I love the Genre Preview articles in Library Journal, and in fact, this love is why I continue to write the Horror one each and every July.
Today, I not only want to alert you that the Crime Fiction Genre Preview for 2024 is now available here, but also mention that they have made editorial changes to how they are written. What you will see now, as demonstrated in this Crime Fiction Genre Preview, is an article about the genre's overall trends with example titles to illustrate said trends. There is not longer this need for the authors of the Genre Preview to dump every title (with an annotation) into the piece. Instead, we authors have been encouraged to focus on those larger trends and then gather all the titles we want into a spreadsheet with pub dates, ISBN, publisher, etc.... to make an easy, vetted shopping list for you to get your pre-orders in.
We will still include quotes from authors and editors to provide context and expert opinions as well.
I for one am excited to write this new and more helpful article for all of you. But first, it is my colleague John Charles' turn to let you know all about the state of Crime Fiction and the titles you need to be on the look out for.
Below I have posted the introduction to the Crime Fiction Genre Preview, including direct access to the downloadable list for those who want to cut to the ordering chase. Although I will say for those who order and those who do not, as long as you are assisting readers in any way-- so in other words, you work at the public library-- the trends themselves are an invaluable resource. Click here or below to see it in full.
The key trends in crime fiction this year are the desire for immersive escape, a focus on genre blends, and new takes on traditional tropes. Lena Khidritskaya Little, director of publicity at Little, Brown, makes a clear case: “Readers want pure and immersive escape, and they’re willing to sample and mix among genres like horror, noir, [and] sci-fi, as well as fresh spins on normally traditional forms like locked-room or chase or heist narratives.” To track down the clues of 2024, LJ talked with publishers about what they are noting, scanned through catalogues, and dove into the books. Here are trends and titles to note, spanning spring through fall 2024. A downloadable list of all titles mentioned can be found here.
Keep reading this article on the LJ site here.
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