Is romantasy still leading the pack in YA deals? Is middle grade making a comeback? We asked agents, scouts, and rights directors attending this year’s Bologna Fair to discuss the trends they’ve been tracking.

Erica Rand Silverman
Stimola Literary Studio

The fair feels especially important right now, given the state of the world. It can offer a rare chance for children’s book people to all come together to continue inspiring young readers to have a wide world view. We mostly feel this energy already in the conversations we’re having. We’re pleased to see continued international interest in the U.S. award winners. Picture books can be a more difficult sell internationally, but this year we’re seeing not just the award-winning titles move, but also the backlists of those clients. We’re also seeing an appetite for older middle grade and younger YA. Need I mention romantasy, dystopia, and fantasy? They still seem to be the hot request. But we wouldn’t be surprised if fanfiction is top of mind.

A nice surprise is that more and more territories are beginning to mention their interest in the advantages of graphic novels and heavily illustrated books. We’re also heartened to notice that the markets in Brazil, Portugal, and Spain seem to be thriving more than in the recent past. It will be interesting to see whether the world wants the same extremes we’re seeing here—from horror to hopeful to escapist.

Alessandra Birch
Writers House

In YA, romantasy still leads, but is so dominated by a few big brand authors that it’s increasingly hard to break out something new, so we’re receiving more interest in different types of fantasy, like grounded/near-future dystopia, or genre blends, like thriller with fantasy elements, or horror. Contemporary YA is a struggle, though some very commercial rom-coms are working.

In middle grade, our biggest sellers are very short, accessible, humorous, illustrated series—30K words (or under) is the ideal length, and doodle-style illustrations are popular. There’s a big appetite for light-hearted books without heavy conflict, where instead of a classic “mean girl” dynamic, the drama is funny, chaotic, and relatable. For graphic novels, we’re finding that publishers are favoring very commercial, hooky, high-concept stories—again, nothing that feels too grounded or serious. Some are asking for art styles that are a natural stepping-stone from picture books, rather than a traditional panel-heavy comic—so it’s more of a natural progression for readers, and lowers the barrier to entry for parents not yet familiar with the format.

More generally, export is the big topic for us heading into the fair. As translation sales continue to be eroded by growing English export sales (and their correspondingly low royalty to the author), we’re seeing translation publishers making very reduced offers, or no offers at all. Many markets are focusing more on their own homegrown authors. This is particularly prevalent in Europe, and we’re constantly engaged in trying new solutions to protect translation sales there—securing earlier access to translatable manuscripts, coordinating global announcements and release dates so international publishers can capitalize on U.S. activity, enlisting author support for bonus content, international tours and promo, and in some cases, exploring whether European publishers can publish with a small head-start against the English export editions. We’re keen to continue discussing with publishers at the fair what’s most helpful to them, to ensure our international business is as sustainable as possible in this tough landscape.

Maddalena Vatti
KF Literary Scouting

The biggest trend we’re seeing right now is undoubtedly the continued rise of fanfiction, building on the breakout success of Alchemised last year. At the recent London Book Fair, one of the most talked-about deals was for Wolf Boy, a YA title rooted in Harry Potter fanfiction but with a queer spin, which sold for seven figures in the U.K. to adult publisher Michael Joseph. This ties into a broader shift: with fanfiction, romance, and romantasy dominating, the crossover or New Adult space has become the natural home for many of these titles. That, in turn, is putting pressure on children’s publishers, who increasingly compete for projects that sit on the edge of YA and adult.

We’re also seeing the return of micro-trends within romance. Sports romance, which peaked a few years ago—particularly hockey, driven by Icebreaker—has resurged, now led by the Heated Rivalry craze. Meanwhile, the self-published space, especially in fanfic and romantasy, is being monitored more closely than ever, with platforms like BookTok, AO3, and Naver remaining crucial for scouting and launching new talent. An emerging category to watch is LitRPG (following the success of Dungeon Crawler Carl). While it currently sits primarily in the adult space, it has all the ingredients to translate successfully into YA, and it would not be surprising to see European publishers explore it more actively.

Within more traditional YA, cozy fantasy, dystopia, and speculative fiction are outperforming contemporary and thriller titles. In particular, afterlife and reincarnation tropes in romance—following the success of Laura Steven’s Our Infinite Fates—continue to resonate strongly. In middle grade, by contrast, the market remains heavily driven by brand-led publishing and highly visual formats. Graphic novels and IP-driven projects, from KPop Demon Hunters to collectible-led phenomena like Labubu, are especially in demand. Funny and highly commercial graphic novels in the vein of Wimpy Kid are still extremely popular too, though they need broad appeal to succeed.

Miriam Miller
Holiday House

My sense is that publishers in most markets are balancing their passion projects against a reduced appetite for risk in today’s tumultuous environment. Regardless of genre or age group, the bar for translation sales is high: you need a standout voice, a fresh new twist, exceptional writing chops.

After a couple of quiet years, it’s thrilling to see middle grade fiction showing signs of life in international markets. Standalones are still tough, but the most irresistible ones are gaining traction. In Frankfurt, we also started to see international interest in books for new teens coming into play as a reaction to the increased spice levels of much of today’s YA. In terms of genre, dystopia is having a moment in addition to continued interest in romance, fantasy, and romantasy. Horror remains big domestically for both YA and upper middle grade but has been slower to take off in international markets. Picture books are an evergreen category for us internationally, where global publishers are looking for quality, eye-catching artwork alongside stories that speak to our deepest feelings—preferably with a sense of humor to boot!

Linda Kaplan
DeFiore and Company
Kaplan/DeFiore Rights

I’m looking forward to Bologna for many reasons. London was so dynamic and editors are excited about opportunities in the months ahead. During this chaotic time, it’s good to connect with colleagues around the world.

This is an interesting time as there are more homegrown authors and illustrators than there have ever been and translation costs are rising. Picture books have always depended on the illustrations and with more choices within their own countries, there is less need in select territories for publishers to acquire translation rights. The rise in paper costs has not helped. I’ve been successful with several of the picture book lines I represent that have continuing characters.

I have requests from publishers looking for series (duology and trilogy) rather than standalone in middle grade. Social-emotional learning is also a rising trend. Cozy and “healing fiction” is in the atmosphere on the higher reading level. And there is a steady interest in realistic stories on family life and personal growth.

The YA and crossover market lines were always blurry but they are very difficult to separate now as the characters and plots are so aligned. Romantasy seems to be a bit saturated, though there is still a demand for fantasy, and we’re seeing more requests for YA thrillers. While it seems that horror was going to be the next big thing, I haven’t had much call for it and then it’s more of the Goosebumps variety.

Stephanie Voros
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

We continue to see strong demand internationally for young adult contemporary romances. Many of our foreign rights sales are for YA titles, and even though we publish terrific middle grade fiction, the response from foreign markets continues to be soft. Going into Bologna we will be focusing on chapter book series and commercial middle grade titles that we hope will appeal to foreign publishers who are also having trouble finding those middle grade readers.

In addition to the continued popularity of young adult titles, we’ve had amazing success licensing translation rights to New Adult titles across the world. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing began publishing New Adult romantasy series in March, and while we knew the category had been having a resurgence, we’ve been pleasantly surprised with the response we received in the foreign market for the books on our launch list. We only see continued growth, and in turn, increased foreign sales.

Olivia Malesco
Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management

For all the conversation about romantasy reaching saturation, international demand for the category remains strong, though at a steadier pace and perhaps with a higher bar for originality. At the same time, the lines between YA and New Adult continue to blur, with definitions ranging widely by editor and market. This flexibility means there we’re bringing projects to Bologna that we may not have in prior years because we know there will be editors excited about these crossover titles and ready to make them travel. Rather than any single, new breakout trend, the market for children and young adult feels increasingly wide-ranging, with editors gravitating toward high-concept and emotionally grounded stories that can cut through a crowded landscape.

Amy Gordon
Bettina Schrewe Literary Scouting

I’ve been hearing from more publishers about a return to core YA. Over the last several years, YA has gotten older and spicier as it overlaps with New Adult. That has left a gap in the market for readers who have emerged from middle grade or tween books, but who aren’t ready for New Adult. While this could mean romances that include longing and a potential kiss, it could also be any other genre, but written explicitly for teens, not an adult audience.

Sarah Mitchell
Creative Artists Agency

YA from fanfic is extremely popular as it comes with the reassurance of a built-in fan base, and there is still a huge appetite for romantasy across the world, of course, but I am also really pleased to see contemporary YA coming back for this fair. With the recent trend for writing “up” for the New Adult market, it’s nice to see several truly teen-focused titles gathering interest—it’s so gratifying to have auctions and preempts on contemporary YA ahead of the fair!

Middle grade has been a challenge for several years now, but editors are still keen to acquire when the project is right. Graphic novels and highly illustrated series remain the most popular, and with reading rates dropping globally and books having to fight for their place alongside screens, it’s our job as agents to make sure we’re bringing books to market that appeal to this generation of readers.

One of my favorite surprises is that while the rest of the world is looking for increasingly dark and steamy romance and romantasy, France is having a boom in YA rom-coms, which feels like a perfect antidote to the current state of the world!

Marietta B. Zacker
Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency

It is clear that the demand for illustrated books continues to rise, whether that’s as a graphic novel or a creative use of illustrations to tell stories, especially in the younger readers and middle grade space. And it’s nice to see that interest in middle grade books is trending up. In the YA space, genres in demand seem to include commercial, romance, steamy romance, and horror (with a caveat that it not be gory!). Although regarding horror, it’s interesting to hear some publishers say, “absolutely not,” while others want to talk about that genre first and will review anything that focuses on horror.

Unfortunately, and to the detriment of readers everywhere, publishers are less likely to consider LGBTQ+-focused stories for their markets. Those reviewing for the Asian markets continue to mention the competition for readers’ attention, which has made publishers less willing to review and acquire books. Overall, though, we are looking forward to the conversations at Bologna, which have generally trended more positive in comparison to the first half of this decade.