Reading books is the new sexy

Reading is the new sexy, books are back, and they’re printed, from bookstores. Over the past few years people have started shelving devices and reverted to turning pages. Social media’s full of it with channels like Book Tok and even Instagram turning the well read into sexy, cultural winners. Reading is no longer just a pastime, it’s becoming cultural currency and it’s hot.

A recent article in The Guardian reported that Gen Z is “flocking to physical books and libraries,” with print books making up 80% of their purchases. Libraries are suddenly popular again, with a 71% increase in foot traffic from young people. They are checking out Jane Austen and Zadie Smith with the same enthusiasm they reserve for the latest Sabrina Carpenter album. Books are no longer just something to read. Literature seems to have become an accessory to trend.

Sylvia de Wet, Publishing Director at Penguin Random House South Africa, said the resurgence is tied to a larger cultural change. “We’re seeing a broader cultural return to tactile, meaningful experiences, and books are at the heart of that shift,” she said. “In a world saturated with digital media, reading offers something both grounding and enriching. For many South Africans, books have become lifestyle statements and a form of self-expression.”

Larger cultural change

This isn’t just about what’s on the page, either. Covers matter a lot in a society obsessed with visual appeal. Readers are posing with their current reads like fashion accessories, and it’s not by accident. “It goes back to the aesthetic of how books look and feel,” said Kelly Ansara, Marketing and Publicity Director at Jonathan Ball Publishers. “Do you feel cool pulling this book out at a trendy bar with a cocktail or coffee shop? It all goes back to how the book looks. But will you also look cute, smart or professional?”

Also Read: Chris Carter’s ‘Death Watcher’: Unputdownable

Online magazine Rowdy called it “a sexy renaissance,” with readers turning to romance, fantasy and even classic literature. The visual language of reading has changed. BookTok is awash with soft pastel spines, annotated page flips, and tear-streaked reaction videos. And it’s moving books.

Ansara said genre fiction and fantasy are seeing the biggest gains. “Readers aren’t afraid of chunky reads or heavy subjects, but they do want to escape sometimes and read fun romance or easy beach read thrillers,” she said. “However, we still see the big sales in local political biographies or current affairs books. Non-fiction still is the biggest seller in the South African market.”

Non-fiction a mainstay in reading

De Wet added that nonfiction remains a mainstay, but fiction is fighting back in all the right ways. “Escapism remains a powerful driver,” she said. “Irma Joubert’s sweeping historical novels, Jackie Phamotse’s emotionally charged dramas, Sven Axelrad’s whimsical and wildly original narratives, and Martin Steyn and Leon van Nierop’s pulse-racing thrillers all show how deeply readers continue to embrace historical fiction, romance, crime and suspense.”

It’s not just what readers are reading, it’s how they’re reading. Social media has fused style and substance. “Readers are no longer passive receivers of content,” said de Wet. “They write online book reviews, participate in online book discussions, and actively promote the authors and books they love. It becomes part of their own image and identity.”

Authors are also being packaged as cultural figures, not just writers. “An author is no longer just a name on a cover. They’re a voice, a personality and often a cultural influencer,” said de Wet.

Bookish Cool is amplified by aesthetics

According to Rowdy Magazine, this rise in “bookish cool” isn’t new. It has beginnings in past literary movements but is now amplified by aesthetics. The article also noted an 8.2% jump in global book sales in 2020, a trend that’s kept steady. The aesthetic angle is important, but so is identity. “Books also bring the look and feel of aesthetic, so be it expensive designer books, or buckled paperbacks,” said Ansara. “People are using books to find identity or sense of self, and to connect with others.”

This visibility has translated into sales. At Penguin Random House SA, de Wet said they’ve “seen growth in key categories,” with international fiction like Jojo Moyes still going strong, and local favourites like Antjie Krog’s Blood’s Inner Rhyme and Tom Eaton’s An Act of Murder drawing readers across the board.

Ansara noted that South African fiction sales follow different rules than international ones, and while trends like dragons and enemies-to-lovers romances dominate BookTok abroad, the local market has its own rhythm. “We have only just stuck to our publishing values that lean neither left nor right,” she said.

For publishers, it means adapting. De Wet said discoverability is now digital-first. “BookTok, Instagram and other social media have become important pathways into reading communities, particularly for younger audiences. We’re leaning into these channels while still nurturing traditional bookselling partnerships,” she said.

Now Read: Muse in motion: Louisa Treger redefines the creative spark