The Most Important Book Publishing Trend Right Now Isn’t What You Think

This article is meant to help you increasae your odds of getting a literary agent. It’s part of our Guide to Getting a Literary Agent, It was written by a former literary agent with 30 years of experience in the industry—not only as an agent, but also as the former Marketing & Licensing Manager of a well-known book publisher, and as an author coach/consultant who has helped 400+ writers get literary agents and/or traditional publishers since 2011.

One of the most important book publishing trends right now is not something happening inside publishing houses. It is something happening inside writers. Some are not giving up on publication, but they are delaying the writing, revision, querying, and submission process. That creates both a challenge and an opportunity.

Quick Summary: An Important Book Publishing Trend

When the world feels unstable, some writers don’t stop wanting publication, but they do slow down. They postpone revisions, hesitate to query, put off their book proposals, and delay submissions to literary agents and publishers. That creates a challenge, but also an opportunity. Writers who protect their creativity and keep moving toward representation and publication may gain momentum, clarity, and an edge at a time when others feel stuck. And because many books do more than entertain—they also uplift, educate, inspire, or comfort—continuing to move forward now may matter not only for writers, but also for the readers who need that work.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Some writers aren’t abandoning publication, but they are delaying revision, querying, proposal development, and submission.
• In unstable times, hesitation is understandable—but delay can quietly become a serious obstacle to getting a literary agent and/or publisher.
• Writing and pursuing publication can both be acts of stability, purpose, and forward motion when life feels uncertain.
• Readers, literary agents, and publishers cannot respond to work that never gets properly prepared and sent.
• Many books do more than entertain—they also uplift, educate, inspire, comfort, and help readers make sense of life, which makes them especially valuable in difficult times.
• Writers who stay focused and continue taking practical steps toward representation and publication may have an edge when others feel stuck.
• There is rarely a perfect time to seek literary agents or publishers; in real life, the writers who keep going are often the ones who make the most progress.

Table of Contents

1. Why This Matters for Writers Seeking Literary Agents and Publishers
2. Why Unstable Times Make Writers Hesitate
3. What I’ve Learned Personally in Difficult Times
4. How Delay Shows Up in Real Life
5. Why Writing and Publishing Can Both Be Acts of Stability
6. Readers, Agents, and Publishers Can’t Respond to Work That Never Gets Sent
7. Why Meaningful Books Matter More Right Now
8. Why Focused Writers Have an Edge
9. Why Now Is a Good Time to Seek Representation and Publication
10. The Best Reason to Keep Going

Why This Matters for Writers Seeking Literary Agents and Publishers

When most people hear the phrase book publishing trend, they tend ti think about business changes in the industry: artificial intelligence, self-publishing, audiobooks, social media, shrinking attention spans, or what literary agents and publishers want now.

But one of the most important trends right now has less to do with the industry than with writers themselves.

Some writers aren’t just struggling to create right now—they’re also delaying revision, querying, proposal development, submission, and other steps toward getting a literary agent and/or publisher.

They aren’t giving up on their books, but some are postponing the next step. They’re taking longer to finish revisions, hesitating to write their query letters, putting off their book proposals, second-guessing whether they should submit now, or telling themselves they will pursue publication later, when life feels calmer or clearer.

That reaction is understandable.

But it can be costly.

Why?

Books, platforms, and pitch materials don’t write or revise themselves—and literary agents and publishers can’t offer representation to writers who don’t query them.

Why Unstable Times Make Writers Hesitate

When the world feels unstable, it affects more than schedules and headlines. It affects focus, energy, confidence, and hope.

Some writers are carrying more anxiety than usual. Some are angry. Some are sad. Some are mentally scattered. Some are simply tired. It’s harder to concentrate, harder to trust the work, and harder to take vulnerable professional steps.

And yes, in some ways…

Seeking publication is vulnerable.

There is rarely a perfect time to seek literary agents or publishers; in real life, the writers who keep going are often the ones who make the most progress.

It takes courage to revise honestly. It takes effort to prepare a strong query letter or book proposal. It takes emotional steadiness to research agents, build a submission plan, and put your work in front of decision-makers who may say no.

When a writer is already emotionally stretched, those tasks can begin to feel heavier than they really are. That doesn’t mean the writer is lazy or uncommitted.

It means the writer is human.

It also means the writer might need to be more intentional than usual.

What I’ve Learned Personally in Difficult Times

I understand why some writers are feeling anxious, angry, sad, distracted, or afraid right now. I’ve been feeling many of those same things myself. Like many people, I’ve looked at what’s happening in the world and felt the emotional weight of it. So when writers struggle to focus, question the value of their work, or feel tempted to delay important next steps, I don’t see that as weakness.

I see it as human.

At the same time, one of the most important things I’ve learned in my life—and seen in the lives of others—is that action helps more than anything else. Not frantic action. Not denial. But meaningful action. Digging deeper. Committing and recommitting. Remembering why we do what we do and why it matters. Thinking about how our work can positively affect other people. Being honest with ourselves about the far less desirable results of standing still.

There’s a tangible calm, satisfaction, and joy that comes from knowing you’re doing what you can—all you can—to create the outcomes you want.

You can’t control everything in this world, but you can still write. You can still revise. You can still prepare. You can still submit. You can still move forward. And sometimes that movement isn’t just productive. It be can therapeutic and/or healing.

I’ve seen this professionally for decades: the writers who keep going in difficult times aren’t just preserving momentum.

They’re building it.

How Delay Shows Up in Real Life

Delay isn’t always dramatic. Usually it looks ordinary.

A manuscript is almost revised, but not quite. A proposal is mostly done, but one section keeps getting postponed. A writer keeps researching literary agents without ever submitting. Another keeps rewriting the query letter without sending it.

You can’t have the publishing success you want if you’re always waiting for life to “calm down.” You can’t keep waiting until after the holiday, school year, election, tax deadline, war, or economy downturn. 

Life is messy and, too often, “after” turns into months.

Or a year…or more.

That’s why delays can be dangerous.

Not just because time passes, but because momentum disappears. Confidence erodes. Publication starts to feel further away. A writer who once felt deeply connected to thei work starts to feel stuck between wanting the goal and avoiding the process.

That’s why it’s so important to recognize delay early.

Not to shame yourself, but to interrupt it.

Writing and Publishing Can Be Acts of Stability

Writing can be stabilizing. It creates order where there is noise. It helps turn feeling into language, confusion into meaning, and experience into something coherent.

But pursuing publication can also be stabilizing.

It creates direction. It turns a private dream into a real process. It replaces vague longing with visible steps. It gives the work somewhere to go.

That doesn’t mean every part of the process feels good.

It means the process can be grounding.

Doing something—anything—can be a powerful antidote to hopelessness and helplessness. It is a reminder that while you may not control the world, you do control whether you keep moving toward the future you want.

Readers, Agents, and Publishers Can’t Respond to Work That Never Gets Sent

This point is simple, but it matters.

Readers can’t be moved by a book that never leaves your computer. A literary agent can’t say yes to a query letter you never send. A publisher can’t respond to a proposal or manuscript that remains indefinitely in draft form.

Your work may be strong. It may be meaningful. It may be exactly what someone wants and needs. But if it remains private, the people who could help it reach the world can’t respond to it.

Perfection is not the requirement.

Progress is.

You don’t need to feel fearless. You don’t need to know exactly how everything will unfold. But if publication is your goal, the work eventually has to move from private creation to professional presentation.

That transition is where many writers get stuck.

It’s also where courage becomes practical.

Why Meaningful Books Matter More Right Now

Many writers are creating books that do more than entertain.

Some books uplift. Some educate. Some edify. Some comfort. Some inspire. Some motivate. Some challenge readers to think more deeply. Some help readers feel less alone. Some restore hope. Some offer perspective, beauty, relief, or truth.

Even books written primarily to entertain can still do something deeper. A compelling novel, memoir, or nonfiction book can steady a reader, encourage a reader, or give a reader something needed at exactly the right time.

In uncertain times, meaningful books matter more. Use that as motivation. When people are anxious, discouraged, lonely, weary, or less hopeful, they do not need fewer worthwhile books. They need more of them.

So if you are writing work that is not only enjoyable, but also substantive—work that might help someone laugh, think, heal, grow, endure, believe, or keep going—don’t minimize it or underestimate its value or let your fear stop you.

Use your fear as fuel.

The world does not need fewer meaningful books when life feels hard.

It needs more.

Why Focused Writers Have an Edge Right Now

As some writers feel scattered, discouraged, or delayed, others remain focused and quietly benefit.

Not because they are more talented. Not because they are less human. But because consistency can be more important than talent.

A writer who keeps revising, preparing, learning, querying, and submitting will often make more progress than a more talented writer who keeps waiting.

That isn’t meant to sound harsh.

It’s meant to give y0u hope.

And, hey, if you pair talent with consisency, your odds will be even better.

If you protect your creativity and continue taking practical steps toward literary agents and publishers, you will have a very real advantage.

Why Now Is a Good Time to Seek Representation and Publication

Waiting for the perfect time is one of the most common ways writers delay the future they want.

Now isn’t a good time because the process is easy. Now is a good time because it’s hard. In other words, those who are waiting are creating extra opporunity for those who are taking action.

I’ve seen this before. It was like this after 9/11, when I was a literary agent. It was also like this during the 2008 recession. And it has been like this during other difficult periods. In tough times, some writers understandably became more fearful, distracted, discouraged, or hesitant.

But life went on—publishing went on.

Despite all the hand-wringing (mine included).

Literary agents and publishers still had to make a living. They still needed to discover good books, build their lists, serve readers, and keep working. The most successful writers understood that as well. They kept writing. They kept revising. They kept submitting. They kept moving toward the outcomes they wanted, even when the world around them felt unstable.

That doesn’t mean those times were easy. It just means they were real. And real life rarely waits for perfect conditions.

There will always be instability somewhere. If it’s not the culture, it’s the economy. If it’s not the economy, it’s family life, health, work, politics, a leaky room, or something else.

I hate that part of life, but I try not to.

It’s not going to change.

So, again, I do what I can do.

I take action.

Each moment we have that choice.

What do you choose—right now?

If your manuscript is ready—or almost ready—this is a good time to move forward.

If your proposal is close, finish it.

If your query letter needs work, improve it.

If your agent list is incomplete, complete it.

If your submission strategy is unclear, get clarity.

Don’t assume that the best response to uncertainty is delay.

It isn’t—it’s consistent forward motion, and seeing how creativity follows commitment.

The Best Reason to Keep Going

The best reason to keep going is that you’ve given a lot to your writing.

It matters.

You don’t need a stable world to write a meaningful book, and you don’t need a perfect moment to begin pursuing publication.

It would be nice, I know.

It’s just not reality for most of us.

Need OR WANT Help PREPARING to Pitch Literary Agents or Publishers?

You probably don’t need more desire—but expert help with your next steps.

That might mean getting clear about whether your manuscript is truly ready, improving your query letter or book proposal, strengthening your synopsis, improving your platform, identifying what is holding you back, or creating a smarter strategy for submitting to literary agents and publishers.

As a former literary agent, former Marketing & Licensing Manager of a well-known publisher, and author coach/consultant who has helped 400+ writers get literary agents and/or traditional publishers since 2011, I help writers understand what’s working, what’s not working, and what to do next.

If you want to give your book the best chance with literary agents and publishers, learn more about my author coaching and consulting here.

Next Steps

This article about “Getting a Literary Agent and Publisher in Uncertain Times” was written by a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark Malatesta is the creator of The Directory of Book Agents, host of Ask a Publishing Agent, and founder of Literary Agent Undercover and The Bestselling Author.

Mark has helped hundreds of authors get offers from literary agents and/or traditional publishers. Writers of all Book Genres have used our Book Agent Advice coaching/consulting to get Top Literary Agents at the Best Literary Agencies on our List of Literary Agents.

The Bestselling Author, LLC

Established in 2011, The Bestselling Author has helped 400+ authors get literary agents and/or traditional publishers. Writers who’ve worked with Literary Agent Undercover, a division of The Bestselling Author, have gotten six-figure book deals; been on the New York Times bestseller list; had their books adapted for TV, stage, and feature film; had their work licensed in 40+ countries; and sold many millions of books.

Notable authors include Nelson Johnson, author of Boardwalk Empire, which Martin Scorsese produced for HBO; Leslie Lehr, author of A Boob’s Life, which is currently being adapted for an HBO Max TV series by Salma Hayek; and Scott LeRette, author of The Unbreakable Boy, which was published by Thomas Nelson and is now a major motion picture by Lionsgate starring Patricia Heaton, Zachary Levi, and Amy Acker.

The founder of The Bestselling Author, Mark Malatesta, is a former literary agent, literary agency owner, AAR member, and Marketing & Licensing Manager for the gift and book publisher Blue Mountain Arts. He is now an author coach and consultant. Click here to see Mark Malatesta reviews.

About the Author

The founder of The Bestselling Author, Mark Malatesta, is a former literary agent, literary agency owner, AAR member, and Marketing & Licensing Manager for the gift and book publisher Blue Mountain Arts. Mark is now a highly regarded author coach and consultant, dedicated to helping writers obtain literary agents. Drawing on decades of industry experience, he works with writers across genres, offering personalized coaching to navigate the complexities of the publishing world.

Through The Bestselling Author, Mark provides practical tools, industry insights, and motivational support tailored to each writer’s needs to help them do so. In addition to coaching, Mark shares his expertise through speaking engagements and online resources. His dedication to empowering authors has made him a trusted mentor in the writing community, earning him a reputation as a knowledgeable and approachable guide for writers pursuing their dreams. Click here for Mark Malatesta reviews.