Is there anything new ahead for us, as readers and writers, in 2026? 

Well, you can bet there will be even more books published in the coming year. That’s more than the four million titles that hit the bookshelves in 2025.

Last year we saw, on the average, 11,000 new books published every day!

That’s one every 8 seconds!

In 2025, dragons, sex, and the Bible drove book sales. Non-fiction sales, in general, slowed down last year. Time will only tell what new trends will take place in the current year. 

We are told that about half of new book sales will be self-published, just about the same as in 2025. And, from past performance, we will see that the vast majority of books won’t sell over 1,000 copies over their lifetime.

So it’s safe to say that some will be hits, some won’t. Some authors will make money. Some won’t.

But is that why authors write? To make money?

What is the motivating factor?

Research by Daniel Pink, U.S. Times bestselling author has found that lasting motivation for authors is intrinsic.

Authors keep writing when they choose subjects that resonate within them, when they see that their skills improving over time, when the craft of writing remains challenging, and as they continue to find joy in the process.