Japanese art of forest bathing among non-fiction trends for 2018

The Japanese art of forest bathing has been heralded as a potential big-hitting non-fiction trend of 2018, while the popularity of medical memoirs and feminist books look set to continue.

Many editors have told the Bookseller that the wellness genre has the biggest potential for innovation as the trade attempts to fill the "trend void" of 2017, after the success in recent years of adult colouring books, nostalgia spoof titles and hygge. Taking care of yourself combined with an appreciation of nature and journalling are tipped to be popular this year, editors believe.

According to Liz Gough, publisher at Yellow Kite and Lifestyle, an imprint at Hodder & Stoughton, the popularity of self-care titles looks set to continue as books around mindfulness, sleep and reducing screen time will continue to find a market “as long as they are accessible and different enough to what's already out there.”  She believes that journaling could help replace the colouring book trend because it because it is activity-based and tipped a movement towards self-compassion combined with mindfulness as a winner with non-fiction readers this year, naming Kindfulness By Padraig O'Morain (Yellow Kite) as her "2018 wildcard".

Appreciation for nature also appears to be an increasingly important area of non-fiction, according to Gough, "whether that's bringing nature indoors and enhancing the space around you, eating fewer processed and more natural foods or, in a wider sense, respecting our environment, it feels like that's a real movement".

Stephanie Jackson, publishing director of the Octopus Group, concurred and said that 'Shinrin-yoku' - the Japanese art of forest bathing - will have a “a hygge-like moment this year” building on the desire for books about conscious living such as clean living. “Driven by the nature trend and underpinned by evidence-based science, Shinrin-yoku’s innate credibility broadens the appeal,” she said. Penguin Life signed "major" deals at last year's Frankfurt Book Fair for Shinrin-Yoku: The Art and Science of Forest Bathing – How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr Qing Li, which will be published in the UK on 5th April 2018.

Jackson added: “Yoga, chakras and natural skincare will also see a resurgence, with contemporary approaches that are fundamentally brand and platform-led, offering relevance and recognition in a crowded marketplace.”

Drummond Moir, publisher at Hodder & Stoughton General Non-Fiction, cited veganism as a growing trend, with the company's How to Go Vegan as one of its most successful recent titles. Meanwhile, a forthcoming series of 12 books on each of the star signs was “a response to resurgent interest in astrology”, he said.

Editors have conflicting views on what will go down well in terms of food and drinks titles, although two publishers agreed a focus on personal experience would help with success. Octopus group publishing director, Denise Bates, expects that books about spirits and cocktails, particularly at the premium end, will continue to perform well as people prioritise the experience of choosing and creating drinks themselves. Jackson believes that narrative accounts rooted in personal experience will emerge triumphant in a food and drinks market where it is “increasingly difficult to break through”.

Meanwhile, the popularity of personal experience portrayed in medical books shows no sign of abating, according to publishers. Mike Harpley, editorial director of non-fiction at Atlantic Books, citied Adam Kay’s award-winning This Is Going To Hurt (Picador) as a reason that bookshops will continue to support such titles, predicting a heavy presence of neuroscience books this year. 

Moir agreed and said: “There are also a number of fantastic medical memoirs coming, and while reviewers are sated for the time being and commissioning editors have probably seen enough of them, readers’ appetite for them may well continue.”

The current wave of feminist titles reported in The Bookseller earlier this month will also carry on, according to Harpley and Moir. The centenary of women's suffrage and the anti-harassment #MeToo movement has encouraged “lot of great publishing” according to Moir, while the fallout from the allegations levelled at Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein provides an “opportunity to publish books that address inequality in all forms, from the subtle to the shockingly brazen”. Harpley said that while anniversary and the current debates mean there will be a lot of books on feminism released, he believes a few titles will do well although “the sheer number” suggests many will underperform.

Polemical books about politics written by respected experts look set to continue, with Moir citing the recent titles which have been “loud, bold, confident and written with great conviction” such as those by Yanis Varoufakis and Douglas Murray's The Strange Death of Europe (Bloomsbury), as well as Liam Young of forthcoming Rise (S&S UK), higlighted by Ian Marshall, editorial director of non-fiction at Simon & Schuster UK.

Moir said: “I think 2018 will see more books becoming instant must-reads despite fast turnarounds, and the challenge will be to spot the ones that will generate the most coverage without trying to provoke for the sake of it.”

Current affairs titles will continue to be bought, according to Marshall, because "suddenly politics feels important again with big issues at stake, and people are turning to books to understand things better". Meanwhile Harpley believes political books will need to cover broader issues to break through. While most publishers will “steer clear” of Brexit books because the debate has been covered heavily in the media and is so moving so quickly, Harpley believes “there may be some prominent political books that cover broader issues than Brexit or Trump”.

Releases celebrating the Royal Family will also see “a boost” in the run-up to the wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May, with the mania expected to run until Christmas, according to Moir. A range of books on the subject have already been announced, such as a "definitive" biography of Prince Harry by journalist and author Angela Levin from John Blake Publishing, part of Bonnier Publishing UK, an in-depth biography on Meghan Markle by Andrew Morton called Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, set to be published by Michael O’Mara Books on 19th April 2018 and Harry & Meghan: A Royal Engagement published by Pitkin last November.