It's genuinely not too early for a 2027 watchlist. Major publishers are already locking in their 2027 slates, and several of the titles below are confirmed acquisitions — just without firm dates yet. Others are early-watch picks based on author cadence, series continuity, and adaptation signals.
We'll update this page throughout 2026 as titles are confirmed. Bookmark it, or follow us on social — we announce updates there first.
🐉 Fantasy & Romantasy
The romantasy boom that started with Fourth Wing in 2023 is still running hot. Publisher acquisition data from 2025–2026 suggests no slowdown: high-heat dragon riders, fae courts, and found-family magic-school stories are filling 2027 slots at every major imprint. The prestige fantasy lane (Sanderson, Jemisin, Clarke) continues to produce at a high level alongside it.
Empyrean — Rebecca Yarros
If Empyrean #4 lands in 2026 as expected, a fifth and final entry would be a strong 2027 candidate. Yarros has hinted at the series running five books, and her publishing cadence (roughly annual) would put a finale squarely in 2027. This is one of the most commercially significant fantasy series of the decade — the finale will be an event regardless of when it lands.
Start the series →Cosmere Entry — Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson has published at least one Cosmere-adjacent book every year since 2005. Stormlight Archive Book 5 (Wind and Truth) concluded the first arc of that series; 2027 will likely see either the start of the second Stormlight arc, a major Mistborn entry, or a standalone Cosmere novel. His audience is conditioned to expect annual releases, and he has never missed that expectation. Whatever it is, it will debut at #1.
Start the Cosmere →New Project — V. E. Schwab
Schwab is one of the most versatile fantasy writers working right now — she moves between literary fantasy (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue), dark superhero fiction (Vicious), and portal fantasy (Shades of Magic) with equal confidence. Any new project from Schwab draws attention because she consistently finds angles that feel fresh. She has signaled ongoing work on multiple projects, at least one of which is likely to land in 2027.
Explore her catalog →The Bone Season Series — Samantha Shannon
Shannon's Bone Season series — a dystopian fantasy set in a future London controlled by a shadowy organization that hunts clairvoyants — is one of the most ambitious ongoing fantasy projects in British publishing. Each entry expands the world significantly. Shannon writes slowly by genre standards, which means the quality stays high and the releases feel like events. The series has been running since 2013 and still has several books left to go.
Start the series →🚀 Science Fiction
The sci-fi landscape in 2027 will be shaped by a theme that's been building for three years: AI, synthetic consciousness, and the ethics of personhood. Multiple acclaimed authors have announced projects touching these themes, and the cultural conversation around AI makes this an unusually timely subject for literary sci-fi.
New Novel — Becky Chambers
Chambers essentially created the "cozy sci-fi" subgenre with her Wayfarers series — small-scale, emotionally intelligent stories about found families, consciousness, and what it means to be a person. Her novellas and novels win awards at a remarkable rate. She publishes slowly, which makes every release a priority read. If she has a 2027 book, it will immediately land on every "best of the year" list.
Start with Wayfarers →New Novel — Blake Crouch
Crouch's formula — take a real-world scientific concept (parallel universes in Dark Matter, memory editing in Recursion, quantum consciousness in Upgrade) and build a propulsive thriller around its most terrifying implications — is one of the most commercially successful sci-fi templates going. His books routinely get optioned before they're even released. A new Crouch novel in 2027 is one of the safest bets on this page.
Start with Dark Matter →Murderbot — Martha Wells
The Murderbot Diaries continue to win awards, build audience, and convert skeptical readers who thought they didn't like sci-fi. With an HBO adaptation in development, 2027 will likely see increased mainstream attention for the series. Whether Wells publishes a new novella or a full novel, it will arrive into an even larger fanbase than the last entry. SecUnit remains one of the most lovable characters in any genre.
Start the series →💕 Romance
Romance publishing in 2027 will be shaped by the conversation happening right now about what "good" romance looks like. The CoHo era produced huge numbers; the post-CoHo era is demanding more — better emotional architecture, more diverse protagonists, sharper writing. Authors who can deliver on those expectations are the ones to watch.
New Novel — Emily Henry
Henry publishes roughly one novel per year and each one makes every major bestseller list. Her 2027 entry — whatever it is — will be announced with significant fanfare, generate preorder momentum the moment the title drops, and almost certainly be adapted within two years. If you're not reading her books, start anywhere in her catalog. They're all good entry points, and they're all building toward the same thing: a demonstration that literary craft and commercial romance are not opposites.
Start her catalog →New Novel — Casey McQuiston
McQuiston broke out with Red, White and Royal Blue — a queer political rom-com that became one of the defining romance titles of the early 2020s and received a successful film adaptation. Their follow-ups (One Last Stop, I Kissed Shara Wheeler) proved the debut wasn't a fluke. McQuiston writes queer romance with wit, political awareness, and genuine emotional depth. Their 2027 project will be one of the most-anticipated queer books of the year.
Explore their catalog →🔎 Thriller & Mystery
The thriller genre continues to produce its most interesting work at the literary end of the spectrum. The best thrillers of the past five years read more like character studies with plot urgency than traditional whodunits. That trend is accelerating in 2027.
New Novel — Tana French
French's publishing cadence runs roughly every three years for a full novel — which puts a potential 2027 entry in the right window depending on when her most recent book lands. Her novels are not books you read quickly: they require attention, reward rereading, and leave a residue that stays with you. The critical reception to each new French novel is extraordinary — she is reviewed in literary magazines, not just crime columns, because her work belongs to both traditions equally.
Start with In the Woods →Thursday Murder Club — Richard Osman
Osman's Thursday Murder Club series — elderly residents of a retirement community who solve cold cases, then increasingly hot ones — became a cozy crime phenomenon. The series has sold millions of copies globally, been acquired for a Netflix film, and shows no signs of running out of ideas. Osman publishes annually, which means 2027 will almost certainly bring another entry. These are the kind of books that make people who "don't read mysteries" read mysteries.
Start the series →📘 Nonfiction
The nonfiction landscape for 2027 will be shaped by political memoirs, science-backed productivity and wellness books, and narrative nonfiction about technology and its consequences. The biggest books in 2027 may not yet be announced — celebrity and political memoirs often emerge with short lead times.
Science/Wellness Books — Watch This Space
The market for evidence-based health, performance, and longevity books shows no sign of softening. Peter Attia, Andrew Huberman, and the broader performance science community continue to generate significant book projects. The category has evolved from pop-psychology self-help to something closer to applied science writing — rigorous, specific, and actionable. Watch for announcements from these authors throughout 2026.
Browse the category →AI & Technology Narrative — Multiple Authors
The books written about the AI revolution of 2023–2026 are being written right now. The best narrative nonfiction takes three to five years from reporting to publication; we are in the prime window for books that will define how the public understands what happened when AI went mainstream. Expect multiple major releases in this space in 2027 — some will be breathless hagiographies, some will be rigorous criticism. The best will be both.
Browse AI books →How to Use This List
A 2027 watchlist built in May 2026 is necessarily speculative. Some of these will slip into 2028; others will be joined by surprise announcements that aren't on anyone's radar yet. The best use of this page is as a starting point — a set of authors worth following so that when their books do land, you're ready to read them rather than catching up.
For authors you don't know, use the "start with" links to find their existing catalogs. The best preparation for a 2027 book you're excited about is reading everything the author has already written. It also gives you something excellent to read right now, which is rarely a bad outcome.
We'll update this page throughout 2026 as announcements land. Some of the TBAs above will have firm titles and dates by the time you read this. Check our blog index for the latest, or see our 2026 anticipated books list for titles that are already confirmed and closer to your hands.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the most anticipated fantasy books of 2027?
- Authors to watch for 2027 fantasy include Brandon Sanderson (who publishes annually), V.E. Schwab, Samantha Shannon, and Rebecca Yarros if the Empyrean series runs to a fifth book. The romantasy category will continue producing high-volume releases from multiple authors not yet announced.
- When will publishers announce 2027 book release dates?
- Most major publishers announce 2027 titles at their spring 2026 sales conferences (May–June 2026) and fall 2026 conferences (September–November). Watch those windows for the bulk of major confirmed titles and dates.
- How do you track books not yet announced for 2027?
- Follow author newsletters, track Publishers Marketplace for deal announcements (the industry's primary deal-reporting outlet), and follow literary agents on social media. Agents often announce deals before publishers issue formal press releases. Goodreads author follows will also alert you the moment a new title is listed.
- Which series are likely to have 2027 entries?
- Series with strong 2027 likelihood include the Cosmere (Sanderson), Cormoran Strike (Robert Galbraith), Murderbot (Martha Wells), Thursday Murder Club (Richard Osman), Red Rising (Pierce Brown), and the Bone Season series (Samantha Shannon). Annual-cadence authors are the safest predictions.
- Is it too early to track 2027 books?
- Not at all. Major publishers are already planning their 2027 lists — high-profile sequels, celebrity memoirs, and adaptation-tied books often get announced 18 months or more in advance. This page will update throughout 2026 as firm titles and dates are confirmed.