Ep. 133: Speculative Fiction / Fantasy 101 with Sarah Landis (Literary Agent)

<p><strong>Literary agent Sarah Landis joins me for a deep dive into the Speculative Fiction / Fantasy genre.  Sarah breaks down these terms, shares popular books in these genres, and discusses the trends she’s seeing in the publishing industry.  Also, Sarah shares both her book recommendations and her go-to books for those looking to dive into these genres!</strong></p> <p><span id="more-6002024"></span></p> <p><em>This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).</em></p> <h2><strong>Highlights</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Differentiating between genres: Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Climate Fiction.</li> <li>The genres that scare publishers and the toughest genre to define!</li> <li>The sub-genres of fantasy: High / Epic, Grounded, and Historical.</li> <li>How the term ‘Speculative’ is actually a broader umbrella term.</li> <li>The trends and performance in publishing for Speculative Fiction and Fantasy. </li> <li>Why many fantasy books are written as a series.</li> <li>How the “Harry Potter” generation seems to be shaping both readers and authors.</li> <li>Sarah’s go-to recommendations for those new to these genres!</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Sarah’s Book Recommendations</strong> <a class= "spp-timestamp">[30:31]</a></h2> <p><strong>Two OLD Books She Loves</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong><a href="https://amzn.to/3YUBC4V">The Bear and the Nightingale</a> by Katherine Arden</strong> | <a href= "https://amzn.to/3YUBC4V">Amazon</a> | <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/24569/9781101885932">Bookshop.org</a><img src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=sarsbooshe04-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01BD1SSO4" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" loading="lazy" /><img src= "http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=sarsbooshe04-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00N6PCZO0" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" loading= "lazy" /> <a class="spp-timestamp">[30:56]</a></li> <li><strong><a href="https://amzn.to/3E7Ea7Q">The Ten Thousand Doors of January</a> b