(18 December 2018) Wattpad has 72 million users and they consume self-published stories at a ravenous pace. In 2018 one of the biggest trends was mental health and ebooks on depression and anxiety. This genre saw an increase of 52% and over 152,000 new stories were uploaded. One of the most notable examples of this trend was a book called Saving Everest, with 16.9 million reads to date, showcasing how storytelling can create a space for empathy and conversation about mental health. Wattpad is not alone, almost every major bookseller has seen a dramatic uptick selling these kinds of books.
Barnes and Noble stated in their Buzz Newsletter this past summer that the sales of books related to anxiety are up more than 26%, because “we may be living in an anxious nation.” The books that made the list show customers gravitating toward workbooks and toolkits with how to deal with anxiety, a trend Senior Director of Merchandising Liz Harwell sees continuing through the year. “The Anxiety category has really popped in the last year as book buyers look for practical guides and strategies on how to manage anxiety.”
Good e-Reader has the full story here.
