Over winter break, the days away from school and work had me, to say the least, uninspired. The first week away, I spent watching movies and catching up with friends, but in week two, the days on the couch were piling up, and I was in desperate need of a good book.
Unsure of what to read, I thought, “Why not let the universe decide?” And what I really meant by that was, “What books were the biggest hits of 2025?” Sometime later, I stumbled on an article written by book editor and independent publishing consultant Alyssa Matestic, where she analyzed 100 literary agents to determine the most desirable books publishers want to sign. In her results, she compiled a master list of over 100 different genres, revealing—through what I can only imagine was a lot of counting—the most sought-after book types of 2025. Through her article, I realized Matestic’s results were not what I had imagined, which begs the question: are the genres that are being signed the same as those being read?
Last year, I created a poll to determine what genres, archetypes, characters, and tropes were most enticing to readers currently in university. This year, in light of Matestic’s research, I decided to revamp that same poll to better fit the main genres of her master list to understand the overlap (or lack thereof) between readers’ wants and publishers’ wants. In addition, I was curious to know how story archetypes and romance tropes fit into the greater scheme of picking a winning book. So, whether you’re an aspiring writer, bookworm, or something in between, here are the ultimate rankings to help guide you to your next book fixation.
Fiction Genres
A book’s genre is the cheat sheet that helps you understand what a novel has in store and is easily the biggest make-or-break aspect of your purchasing decision. While Matestic’s article deemed honourable mentions to fantasy, romance, and thriller, they surprisingly never actually made the top five ranking.
The top five spots, in order, went to:
- Young Adult (YA)
- LGBTQ+
- Horror
- Commercial Fiction
- Women’s Fiction
Interestingly, all of which were among the lowest chosen options in my poll, alongside graphic novels and historical fiction. The top five in my poll were:
- Romance
- Coming of Age
- Mystery
- Fantasy
- Literary Fiction
Right off the bat, the rankings for genres readers want vs. what agents want are almost entirely flipped, with Matestic’s highest ranked being the bottom of the barrel for mine. However, while she used every mentioned genre—big or small—my poll consisted only of the 15 largest genre groups from her master list, leading to assumed inconsistencies in the stats. In addition, it’s fair to say that many genres, especially YA and commercial fiction, serve as broader categories that allow for many subgenres, such as mystery, coming of age, and thrillers, to emerge. Regardless, it stood out to me that the most popular genres university students are interested in reading, namely romance and coming of age, don’t necessarily align with the top genres in the eyes of literary agents.
Non-Fiction Genres
Continuing on, Matestic’s results revealed that “insightful analysis, historical depth, and personal storytelling” were the forerunners of non-fiction, highlighting the top three spots as:
- Pop Culture
- History
- Investigative Journalism, LGBTQ+ Non-Fiction, and Memoir
With a tie competing for third place, the standings are exactly what I imagined, especially with pop culture continuously rising in relevance and interest in the media. As for my results, the top spots went to:
- Self-Help
- History
- Philosophy
In both ranks, history made the top three, which is no surprise as it’s “arguably more engaging because everything you read actually happened,” making the past feel immediate, states The Boar. What drew my attention in my poll was how pop culture (often including articles, magazines, and insight on current trends/movements/events) didn’t even make it to the top five slots, instead ranking in the middle of the pack at eighth place. Overall, my results reveal a heightened interest in personal growth, historical insight, and a deeper understanding of values and fundamental questions in today’s young adults.
Story Archetypes
Matestic’s research focused on the broader classifications of novels; however, I wanted to determine what other aspects of a novel change the course of interest for individuals. Using Christopher Booker’s seven main story archetypes allowed me to better understand how largely the type of story affects the overall interest in a genre.
The top archetypes:
- Overcoming the Monster
- The Quest
- Rebirth
The least popular archetypes were: voyage and return, rags to riches, and, in last place, comedy. I was curious to see if of the seven options, the results would be spread out or highly concentrated to certain plotlines, and found that over 65% of the votes were allotted towards the top three answers, leaving around 35% dispersed between four other options. Through this, I’d argue that while literary agents are most after YA novels in general, an individual’s thoughts on the book greatly vary based on the story archetype within the genre. Similarly, the most popular story archetypes were those generally associated with fiction, such as completing a quest and overcoming the monster, whereas rags to riches, a plotline more aligned with non-fiction, was less popular.
Tropes
Finally, I felt it was necessary to delve into the subject of romance tropes. As romance nearly doubled its second-place opponent (coming of age) in my fiction genre ranking, I wanted to look into the different tropes that make up the genre. The top picks were:
- Friends to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Enemies to Lovers
And, with a whopping one singular vote, the last-place candidate went to Love Triangle. The difference from Enemies to Lovers in third place to Meet-Cute in fourth place was 12.8%. Meaning the leading tropes were in the lead by a long shot. So, while romance was the top spot in my poll, it’s fair to say that the type dramatically changes interest levels, with some of the most common tropes not even getting three votes in a series of over 50 opinions.
At the end of the day, agents seek out stability and are often more drawn to books that consistently do well over books that have a wide range between success and failure. While the most enticing genres for publishers may be surprising, it’s important to note that aspects such as story plot and tropes tend to have a larger effect on individuals than agencies, tailoring a wider spectrum of book types to be consumed than just the ones being actively sought out and signed. My analysis is far from perfect, with our research varying in quantity of intel, age range, and overall subjectivity. But despite its quirks, I was able to better gauge how the inner workings of a novel contribute to its success both in the eyes of agents and readers. As Matestic put it, “publishing trends shift constantly, but powerful, well-written stories will always find an audience.”