The Bookseller - News - Record-breaking year for horror, as trade says fiction getting more ghoulish

Nielsen BookScan reported 2023 as the biggest year since accurate records began for the Horror & Ghost Stories category, up 54% year on year by value, to £7.7m. Though it should be noted that the category is relatively small compared to other categories, this year has already started out a massive 55% up on the same period in 2023.

Horror themes are also increasingly creeping into other broader categories such as literary fiction and more commercial thrillers, with the industry describing it as a recurring theme at last month's London Book Fair, with a string of horror-infused literary debuts in particular and more hotly contested auctions.