What’s driving the boom in fantasy books?

The publishing industry has seen huge increases in fantasy sales over the last few years, to the point that even Smaug would be envious. The fantasy and sci-fi category jumped 41% in total sales in 2024 and performed even better in 2025. (I haven’t yet seen the final numbers for 2025, but predictions were around a 25% increase over 2024.)

While much of this has been driven by the marriage of romantasy and BookTok, there’s more to the story.

Fantasy’s appeal as escapism tends to rise when the real world becomes too difficult and stressful. Certainly in a time of serial wars, the breakdown of global orders, unaffordable housing, food insecurity, the Epstein revelations, AI job losses and everything else, an alternative fantasy world can seem pretty appealing. Especially if it’s a world where good can actually triumph over evil and individuals are capable of making a difference. In that sense, fantasy is as inspirational as it is a psychological refuge.

And is it really any surprise that romantasy, which is leading the fantasy charge, has exploded at the same time that women’s rights are under attack in the real world?

It’s worth remembering that Harlequin romances used to be very popular in non-western countries as much for the freedom and agency their characters enjoyed as any romantic storylines. It was no accident that when the Berlin Wall fell Harlequin employees were right there, handing out copies of their books to the East Germans streaming across the border. Romantasy is a logical continuation of that in a world that has grown perhaps even more distressing for many.

The very nature of fantasy as presenting alternative worlds to our own also makes it very attractive to those interested in writing about queer subjects or issues of diversity and representation — at the same time those are under attack in the real world. You can create whatever kind of social order you want in fantasy, including those currently not possible in real life.

So what’s ahead for the fantasy genre? Has it reached its apex — its Mount Doom, if you will?

Likely not. Especially if you check out the latest deals at Publisher’s Marketplace, which is one new romantasy title after another. Given the state of the world, it would be wise to expect an ever expanding universe of imaginary worlds where fictional characters can rise from being powerless nobodies to actually change their worlds for the better.

The real world isn’t going to improve any time soon, so we may as well imagine what alternatives could be like and dream of lives where we all matter. There’s no better genre for this in the present moment than fantasy.