BookBub has several Featured Deals categories that fall under the speculative fiction umbrella. You may find yourself wondering not only which category is the best fit for your book, but also how to maximize your chances of getting selected for a Featured Deal based on what our editors and readers are currently looking for. As BookBub editors, we’re here to help by taking a deep dive into four of our speculative fiction categories: Horror, Supernatural Suspense, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.
We’ll highlight what our editors are looking for right now in each category, with lists of popular tropes, themes, and examples of books that have performed strongly with our readers. Learn what plot elements and types of covers grab our editors’ attention and how to choose which of your books might be the best fit for our readers’ tastes — then roll up your sleeves and cue up your strongest Featured Deal submission yet!
Horror
Our Horror category is the perfect place for spooky occult tales and twisted psychological chillers. Most novels, box sets, and anthologies that are selected for a Horror Featured Deal have unique, spine-tingling hooks that will shake readers to their core, but recent trends point to a few specific elements that might give a title a boost.
Books with isolated settings — especially wintry, subterranean, and deep-sea settings — are some of our readers’ favorites, and characters being trapped in these secluded locations raises the stakes even more. Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend, Mr. Nightmare by Joe Scipione, and From Below by Darcy Coates are excellent examples of this chilling isolation at play.
Mr. Nightmare follows a group that ventures into a remote forest every weekend to swap scary stories at midnight, which eventually attracts the unwanted attention of a deadly force that they cannot escape. From Below introduces a different flavor of claustrophobia; it follows a research team sent to explore a ship’s remains deep beneath the ocean’s surface that instead discovers an unspeakable horror waiting for them. These hooks would be enticing on their own, but the fact that the main characters are unable to escape is an added bonus that ups the fear factor and makes for a more exciting — and terrifying — reading experience.
These books are also great examples of the type of covers our Horror readers — and thus, our editors — are currently looking for. Dark, atmospheric covers that highlight a spooky setting are extremely enticing, whether they depict a crumbling Victorian house, an abandoned gas station, or an isolated forest. Covers that focus on these settings rather than centering on the main character tend to be the most attractive to our Horror readers, so submitting books that visually resemble these examples might help boost your chances of landing a Featured Deal!
Another subgenre that stands out as a fan favorite is eco-horror blended with supernatural horror. The specific plot types that fall under this umbrella can vary, but books like It Came From the Ice by Boris Bacic and Pistols by Michael Cole have proven to be consistently strong performers lately among our Horror readers.
Both of these titles involve scientists tasked with investigating suspicious activity in the environment, but they wind up unleashing a terrifying otherworldly creature that’s been lying dormant in the shadows, waiting to wreak havoc on humanity. This type of environmental horror plot with a touch of the supernatural consistently catches the eye of our Horror readers, so highlighting these elements might be something to consider when submitting for a Horror Featured Deal. Covers for these titles vary, but often feature an isolated setting and some hint at the environmental horror or supernatural creature that will be unleashed as the novel unfolds.
Apocalyptic novels can be seen in both our Horror and Science Fiction categories, and there’s often a fine line between which category is the best fit, so here’s a brief guide: If the catastrophic events facing humanity are dystopian, or the result of extraterrestrial influence or artificial intelligence, the book is likely a good fit for Sci-Fi; if they have to do with an EMP or the supernatural, like a zombie apocalypse, your book will probably be a better fit to Horror.
Another tip is that Horror readers also love apocalyptic box sets — and complete series are even more appealing — so if you’re looking to maximize your chances of being selected for a Featured Deal for postapocalyptic fiction, we’d recommend trying to submit a collection. Two examples of postapocalyptic box sets that have performed well with our horror readers are Dead South: The Complete Series by Zach Bohannon and Sleepers: The Complete Series by Jacqueline Druga.
Sci-Fi
Our Science Fiction readers have broad tastes, but some specific tropes and subgenres certainly stand out. Military sci-fi, stories of first contact and human-alien relationships, humans resurfacing after long periods asleep or underground, plots with high stakes, and books where a protagonist makes an alarming discovery about the universe are all strong performers in this category.
Two books that straddle several popular themes in our Science Fiction category are The Ark by Christopher Coates and Echogenesis by Gary Gibson. The first deals with a group of people placed in a deep artificial sleep to survive the impact of a comet headed for Earth; the second tells the story of 15 strangers who awake with no memory next to a crashed spaceship on an alien planet. In each case, extraterrestrial forces are the central cause of a high-stakes, critical juncture for humankind — just the kind of plot element our Sci-Fi readers are loving right now. Both books also have high-quality covers featuring space or spacecrafts, which is a great way to signal to editors that your book fits squarely in the Sci-Fi category and will catch our readers’ attention.
An example of military sci-fi that performed strongly with our readers is G.P. Hudson’s The Pike Chronicles: Books 1–10. To start, a 10-book box set at only $0.99 is hard for anyone to turn down, but with topics including humankind freeing itself from alien conquerors and a war hero who makes a shocking discovery on the fringes of outer space, the deal became irresistible for our Sci-Fi subscribers. Two more box sets demonstrate the appeal of military themes for these readers: Check out The Planetsider: The Complete Trilogy by G J Ogden and Children of Earthrise: Books 1–3 by Daniel Arenson for examples of compelling, action-packed plots featuring attractive covers that hint at the books’ content.
On that note, protagonists who find out startling truths about the galaxy are another easy sell in this category. Just look at The Immortality Thief by Taran Hunt and The Fossil by Joshua T. Calvert. The first features a linguist who, aboard an abandoned spaceship, unlocks dangerous secrets that will alter the course of humanity. In the second, two colleagues investigate the suspicious death of an archaeologist who made a shocking discovery in Antarctica years prior. Any time a main character learns something unsettling or surprising about who — or what — resides in the universe alongside humankind, our readers are engaged.
These types of plot points and tropes are the most popular for the Science Fiction category right now, but one thing we’re always looking for as editors is what makes your book distinct. Highlighting your unique hook in your Featured Deal submission comments is always a helpful way to grab our attention.
Supernatural Suspense
Our Supernatural Suspense category tends to be home to quirky paranormal mysteries and action-packed quests with a sprinkle of magic. These readers have a wide range of tastes, but a few tropes and subgenres have consistently performed well of late: urban fantasy, supernatural mysteries, and paranormal women’s fiction. Across these very different subgenres, most of our top performers in the category are set in the present day, combine non-supernatural elements with magical mayhem, and involve high-stakes scenarios.
In addition to these trends, there’s one element that is especially enticing to our Supernatural Suspense readers: box sets! All top 10 bestsellers in the category in 2023 were box sets and many were complete series, which tend to lead to a boost in sales. If you’ve submitted a single title and haven’t landed a Featured Deal yet, offering a discount on a series-opening box set or a complete collection is a great way to boost your chances of being selected. Since many of our Supernatural Suspense subscribers also look for single titles, let’s look at some examples of both.
L.M. Hatchell’s The Guardian and Steven P Aitchison’s The Witches of Scotland: The Awakening Trilogy demonstrate the kind of urban fantasies our readers love. They both include the trope of a mortal human discovering a magical world they never knew existed. For example, The Witches of Scotland follows an ordinary law student going through the motions of his life — until he learns he’s descended from a long line of witches and unlocks his own magical capabilities to save his new world from a dangerous evil. Not only is this plot an excellent content fit for the category, but the fact that it’s a series-starting box set is the cherry on top!
Alongside urban fantasies, paranormal cozy mysteries like A Sorcerer in a Teacup: The Witches Murder Club Books 1–8 by Samantha Silver and Merlin the Magical Fluff series by Molly Fitz are also hits with our Supernatural Suspense readers! Merlin the Magical Fluff is a complete series that follows an adorable cat with a big secret: He’s actually a witch with a human familiar who solves supernatural mysteries that come his way. Our readers love cozy, magical mysteries with humor and high jinks thrown in, and having an adorable feline as the protagonist makes this title even more unique and irresistible. Once again, the discount on a complete series helped this submission stand out as well.
The third most commonly sought-after subgenre in Supernatural Suspense is paranormal women’s fiction — a genre-bending plot type that combines classic women’s fiction themes with a magical twist. In Midlife Magic Mirror by Jennifer L. Hart, a middle-aged woman is forced to return to her family home after her husband asks for a divorce — and returning to the haunted house causes her latent magical abilities to emerge. In The Crone of Midnight Embers by Iris Beaglehole, a sixtysomething divorcée starts fresh in a quiet small town, only to discover that the village is filled with magic and mayhem. In both titles, the combination of women’s fiction elements (a woman starting over after a divorce) and a sprinkle of urban fantasy (the discovery of long-dormant powers and a magical town) proves a perfect blend for this category’s audience.
While these three subgenres tend to catch our Supernatural Suspense readers’ attention, there are also plenty of titles selected for Featured Deals that fall outside of these themes, and we see plots of all kinds perform well. Ultimately, our readers are looking to escape to worlds that resemble real life — with some magical high jinks thrown in! To land a Featured Deal in this category, be sure to highlight any quirky, fun, or high-stakes supernatural elements in your submission. And when in doubt, try submitting a box set.
Fantasy
While our Supernatural Suspense category is the best landing place for paranormal mysteries, urban fantasy, and paranormal women’s fiction, our Fantasy readers are looking for unique settings, hooks that stand out from the crowd, richly imagined magic systems and world-building, and lots of epic fantasy.
In addition to satisfying these popular tropes and subgenres, authors have successfully enticed our Fantasy readers by offering discounts on box sets — particularly those containing a complete series. In the last year, six out of the top 10 indie performers in this category were complete box sets! Of course, deals on single titles can work well, too, but if your individual book hasn’t been selected as a Featured Deal, try bundling it with your other books to boost your chances of being selected in this category.
Epic fantasy is the bread and butter of our Fantasy category, and we could point to many examples of successful Featured Deals in this subgenre. Tropes in epic fantasy that currently catch our editors’ attention include reluctant or unlikely heroes, magic that features prominently in the story, human-dragon relationships, and high-stakes quests.
An example of a complete box set is Aaron Hodges’s The Sword of Light: The Complete Trilogy, about a young man who believes his magic is a curse and sets out on a quest to stop the destruction he tends to leave in his wake. In The Fae War Chronicles: Books 1–7 by Jocelyn A. Fox, two ordinary human girls — again, unlikely heroes! — are summoned to the Fae realm, which needs saving by a mortal who can wield the legendary Iron Sword. And a great example of a single epic fantasy that’s performed well in this category is Lori Holmes’s The Forbidden, which features a woman fleeing a dangerous chieftain who’s after her magic powers.
When thinking about unique settings and hooks, Tempest in a Teapot by Kate Valent is a great example of a single book that worked well for our fantasy readers. While epic fantasies set in far-off kingdoms are popular in this category, books that break out of this common trope also tend to perform strongly! Set at a tea party in a magical Victorian England, this story follows a baker’s daughter who is chosen by an enchanted teapot to wed an eccentric magician. The beautifully illustrated cover is a great fit for this category as well. For more inspiration on unique settings or twists that have engaged our readers, look at Werewolf Academy: Complete Box Set by Cheree Alsop and Faeries of Oz: The Complete Series by Candace Robinson and Amber R. Duell. These books break out of the typical epic fantasy fare and carry our readers away to strange and exciting new places.
Another favorite trope among BookBub Fantasy readers: dragons! A strong example of a successful box set Featured Deal was Lindsay Buroker’s Heritage of Power: The Complete Series, which offers the value of a complete series alongside popular themes including dragon lore, a hero’s quest, unlikely friendship, and an outcast who discovers his forbidden magical powers. The polished cover featuring a striking dragon certainly caught our editors’ eyes, and we knew our Fantasy readers would be thrilled to get their hands on this deal. Other top performers that feature dragons include Promised in Fire by Jasmine Walt and Dragon Force: Complete Series by Lucía Ashta.
While these tropes and themes help pique our readers’ — and therefore our editors’ — interest, what we’re ultimately looking for in this category right now are fantasy books with unique plot elements, settings, and characters that will stand out. Whatever makes your book different is going to be your strongest selling point!
We hope this is a helpful peek behind the curtain of the Featured Deal selection process for speculative fiction. Though these specific examples stand out as tried-and-true favorites for readers subscribed to each of these categories, we also see titles outside of these consistent trends perform well all the time, and trends change — so you never know when a book might catch an editor’s eye.
It’s also important to note that if your book seems like it could fit in a few different categories, editors will always consider other categories than the one you suggest in your submission to make sure each deal we feature has the best chance of reaching the right readers. So just pick a category and submit, even if you’re unsure it’s the best home for your book. Use the comments field of the Featured Deal submission form to highlight the relevant tropes and themes you’ve seen here, and we will do the rest!
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