In Pandemic, Dystopian Fiction Loses Its Luster for Editors

So what are publishers interested in buying during a pandemic? According to a number of editors and agents who specialize in adult commercial fiction, escapism is on the rise, to an extent.

"This is the question I think we're all dealing with right now," said Harper editor Sara Nelson, when asked if she's looking for different kinds of books since the Covid-19 outbreak. "On the one hand, we're so obsessed with our current moment that it's hard to know what we, let alone most readers, will want to read a year, or a year and a half, from now. I don't generally buy dystopian fiction anyway, but I am pretty sure I won't find dystopian novels appealing for the near future."