Adult Books for Fall 2020

By Jonathan Segura |

Jun 19, 2020

Welcome to our big fall preview. I usually begin this feature with an explanation of how we put it together and a bit on the mix of our selections, which range from blockbusters to some titles you’ve surely never heard of but have a lot of potential. These days, though, nothing is business as usual. We’ve been working remotely for the entire time it’s taken to put this feature together, as have almost all of you, and hundreds of titles have had their publication dates changed due to the pandemic. Which is to say, it’s been a bit of a challenge, but I think we’ve put together a bang-up look at what’s on tap for fall.

What follows is our editors’ picks for the season’s highlights in 15 categories, each of which has a top 10 list and a longlist. These 854 titles are only some of those submitted for consideration, and if you want to peruse the full database, visit publishersweekly.com/announcements.

We’ve also compiled an extensive list of pub date changes, based on information supplied by publishers. That follows the announcements feature and is well worth a look; it’s not a complete account, but even so it underscores the immensity of the disruption we’re dealing with.

Oh, and mark July 20 on your calendars. That’s when our fall 2020 children’s announcements issue lands.

That’s it from me. Turn the page, and let’s look ahead to better days and some great books.