Publishing dates are never truly set in stone, but this year has seen an unprecedented number of publication date swaps, delays, and early releases thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stories relevant to the outbreak, such as titles about past pandemics or bread baking, were launched ahead of schedule, for example; some were delayed in hopes of rescheduling book tours or other promotional events; others still were pushed back for fear they’d get lost in the nonstop media coverage of the novel virus. (Media coverage for authors is always hard to come by in an election year, but couple that with a global pandemic and the situation becomes even more dire, with many outlets being too strapped with breaking news to devote much time and attention to book releases.) And so, the authorial class of fall 2020 is a mixed bag, with early, delayed, and on-schedule titles competing for early-season media and shelf space before the nation turns all eyes to the election in November. Choose your favorite genre below to find just a precious few of many, many notable reads hitting bookstores this fall.
