Industry data shows that adult fiction continued to be the primary driver of print book sales in the United States, keeping overall market volume steady through September 2026.
Within genre categories, horror and science‑fiction titles posted increases, contrasting with declines in fantasy and romance sales.
The flat overall performance indicates that gains in certain segments were offset by losses in others, maintaining the market at a steady level compared with the previous year.
Analyst commentary highlighted the resilience of adult fiction as a stabilising force in the print market, while noting the divergent trends among genre sub‑categories.