30 Oct 2 Seas Returns to New York, the Heart of U.S. Publishing

This September, 2 Seas Agency co-founder Marleen stopped in New York City on her way to Europe and spent an inspiring week filled with meetings with US publishers and literary scouts. She started out by attending the Brooklyn Book Festival, which had been on her wish list for years.

By Marleen Seegers — Article first published in October 2025

The Brooklyn Book Festival

Attending the Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, September 21, made for an exciting start to a week of meetings in New York City. I was delighted to discover many English translations of books we’ve sold on behalf of our international clients, to visit the stands of our US clients Astra House and Catapult | Counterpoint | Soft Skull Press, and to witness large crowds gathered around the pleasure of reading.

Two absolute highlights: right upon arriving at the festival, I ran into a panel featuring Joyce Carol Oates (I had to blink my eyes a couple of times to make sure it was her, rather than a jetlag-induced mirage) and I met Haitian author Emmelie Prophète together with her US publisher Jill Schoolman of Archipelago Books (who recently published Emmelie’s sixth novel, Cécé; a deal we handled on behalf of our French client Books and More Agency). After we met, Emmelie took part in a panel titled “Literature, Resistance, Survival” together with fellow authors Jeremy Tiang and Canisia Lubrin. It was a day to remember!

Some images of the Brooklyn Book Festival:

Meetings in Manhattan

^{Visiting our client Astra Publishing House}

Once I’d returned from Brooklyn, I spent a week crisscrossing Manhattan for meetings with acquiring editors, our U.S. clients, and scouts. The pace was typically New York — fast, focused, and full of energy — but what struck me most was the overall tone. In spite of (or perhaps I should say, because of) the ongoing political and economic turmoil in the U.S. and abroad, spirits were high, and I felt an eagerness to fight back: against book bans, the shutdown of literary arts funding by the current U.S. administration, and growing nationalism.

Indeed, conversations felt forward- and outward-looking, with many editors eager to talk about what’s being written and published in other countries. The curiosity about international voices and experiences seemed stronger than ever, possibly spurred by a new generation of U.S. editors who more often read another language besides English. This development does not mean that English sample translations are no longer needed in our submission process, however. Increasingly, the entire team, including marketing personnel, must be on board, so the more material in English we have, the better.

One notable example of this growing interest in international voices is the newly revived Simon & Schuster division, Summit Books, which describes itself as “publishing literature from around the globe.”

I should note that I only meet with editors who tend to be open to publishing books in translation from the get-go, so this may not reflect the overall trend. In fact, a recent Public Books article quite dramatically states that a “translation renaissance in US publishing just ended.”

^{Biking around Manhattan, from meeting to meeting}

Escapism and the Rise of “Cozy” Fiction and Horror

One themes dominated the week’s fiction discussions, which we’d already noticed during this year’s London Book Fair: readers are seeking escape. On the one hand, I clearly felt a preference for stories that offer warmth, humor, and emotional safety. The word “cozy” came up in almost every meeting: cozy fantasy, cozy murder mystery, cozy romance… you name it. On the other, I noticed a contrasting appetite for darker themes. Alongside the rise of “cozy,” horror is having a notable resurgence.

^{At the HarperCollins offices}

These subgenres, once niche, seem to have become more central to what’s resonating with readers, in genre fiction but also more on the literary side. When reality feels unstable, it seems that some readers reach for comfort, others for catharsis.

Nonfiction: Author Platform Still Defines Opportunity

In nonfiction, the message was clear: the author platform remains essential. For international authors in particular, a U.S.-based or U.S.-accessible platform remains crucial in acquisition decisions. Editors were enthusiastic about strong ideas from abroad but emphasized the importance of reach. Furthermore, it’s not enough for the concept to be good; it also has to be a topic or approach that can’t be written about by a local author, and this stance is shared with many international editors.

^{From left to right: Marleen, Laura’s sister and Laura}

Prescriptive nonfiction — especially in the areas of wellbeing, mental health, and self-improvement — remains a solid category. Following the surge in popularity of Japanese and Korean authors in the (healing) fiction space, they are now also very popular in the nonfiction genre.

A Measured Optimism

By the end of the week, I was encouraged by the overall mood. The U.S. publishing industry appears focused, pragmatic, and quietly confident. In a time of political and cultural polarization, the resilience of the trade felt refreshing. Editors are looking outward — beyond domestic noise — and engaging with the idea that stories travel best when they connect on a human level.

Speaking of connecting, just before flying out to Amsterdam, I had the pleasure of meeting our Operations Coordinator, Laura Peralta, for the very first time in person!

Some further images from my New York trip