This post was originally published on here
Make-believe is having a moment.
At Clunes Booktown this year, a literary festival in regional Victoria, between half and two-thirds of the authors peddling their wares were writers of so-called “speculative fiction”.
That term is a somewhat clumsy umbrella term that covers everything from fantasy, science fiction, and horror, to “romantasy”, alternate histories, and stories set in dystopian futures.
Australian book sales also point to a boom in these genres and sub-genres.
According to Nielson Bookdata, science fiction and fantasy sales have more than doubled between 2019 and 2023 to more than $50 million annually.
The 2026 Clunes Booktown festival was dominated by fantasy and other forms of the speculative fiction genre. (Supplied: VK Tritschler)
The explosion in new speculative fiction has happened at the same time as a boom in self-publishing.
Melbourne fantasy and science fiction author Arden Baker said that’s no coincidence.
“I think it’s fair to say that for independent publishing, the vast majority is going to be genre fiction or speculative fiction,” Mr Baker said.
“There’s been a shift over the last 10 years or so, as the mid-list of writers has fallen out of traditional publishing.”
Mr Baker said the publishing industry was cutting costs, forcing many authors to go independent.
“They’re finding a better market and a better audience for their work through independent publishing,” he said.
“I think, traditionally, speculative fiction has been looked down upon as a less worthy form of literature, so you are looking at small marketing budgets.
“Writers feel they can get the same product, independently published, at half the cost.”
Arden Baker with the Aurealis best anthology award for Austral 2025. (Supplied: Meridian Australis)
Baker, who writes a mix of sci-fi and horror fantasy, is president of Meridian Australis, a speculative fiction author collective which has published several short story anthologies.
Meridian’s Austral 2025 won the Aurealis Award — an Australian sci-fi and fantasy literary prize — for best anthology.
“We started out as a little critique circle, six members, all recruited via posters on telephone poles, and have grown to about 50 people across Melbourne,” Baker said.
“Our group includes published novelists like Will Greatwich with his House of the Rain King, Henry Nielsen with Sunward Sky, and Thomas Slee with Project Gateway.
“Others are just starting out, so there are people from different literary backgrounds.”
Meridian Australis supports its members’ efforts to craft, publish and promote their stories.
Other authors do it all themselves.
Solo quest
Melanie Ansley has written three books to date in her Riders of Jade and Fire fantasy series, set in a fantasy analogue of ancient China, along with her Book of Theo young adult fiction trilogy.
Ansley may have been the type of author who, a few decades ago, would have signed with a traditional publisher, but who now chooses self-publishing.
Melanie Ansley at Melbourne Bookfair promoting her book. (Supplied: Golden Wing Press)
While this trend means a greater number of book titles competing for attention, it has also coincided with a growing number of new readers exploring different types of tales.
“I’ve definitely noticed a huge growth in authors in this space, partially because the tools have become much more accessible,” Ansley said.
“(Genre fiction) has also just grown hugely in terms of the marketplace as well.
“I think people do want to escape the real world more than ever.”
A fairytale romance
If genre fiction is on the rise generally, then romantasy, which blends traditional fantasy with romance fiction, is soaring.
Unlike other forms of speculative fiction, which struggle to gain the attention from major publishers, there are plenty of publishing houses keen to discover the next Stephanie Meyer or Sarah J. Maas.
VK Tritschler is the author of nine novels — including the Nowhere paranormal romance trilogy A Town Called Nowhere, The Heart of Nowhere, and It Ends in Nowhere.
She has a professional publishing contract with American firm Ink Spell Publishing but also chooses to self-publish some material.
Romantasy author VK Tritschler. (Supplied: VK Tritschler)
“When you have a traditional publisher, they give you a contract, and it’s all very nice,” Tritschler said.
“They do the book covers, they help you with the editing, and then they do their version of marketing, which is quite limited, leveraging on the fact that they have an existing marketplace with capacity to present themselves to a wider audience.”
Artwork from VK Tritschler’s romantasy novel Vital Impetus. (Supplied: VK Tritschler)
Tritschler said self-publishing and selling directly to readers allowed authors to establish an intimate relationship with their audience.
“You get to ask, ‘what’s your direct feedback on this? How can I support this readership and grow it?’,” she said.
“I started (self-publishing) in conjunction with my publisher — I give them first rights on the books and, if they’re not interested, I’m happy to play in my own space.”
Into the unknown
Fantasy’s rise hasn’t just benefited those authors who have toiled away for a decade or more — it’s also encouraged a new generation of storytellers to step out on their own writing journey.
Michaela T. Harden is drafting her first full-length novel after dipping her toe in the water with short stories.
Michaela T. Harden is working on her first novel. (Supplied: Meridian Australis)
“It’s a huge leap of faith,” Harden said.
“You’ve spent so much like time plotting and crafting a story and, when you put that out into the world, you feel quite vulnerable.
“There’s no guarantee that others will like it — you’ve got to be prepared for a lot of disappointments.”
Cover art by Melbourne artist Tracey Chen for Michaela T. Harden’s short story Bone Charmer. (Supplied: Meridian Australis)
Self-publishing has opened doors, but Harden, who is a member of Meridian Australis, said there are writers with their own fantasy of being discovered by a large publisher and becoming an international best-selling author.
“It would be amazing to have the JK Rowling experience and make millions of dollars from your work, but my guess is the percentage of people who would like that is quite small,” she said.
“Honestly, for my writing, it is very much that I want to get my stories out there.”
A guide to self-publishing
Written your own great fantasy? Ready to put your story before a potential adoring public?
VK Tritschler offered the ABC a step-by-step guide to self-publishing.
- Prepare a digital manuscript of the novel for editing and eventual publication;
- Submit the manuscript to a professional editor who suits your style. Editors can be found through local groups or through the Institute of Professional Editors;
- Develop a cover design. Tritschler prefers to support local artists although design can be done online or (increasingly) using artificial intelligence;
- Create a pdf file of the manuscript and cover design for submission to a printing company.
- Print several “author copies” to check for glaring errors and then a “beta run” of copies to distribute to test readers to provide feedback ahead of a full print run;
- Order a first print run of between 200 and 1000 copies. Prices range from $7 to $12 per copy for a novel of between 70,000 and 100,000 words;
- Market the novel by all means possible, including but not limited to: local bookshops, literary festivals, a personal website, social media, and online retailers.
