Five 2025 Bookish Predictions

Buckle up, buttercups

I think it says a lot about how unpredictable I feel 2025 will be with just having a fraction of predictions this year compared to my prediction post last year. It is like the unknown variables feel particularly chaotic. Nevertheless, hot takes I have.

1. More indie authors will go wide as Amazon chooses profit over people, including more direct sales on authors’ websites.

2. Meta will dominate most public communication in the book community.

3. The US will begin dealing with judicial precedents for AI, sealing AI law interpretation in one of the biggest content markets in the world.

4. Physical destinations will grow in popularity to create a sense of community.

5. Influencers will deepen their involvement in many areas of book publishing.

More indie authors will go wide as Amazon chooses profit over people, including more direct sales on authors’ websites.

• I admit part of this is me trying to manifest what I want to see in the indie world. The heart of the issue is that Amazon may have been a significant player in the rise of indie books, but it isn’t an optimal environment for the industry to thrive. Readers, you don’t own your books. You just own the right to access those books. Authors, all you need is one person pirating your work or a technical mishap, and Amazon will not help you without an act of an Internet viral movement. This isn’t what anyone but Amazon wants. I see more authors “go wide” to diversify their income portfolio. That’s a big step in the right direction.

• Similarly, what I said last year: Indie publishing will grow more and challenge traditional publishing.

Meta will dominate most book community public communication.

• I say this because it sincerely looks like TikTok will be banned in the USA starting in mid-January 2025. X/Twitter is not a serious platform anymore for discussing anything other than extremist right-wing ideologies. Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and Threads platforms seem to be the most viable alternatives (specifically, the latter two).

• A caveat: Substack and BlueSky are rising in popularity. Also, the incoming American administration is a wildcard. So, TikTok might be saved after all??

• Similarly, what I said last year: Social media will continue to break apart, but book communities will thrive.

The US will begin dealing with judicial precedents for AI, sealing AI law interpretation in one of the biggest content markets in the world.

• Assuming the courts don’t drag their feet on this issue, chances are good the current litigation against companies like OpenAI should get payouts. This is less of a prediction and more of reading judicial timelines.

• In the meantime, readers don’t seem to buy into the value of AI-generated digital products. (I am with them on that.) Coupled with American IP laws, the most significant impact AI-generated farmers seem to have is to give people the ick.

• Similarly, what I said last year: AI's popularity will spread. Battle lines will start to be drawn around its "ethical" and "non-ethical" use.

Physical destinations will grow in popularity to create a sense of community.

• Virtual communities often crave physical experiences, as it is for the indie romance world. Conventions are hard to do well and are not easy money. Readers Take Denver in 2024 proved that and more how bad conventions can be. Yet people still want to do them in the indie romance world. That speaks volumes. I have good vibes about Monsterotica in 2025. Apollycon is getting bigger and bigger, it seems. Even small regional conventions I’ve noted in passing are being careful about crowd sizes.

• Conventions aren’t the only answer, though. The most successful bookstores are not paying the bills by selling books in this Amazon-dictated economy. It is with any customer- and community-focused services and products. Even mainstream media has taken note.

• Similarly, what I said last year: Bookstores will further embrace being less about selling books and more about growing book communities.

Influencers will deepen their involvement in many areas of book publishing.

• It isn’t a novel idea for one person to publicly be a reviewer and author, but it isn’t common at this time in the indie romance world. That might change. Already, I see influencers such as Biblio Barbie and Unfortunate Reads publicly publish books in monster/paranormal romance, and they review in the same genre. Even I’m exploring this world.

• In the meantime, the Bindery has launched and seems promising. It gives influencers a stake in an author’s publishing success. I’m ready to see more influencers try out other parts of book publishing because why not? Seriously, we are in the middle of an experimental time, I think.

• Similarly, what I said last year: Influencers will start taking more direct roles in book publishing.

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