Over the past two decades, Americans have experienced a significant evolution in their understanding and cultural acceptance of transgender people.

Consequently, media coverage of trans issues has moved beyond simplistic political dichotomies and toward more fully realized representations, not only of the diversity of the trans community, but also of trans people’s lives, their families, and their fundamental inclusion in the fabric of American society. Today, transgender people’s stories are more likely to be told in the same way as others — with fairness, integrity, and respect. (glaad.org)

Between 9/15 and 10/15, we celebrate the history and countless contributions that Latinos have made to the US over the years. This month we also honor the cultural richness of Hispanics from Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Multicultural and LGBTQ romance online searches are on the rise. According to our metadata experts, search traffic for the overall Romance category was up 17% in Q1 of 2021. Multicultural Romance and LGBTQ Romance share of traffic has increased considerably in the same time frame. Online search data gives us insight into what consumers are interested in buying.

According to an estimate by pop culture trade news sites ICv2 and Comichron, graphic novel sales in particular via the bookstore channel were $645 million, higher than comic book shops. 

According to the report, sales in the bookstore channel (which includes physical stores and online retailers) increased “dramatically” over comics shop market share and the popularity of graphic novels over periodical comics continued to grow. (PublishersWeekly.com)

Bookstore Romance Day is a day designed to give independent bookstores an opportunity to celebrate Romance fiction—its books, readers, and writers—and to strengthen the relationships between bookstores and the Romance community. (https://bookstoreromanceday.org/) 2021 marks the third year of this annual celebration.

The intense fighting now raging between Israelis and Palestinians – in an area not much larger than New Jersey – may be the worst since 2014, but it’s part of a complex, bitter conflict that reaches back to the first World War. (USA Today)

The power of the backlist lies in titles that aren’t new to us, but may be to booksellers or consumers. Titles that were major bestsellers when they were published may fall off account inventory lists for various reasons, or newer booksellers may simply not be aware of them. 

The Fiction category that seems never to slow down continues to increase into 2021. With PRH category performance up YTD 7.7% from 2020, this is a category we – and our customers – can never take our eyes off.

The growth of the manga subcategory (series-driven Japanese comic books and graphic novels) over the past years has been staggering. It is currently one of the fastest growing areas of comic books and narrative fiction, according to global information company The NPD Group, far outpacing growth in the total adult-comic/graphic-novel category.

Bring on the celebration!

Each June in the USA and around the world, celebrations of LGBTQ Month include parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and Pride Month events attract millions of participants. As ever, PRH and its distributed clients have a multitude of books to recognize the impact that LGBTQ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally, including Fiction and Non-Fiction.

One in five Americans listens to audiobooks, with those numbers increasing significantly during the pandemic. Audiobook consumers listen to relax, to be entertained, to escape, and to learn new things. Families listen together on car trips. People listen while working out, doing nothing, taking a quiet walk, cleaning the house.

Summer is just around the corner and people are thinking about and planning road trips. Help them get even more inspired with these classic and contemporary narratives that involve road trips.