Image Source: Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels
First Published: August 15, 2025 by Paul W. Romero
Preface: This was originally written on April 29, 2023 for my MFA Creative Writing program.
Preface II: During this time, I was working on a story about animals that had to survive a deadly farm full of creatures and traps. I was also working on the origins of a cyberpunk story. I put these two concepts on the backburner, but I plan on revisiting them at a later date.
According to Fantha Tracks, “Sci-fi offers an escape from a mundane existence, giving people something interesting and unique to think about – this escapism is something that many people find exciting” (Fantha Tracks, “Why Is Science Fiction Such a Popular Genre with Fans”). Although any book can be a form of escapism, there is emphasis on the escapism of speculative fiction because it explores the “what ifs” of our imaginations or in other words it speculates about what could be versus what is. Therefore, there is room for growth in this genre, and I don’t see it fading into the background anytime soon.
Speculative fiction explores the “what ifs” of our imaginations.
According to Melissa Baron of Book Riot, “Graphic novels and fantasy dominated in 2021, with graphic novels increasing their sales by a whopping 109% and fantasy sales up by 45% from the previous year. Adult fiction sales rose overall by 25%, with the majority of those increases coming from fantasy and romance” (Baron, “Major Book Statistics About Readers: Pandemic Edition”). Baron also states, “Overall, the data we’re receiving since the start of the pandemic has shown that we are collectively turning to books for escapism, stress relief, and self-improvement” (Baron, “Major Book Statistics About Readers: Pandemic Edition”).
Disha Walia outlines a list of what she considers current trends in speculative fiction which include “gender-focused fiction,” “climate fiction,” and “thriller” trends (Walia, “Trends in Speculative Fiction”). Walia also lists oversaturated trends to avoid such as “kingdom fantasies,” “pandemic themes,” and “over-saturated mythical creatures” (Walia, “Trends in Speculative Fiction”). Clayton Noblit of Written Word Media lists his top ten publishing trends for 2023 which include the use of artificial intelligence to aid in writing manuscripts, the use of newer and emerging media channels in which authors receive funding from their fans to fund their works, as well as a foreseeable increase in indie publishing direct sales, and finally a trend of expanding globally (Noblit, “The Top 10 Publishing Trends for 2023”).
My view is that speculative fiction trends are speculative at best. Some concepts may be out of date or off limits until someone comes along and rewrites the rules to set a new trend for a new generation.
Some concepts may be out of date or off limits until someone comes along and rewrites the rules to set a new trend for a new generation.
To add to the revamping of concepts, let’s look at vampires as an example. First we had Carmilla. Then we had Dracula. Then we had Nosferatu. Then we had the 60’s Christopher Lee Dracula. Then we had Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire series. Then we had Blade. Then we had Twilight. We also had other variations including The Lost Boys, 30 Days of Night, ‘Salem’s Lot, Vampire Academy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and so forth.
NOTE: I’m aware of my overuse of the word “then.” It’s frowned upon to use such a word and most certainly not favored in such a repetitious style, but for the sake of making my point, this is what I chose to do.
The same concept can be done over again. It’s a matter of how you retell it. It’s about your unique perspective, your author’s voice, and what you bring to the table that makes the concept different.
I want to create a speculative fiction novel based around the themes of technology and futuristic dystopia (cyberpunk territory), all while having a fun playful element to the overall tone of the story. I want it to be thrilling and exciting; not too graphic but not G rated either. Since I’ve been flirting with the idea of making the characters animals, I was thinking something along the lines of middle grade speculative fiction, if possible, but if not then purely speculative fiction and it can be read by all ages. My goal is to create a blend of something new a fresh, through trial and error, to start a new trend. Why follow a trend when we can start one? Overambitious, but this is how any great journey begins.
Why be a trend follower when you can be a trend setter?
I think the readers who would be interested in my books are science fiction readers, technology junkies, and those who love reading stories with animal characters. My readers are those who want to read for enjoyment and escapism, not necessarily for any sort of philosophical enlightenment. I think authors that might support my work would include those in my selected genre and possibly some outside of it as well. I think if I reached out to self-published authors such as Jenna Moreci or Alexa Donne, they may support my endeavors despite not necessarily being in the same genre. I also think if I reached out to the two self-published authors I listed below, Kira Jane Buxton and Matthew Goodwin, they may support my work. These indie authors would be easier to connect to as they frequently use social media such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok to connect to fellow writers, and thus I would engage with them via those platforms.
I could email traditionally published authors, but being as they are at a far more professional level than I am, I doubt that they would connect back with me. However, I wouldn’t mind experimenting with reaching out to William Gibson or S.D. Perry and seeing if they respond. I doubt Stephen King would respond (I’m sure he gets enough emails already), but I wouldn’t be against emailing him as well. Within my genre, the subgenres that would be relevant to my work would vastly include the science fiction and cyberpunk genres, hence why I added Neuromancer and Into Neon: A Cyberpunk Saga to my list of comp titles.
As I am still in the development phases of this genre blend I’m trying to create, I’m not sure of any other aspects that could expand my community of readers; however, if I can create a new trend then this will surely lead others to follow who many want to join along in a new and exciting trend (“jumping on the bandwagon” as some would say). I know my concept seems too simplistic and cliché to be considered a trend setter, but my angle is that it’s not so much the story we tell but rather how we tell it. That’s where the true magic lies.
It’s not so much the story we tell but rather how we tell it. That’s where the true magic lies.
In this last section, I have provided five comp titles for my work that reflect my genre including both self-published and traditionally published. I’m trying to write about kitties and monsters. Perhaps monsters don’t exist, and kitties cannot exhibit human characteristics, but with the future on the horizon who knows what is possible. Here are my chosen comp titles in no particular order:
- The Warriors Series by Erin Hunter (traditionally published).
- Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton (self-published).
- The Running Man by Stephen King (traditionally published).
- Neuromancer by William Gibson (traditionally published).
- Into Neon: A Cyberpunk Saga by (Matthew Goodwin self-published).
I like the worldbuilding that Erin Hunter has done in creating a world where cats are the dominant characters; this aligns with my idea of creating a story dominated by animals. I admire the way Kira Jane Buxton told a story through the eyes of a crow in a world where humans are wiped out and animals are the dominant species; this adds to my “kitties versus monsters” concept. I love the dystopian worlds created by Stephen King, William Gibson, and Matthew Goodwin which allude to the environment and tone that I wish to set for my story; a group of animals unite or collide in a battle for the soul of a dystopian underworld. The titles, their concepts and respective cover art all reflect comparisons to the type of title, concept, and cover art that I wish to create. The traditional titles have done well for themselves while the self-published novels trail in comparison but still have a respectable audience for their authors.
Works Cited
Baron, Melissa. “Major Book Statistics About Readers: Pandemic Edition.” Book Riot, https://bookriot.com/pandemic-reading-statistics. Accessed 24 Apr. 2023.
Noblit, Clayton. “The Top 10 Publishing Trends for 2023. Written Word Media, https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/the-top-10-publishing-trends-for-2023. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.
Walia, Disha. “Trends in Speculative Fiction.” DIY MFA, https://diymfa.com/writing/trends-in-speculative-fiction. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.
“Why Is Science Fiction Such a Popular Genre with Fans?” Fantha Tracks, https://www.fanthatracks.com/blogs/why-is-science-fiction-such-a-popular-genre-with-fans. Accessed 24 Apr. 2023.
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Paul W Romero 