HIT PLAY OR READ THE POST BELOW:

Is the romantic trend dying yet? Are people still reading historical fiction? Guess what? There's a way to see exactly which genres literary agents are most interested in right now.

I discovered this tool recently and my mind was blown. So, today I'm doing a deep dive into the real-time data showing us which genres are hot right now in publishing and which are cooling off. I'll share the five genres that may be oversaturated currently as well as opportunity areas.

Query Tracker’s “Top 10 Genres” Lists

Few authors know this, but QueryTracker — the website you might have stumbled upon when researching literary agents or that you might use to track your queries — compiles a list of the top 10 most popular fiction genres and the top 10 most requested fiction genres.

The Top 10 Most Popular Fiction Genres list ranks genres based on how many QueryTracker users are writing in that genre. The Top 10 Most Requested Fiction Genres list ranks which genres agents are most frequently requesting, based on data that QueryTracker users input about their manuscript requests.

So, if we compare these two lists, we can see which genres have a lot of writers working in them but fewer agents requesting them — and vice versa, which genres agents are requesting but fewer authors are writing in.

This is incredibly powerful information for querying authors to have — not because I think it should change what you're writing, but because it gives you a deeper understanding of the publishing market you’re trying to enter.

Most Popular Genres Right Now

Here's the list as of July 9th, 2025. Immediately, we see that fantasy is listed as number one across both lists, indicating it has the most authors writing in it and the most agents requesting it. That tells me fantasy is arguably the hottest genre in publishing right now.

Several other genres also appear on both lists, including young adult, literary fiction, thrillers/suspense, and romance. In the top 10 most requested fiction genres list, there are some subcategories that I’ve absorbed into the broader category.

If you're writing in one of these genres, it means there's a lot of agent interest in your category right now — which is great if you're querying — but know that there's also significant competition, as many writers are targeting these same genres.

Hardest Genres to Publish

What genres are authors writing in, but agents aren't requesting as often? There are five genres that appear on the left-hand list but not the right: children's, science fiction, historical, picture book (which is often also classified as children's), and middle grade.

I was admittedly surprised to see that virtually all children's genres other than YA are being requested less often by literary agents. It suggests that maybe publishers are shrinking the number of children's and middle-grade titles they're publishing per year, meaning that agents are taking fewer of those on. Or perhaps the market in these categories is being dominated by established authors, so there's less room for debut voices.

I dug into this a bit further, and Publishers Weekly reported last July that middle-grade sales have been slipping since 2021. But they did publish an article in March of this year about the tides turning in middle grade — so there might be hope on the horizon for a rebound.

As for sci-fi, my theory here would be that it's simply being outshone by fantasy at the moment, especially with the booming romantasy subgenre bringing new readers to the category. But I think the resurgence of Dune proves that there is still a lot of reader appetite for sci-fi.

Historical fiction is an interesting one because anecdotally, I have seen recently that agents are more interested in contemporary fiction than historical fiction. But it's also possible that this category is simply being dominated by established authors. Historical fiction authors often write prolifically and stick to the genre — like Fiona Davis, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Kristin Hannah.

Know that this list does not at all mean there is no market for these genres and you'll never get a literary agent. A quick search on Publishers Marketplace proves that there are still deals being conducted in all of these categories.

So if you're writing in one of these genres, I don't want you to feel discouraged — but know that it might be a bit tougher for you in the querying trenches right now.

Most Requested Genres by Literary Agents

Now, let's look at the other side of the equation: what genres are literary agents requesting, but fewer authors are writing in? There are two genres that appear on the right-hand list but not the left — horror and upmarket fiction.

Horror was number three on the roundup I did earlier this year on the top genres for 2025, so I'm not surprised to see that agents are requesting it more often. Horror shows and films like Sinners — which I loved — are making a splash right now, so it seems the genre is only trending upward.

Upmarket fiction refers to novels that hit the sweet spot between commercial, plot-driven storytelling and literary writing. This is the type of fiction I personally love and specialize in editing. Books selected for Reese's Book Club tend to fall into this category, and it can overlap with other genres like women’s fiction, historical fiction, and contemporary fiction.

I wonder if the gap here is simply because authors don’t know if their manuscript qualifies as upmarket fiction, so they don’t label it as such. This is a question I get all the time from authors I work with, because “upmarket fiction” isn’t a phrase that’s widely used or well-known outside of the publishing industry.

If your story has a strong plot, explores universal themes, and is intentionally crafted on a line level, it very well might qualify as upmarket fiction. If book clubs would want to read and discuss it, that’s a good indication as well.

But before you ditch your current work-in-progress to write the next great upmarket horror novel, know that I’m not suggesting you give up on your project if you’re writing in one of the more saturated genres — or that you have to pivot to a genre agents are currently requesting. After all, trends shift day by day, so there’s no use in trying to time the publishing market. By the time you watch this, the lists may have already changed.

Plus, trying to write what an agent wants — versus the story you feel compelled to tell — will likely just result in a weaker manuscript. You should always write what you feel called to. And I truly believe there is room for captivating stories across all genres.

I hope this analysis gives you a better understanding of the current publishing market. The publishing industry and the querying process too often feels mysterious and gatekept, so I’m all about empowering authors to navigate it with confidence.

You can check out the list for yourself anytime at querytracker.net/agents/top-genres. The creator of QueryTracker himself told me that it’s updated frequently.

PSST: if you’re wondering about the guidebook I’m writing with the founder of QueryTracker, The Modern Guide to Querying Literary Agents, it’s currently going through the production process and is scheduled for publication next summer.

It’s full of never-before-seen querying data and practical tips on how to navigate the process from end to end — to find representation and ultimately see your book on the shelf.