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LGBTQ Fiction Sales Surge in the U.S. across the adult, children's, and YA categories

Teusery

Teusery

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May 18, 2022
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www.publishersweekly.com

LGBTQ Fiction Sales Surge in the U.S.

A recent report from NPD BookScan found that U.S. print book sales of LGBTQ fiction reached nearly 5 million units in 2021, doubling 2020 sales.
www.publishersweekly.com www.publishersweekly.com

According to a new report from NPD BookScan, print book sales of LGBTQ fiction are surging in the U.S. across the adult, children's, and YA categories. In 2021, sales of LGBTQ fiction reached 5 million units, doubling 2020 sales. Strong growth has continued in 2022, with LGBTQ fiction sales up by 39% from January through May 28, compared to the same period in 2021.
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"The continued strength in this subject across all areas of the market suggests there is an opportunity for publishers to expand in these subjects or cross-pollinate LGBTQ themes with other high-growth areas of the market," said Kristen McLean, books industry analyst for NPD. "What was once considered a niche area of publishing is now becoming mainstream, with a number of titles leading the national bestseller lists and books being shared across generations of readers."

The sales rise comes even as efforts to ban LGBTQ books, as well as books by and about people of color, at public schools and public libraries proliferate nationwide. Those efforts have prompted multiple Congressional hearings attempting to reckon with the effects on the nation's schools and libraries.
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Guess the conservatives are going to have to go after Amazon, TikTok, and book stores next.

(They will)
 
psionotic

psionotic

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May 29, 2019
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I'm reading only queer fiction for pride month (Heartstopper v1, The Priory of the Orange Tree, Both Can Be True, Gideon the Ninth) so happy to contribute to this trend.
 

Deleted member 83599

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Oct 22, 2020
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I really can't imagine growing up in a world with voluminous LGBTQ+ youth literature.

I am both thrilled for today's queer kids but also extremely envious that it's something I never had access to as a kid. There was fucking nothing growing up in the 90s/00s.
 
Royalan

Royalan

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Oct 24, 2017
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Finally, the market is ripe for my queer friends-to-lovers time traveling historical fantasy romance epic.
 
Surakian

Surakian

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Oct 27, 2017
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Good! They are the only books I consume these days. 90% of what I've read this month has been queer fiction, in fact.
 

Deleted member 25606

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More trans rep in fantasy and its sub-genres (horror, sci-fi, superheroes) please. I loved the two Dreadnought books but not sure we will ever see the third book, would love more stuff like that.

the whole trend is still awesome and inspiring though.
 
Vincent Alexander

Vincent Alexander

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Oct 26, 2017
19,762
This is awesome to read.

Jessi77 said:
More trans rep in fantasy and its sub-genres (horror, sci-fi, superheroes) please. I loved the two Dreadnought books but not sure we will ever see the third book, would love more stuff like that.

the whole trend is still awesome and inspiring though.
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I'm a nobody, but my fantasy story has trans representation in it and I'm constantly nervous I'm going to muck it up. At some point I need to find people that will let me consult with them and get feedback. Some of these characters I plan to have around for a long while.
 
CloseTalker

CloseTalker

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Oct 25, 2017
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I essentially seek out queer fiction for like 85% of what I read these days, so this is great to hear. I just have no desire to read a straight romance if there's a queer one right beside it.
 
Kangi

Kangi

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Oct 25, 2017
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Unsurprising given its prevalence. Can't walk ten feet into some stores without seeing a shelf full of lovesick twinks gracing book covers end to end. It's beautiful
 
i_am_ben

i_am_ben

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Oct 27, 2017
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That's good. Hopefully more of it is being written by LGBT authors too.

Sometimes LGBT books written by straight people feel quite unnatural.
 
Conditional-Pancakes

Conditional-Pancakes

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CloseTalker said:
I essentially seek out queer fiction for like 85% of what I read these days, so this is great to hear. I just have no desire to read a straight romance if there's a queer one right beside it.
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Interestingly enough, this is also what a lot of my straight friends are saying. And not just for books, for movies and TV shows too.

I love this quick video essay giving some explanations as to why a lot of straight people are seeking out queer fiction these days.




pokeystaples said:
More lesbian horror please and thanks.
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Not a book, and very light on actual horror, but still:



 
pokeystaples

pokeystaples

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Oct 27, 2017
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Conditional-Pancakes said:
Interestingly enough, this is also what a lot of my straight friends are saying. And not just for books, for movies and TV shows too.

I love this quick video essay giving some explanations as to why a lot of straight people are seeking out queer fiction these days.






Not a book, and very light on actual horror, but still:



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First Kill is fun as heck. Watched in last week. Bad CG, but the leads are fantastic.

YouTube video is great. A lot of my straight friends have really gone head first into queer entertainment. Going to forward it their way.
 

Deleted member 25606

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Loved First Kill, the teen romance I was denied due to the circumstances of my birth and assigned sex. The horror stuff is just extra gravy on top.
 
petitmelon

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Oct 25, 2017
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This makes me so happy. It's great that the big publishers are finally accepting manuscripts with queer characters.
 
Autumn

Autumn

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Apr 1, 2018
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Does First Kill get better? I watched the first two episode and thought the overall show sucked. Of course people were comparing it to Teenage Bounty Hunters and I got excited. Might have to give it another try.

Also watch Water Lilies, my favorite movie. It's in French but it's a very visual movie.

 
WedgeX

WedgeX

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Oct 27, 2017
13,209
This feels amazing since the old (current?) days of the local Barnes and Noble having a larger "Christian Fiction" section than anything else.
 
Hollywood Duo

Hollywood Duo

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Oct 25, 2017
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Cool, I'm old enough that seeing the same boring stories and tropes over and over again its completely uninteresting to me.
 

Deleted member 24052

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Oct 29, 2017
13,470
That's wonderful news. At several of my local bookstores I've seen growing LGBTQIA+ sections in young adult and fantasy, and it's been great to see. Even in the Barnes and Noble, as well. Not just for pride month either, I started seeing this months ago.

Royalan said:
Finally, the market is ripe for my queer friends-to-lovers time traveling historical fantasy romance epic.
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Would read.
 

Deleted member 25606

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heathen earth said:
Yes! Read Caitlin R. Kiernan and Hailey Piper if you haven't already.

I only read books by female authors, and try to support lesbian writers as much as I can. I read mostly horror and science fiction, and while there is a lot to choose from, I'm always open to more.
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Huge fan of Keirnan, one of the better writers in short horror these days and going back awhile. Think I actually read a story by her with a trans character in one of the years best horror compilations. Then again while it has its problem areas and people in general Horror has always been one of the more open and inclusive genres which is why it pisses me off when you see people act like people into horror have something wrong with them.
Autumn said:
Does First Kill get better? I watched the first two episode and thought the overall show sucked. Of course people were comparing it to Teenage Bounty Hunters and I got excited. Might have to give it another try.

Also watch Water Lilies, my favorite movie. It's in French but it's a very visual movie.

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I mostly enjoy it because the budding romance between the two leads feels super genuine to me, the other stuff is just window dressing though admittedly it does work for me. As I like to say about a lot of "bad" horror, it's trash but it's my kind of trash.
 
pokeystaples

pokeystaples

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Oct 27, 2017
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heathen earth said:
Yes! Read Caitlin R. Kiernan and Hailey Piper if you haven't already.

I only read books by female authors, and try to support lesbian writers as much as I can. I read mostly horror and science fiction, and while there is a lot to choose from, I'm always open to more.
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Legit the thread that keeps giving! I'll be sure to check them out! I'm in between books right now so this is great.
魑魅魍魎 said:
I wonder if this includes books by E. Lynn Harris and James Earl Hardy...... sigh probably not :(
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Whew, flooded with memories of devouring ELH books. Rest In Peace to one of the best to do it.
 
Landy828

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Oct 26, 2017
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WedgeX said:
This feels amazing since the old (current?) days of the local Barnes and Noble having a larger "Christian Fiction" section than anything else.
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I found going in a Books 'a Million (sp?) for the first time in years this week wild. There was still a big "christian" section, but there was a lot more of everything else.

The THREE half store wide rows of Manga really got me.
 
Fatoy

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Mar 13, 2019
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Conditional-Pancakes said:
Interestingly enough, this is also what a lot of my straight friends are saying. And not just for books, for movies and TV shows too.
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I'm straight, but I've found myself gravitating towards queer content a fair bit lately. For me, I think it comes down to the fact that I've seen so many films and TV shows, and read so many books, where the romantic / sexual portion is exactly like my lived experience, that it gets boring. Queer fiction adds a new dynamic for me, in that same-sex relationships / trans representation are things that I have no first-hand experience of, but things that I recognise as valid, interesting, and that I want to try and get some feel for by proxy.

To be honest I'm a little concerned that that sounds like I'm treating queer stories as some sort of curio to browse. I don't believe I mean it that way. I look to media to make me feel a different way to how I feel in the everyday, and obviously genre is a big part of that, but so is content that spotlights the inner lives and experiences of people who aren't me.
 
Saucycarpdog

Saucycarpdog

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Oct 25, 2017
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Also where's my gay space sci-fi novels?

Someone needs to pick up Mass Effect's slack.
 
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jman1954goat

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I started reading lgbt books during pride month a few years back and it's just become a year-round affair
 

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Fatoy said:
I'm straight, but I've found myself gravitating towards queer content a fair bit lately. For me, I think it comes down to the fact that I've seen so many films and TV shows, and read so many books, where the romantic / sexual portion is exactly like my lived experience, that it gets boring. Queer fiction adds a new dynamic for me, in that same-sex relationships / trans representation are things that I have no first-hand experience of, but things that I recognise as valid, interesting, and that I want to try and get some feel for by proxy.

To be honest I'm a little concerned that that sounds like I'm treating queer stories as some sort of curio to browse. I don't believe I mean it that way. I look to media to make me feel a different way to how I feel in the everyday, and obviously genre is a big part of that, but so is content that spotlights the inner lives and experiences of people who aren't me.
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I don't get that from your post and actually feel the same way, reading is one of the easiest ways to experience other viewpoints and no matter who you are so much media at least in America has revolved around straight cis white males that anything else regardless of what is interesting just for not being the same ol' same ol' that has been the standard for decades if not centuries.
 
Morlas

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Oct 25, 2017
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Honestly unless they're really well executed straight romances don't do much for me nowadays. Much rather read some queer romance instead because the dynamics are usually much more interesting.
 
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