt that the Richard Osman effect will continue, especially with the recent popularity of The Appeal by Janice Hallett (Viper), and that we will continue to see these types of crime novels remain extremely popular."

Tim Bates at PFD agreed there would still be demand for cosy and traditional crime, something also predicted by editors recently. But he suggested there could be room for innovation too, saying: "I wonder whether someone will reinvent other reliable and comforting genres of the past for a contemporary audience  – bodice-rippers or bonkbusters perhaps?”

Other forms of genre fiction such as horror could also find an eager audience this year. Robbie Guillory, of the freshly launched Underline Literary Agency, said: “I think that 2022 will see more readers turning to romance to find an escape from the trials of the pandemic years, discovering completely brilliant writers and becoming hooked on the genre. On the flipside – though still an escape of sorts – there appears to be a growing appetite for horror, and I think that we’re going to see gains in that genre also.”  

Illingworth predicted a boom for vampires in particular. “They’re back, or they’re on the way back once and for all,” he told The Bookseller. “I think Jay Kristoff has paved the way for a new type of vampire novel and there’s an insatiable appetite among readers.”  

Substack could also provide possibilities for publishers in 2022 as many more writers, such as George Saunders, adopt the model. In November, the tech platform described a "concerted push" to bring more UK based writers in and Bates said: “I wonder whether we might finally see a UK publisher make a success of serial fiction publishing, and create a genuine must-read event.” 

Across non-fiction, history and politics could dominate with a particular focus on the environment. Illingworth said: “If my clients are anything to go by, I think we can also expect a lot more fiction with messages about the climate crisis and our environment, which authors are writing in very interesting ways.”  

Bev James, founder and c.e.o. of Bev James Management, and her agent Morwenna Loughman, agreed. “One of the key areas that we’re focusing on for 2022 is books that address the climate crisis from a very practical standpoint – what we can all do in our daily lives to implement change, the small actions that will have a big impact. We can no longer afford to consider publishing about the environment ‘niche’.” They also described in lifestyle publishing “a real sea change and a drive towards exploring lifestyle topics from more diverse perspectives for example books on skin and beauty”.  

They, like several other agents, expressed a desire for analytical non-fiction titles to empower their readers. “There’s also a real appetite for narratives that explore and interrogate this question of ‘where do we go from here?’ How do we learn to listen to each other again, to trust each other, on an individual level and as a global society?” James and Loughman said.  

Power echoed this: “I’ll be looking out for non-fiction that empowers readers through ideas and attitude – from popular science and psychology through to cultural criticism and history.”   

Plitt said: “I’m on the lookout for some great narrative history this year, ground-breaking political writing that helps us re-evaluate the world, interesting takes on the latest developments in science, and positive, philosophical books about how to live. I’d love to see more beautifully written memoirs, especially if they have a clear theme underpinning the story.”  

Rory Scarfe, of The Blair Partnership, also suggested “more rip-roaring memoirs from larger than life household name figures from the world of popular entertainment” as this shows no sign of waning with the likes of Bob Mortimer and Billy Connolly dominating the charts.

Scarfe thought science stories will continue to fascinate post-pandemic: “I think incredible true-life survivor stories of hope against adversity will continue to perform well throughout the publishing year as well as ‘breakthrough’ science stories, as we had with Vaxxers. And the World Cup will provide a major publishing moment for some of England’s most inspirational players and coaches to tell readers about mindset, leadership and culture.”