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Last year we had a great set of publishing predictions for 2012. So we’ve decided to poll the experts again, asking them to peer into the future and predict where the publishing industry is headed.

This post is part of a series. Yesterday we posted 15 Publishing Industry Predictions for 2013. Tomorrow we will cover book marketing predictions for 2013. As always, we would like to hear from you. Post what you think 2013 will hold in the comments.

eBook Predictions

1. More Short eBooks

“There will be a lot more short-form ebooks in 2013 (so short that some of them are going to be called ‘e-boks’)”.

– Chip MacGregor, President at MacGregor Literary

2. Revolt Against Short eBooks

“Consumers are going to revolt against get-rich-quick authors who write crappy content and not enough of it. Consumers won’t stand for an ebook of 23 pages.”

– Mary DeMuth, Author & Speaker

3. Higher eBook Royalties

“At least one of the Big Six will push e-book royalties to 30%.”

– Chip MacGregor, President at MacGregor Literary

4. eBook Sales Level Off

“E-book unit sales will level off at a rate of 25% of books sold. But for some publishers it will actually be closer to 50%. But behind the statistics will be the fact that the e-book sales revenue will be much smaller because they are being sold at a lower price.”

– Steve Laube, President of Steve Laube Agency

5. Slower Growth in eBook Sales

“I predict slower growth in eBooks unit sales.  E-book sales will continue to grow but at a slower rate than in 2012.”

– Thomas Umstattd Jr., CEO of Author Media

6. Lower eBook Prices

“I predict we’ll see the cost of ebooks from big publishers go down as they realize that $9.99 is still too much to pay for something that’s digital.”

– Amanda Luedeke, Literary Agent

7. Growth in Enhanced eBooks

“Authors’ research notes, their story board, deleted scenes, etc. will become the norm. So authors need to keep their behind the scenes material when writing their novel for inclusion into an enhanced ebook.”

– Julie Gwinn, Marketing Manager at B&H Publishing Group

Audiobook Predictions for 2013

1. Audiobooks to be Fastest Growing Segment

“New industry analysis will come out showing that audiobooks have been the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry.”

 – Thomas Umstattd Jr., CEO of Author Media

2. Audiobook Sales to Explode

“There will be an explosion in audiobooks in 2013.  There will be a rush amongst publishers to get more books published in audio format and more demand by authors and agents for audio versions.”

– Thomas Umstattd Jr., CEO of Author Media

3. Audiobook Producer Proliferation

“There will be a proliferation of websites like www.acx.com and www.voices123.com which will drive down the cost of audiobook production. I also predict massive growth for ACX.com in 2013.”

– Thomas Umstattd Jr., CEO of Author Media

Reading Trends for 2013

1. Nesting & Nostalgia Will Be Hot for 2013

“With the election and the recent shootings, I think Americans will pull back into the home like they did after 9/11. Putting greater emphasis on family traditions, family dinners, church potluck suppers and “stay-cations.” Which opens the door for novels rich with the Mayberry feeling of a simpler time. Similar to the hit TV-show Vegas, showing family life in the 40s and 50s will be big and will strike a cord with Boomers who grew up in and are nostalgic for those simpler times.”

Julie Gwinn, Marketing Manager at B&H Publishing Group

2. YA Fiction Will Get Darker

“YA Fiction will continue to get darker and more popular. The grittier YA is, the better it will sell. A dark Christian YA will hit the big time and cross over into the adult market.”

– Thomas Umstattd Jr., CEO of Author Media

3. Year of the Novella

“I predict 2013 will be the year of the novella as authors will use them to promote their book series and keep fans flooded with fresh content.”

– Amanda Luedeke, Literary Agent

4. Controversial Books to Do Better Than Usual

“Divisive books will grow in popularity. Authors who take a stand will be applauded and authors who seek common ground will go ignored. As western society fragments into warring niches and tribes, books will quickly follow.”

– Thomas Umstattd Jr., CEO of Author Media

5. Growth in Serials

“I predict we’ll see more interest in serials.”

– Amanda Luedeke, Literary Agent

6. Growth in Global Markets

“Global appeal. With digital comes greater access. I see Christian fiction moving into the international marketplace and B&H is publishing material specifically targeted to English-speaking countries. Our WWII series which kicks off in 2013 will feature novels taking place in France, England, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, etc. ”

– Julie Gwinn, Marketing Manager at B&H Publishing Group

What do you think? What do you think will be hot in 2013?

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