John Dean – Crime Writer

I keep a close eye on trends in fiction, not least because it allows me to suggest new genres worth trying for unpublished writers.

One of the most notable new genres is what has rapidly turned into one of the hottest areas of publishing, namely the mixing of romance and fantasy to create ‘romantasy’, which looks like it will continue to sell heavily throughout 2026 after a strong 2025.

One of the driving forces behind the new genre was self-published writers, as you might expect with a new genre, but it did not take canny commercial publishers long to realise the potential and the past three years have since it being increasingly picked up for publication.

Romantasy, also known as fantasy romance or romantic fantasy, features love stories set in mystical realms rather than realistic, contemporary settings. These worlds are still populated with the traditional magical creatures like dragons, fairies, or werewolves.

The term ‘romantasy’ first appeared in 2008 but only gained popularity in recent years, largely thanks to support from specialist online reading communities. By 2020, it was ready to take on the publishing mainstream.

To help writers seek to break into the market, the excellent Goodreads has put together its guide to the most anticipated romantasies of 2026.

To read the full list, go to www.goodreads.com and seek out the article entitled

Readers’ Most Anticipated Romantasies for 2026. –

in their Search field.