Cozy Fantasy’s Otherworldly Settings, Lighthearted Escapism Offer Readers What They’ve Been Craving
In February 2022, when Travis Baldree self-published his smashingly successful book Legends and Lattes, legions of readers found themselves craving more of a genre they likely weren’t even aware existed. It’s called Cozy Fantasy, and some of its most common tropes have been around for decades, even if the genre label hasn’t.
From the opening of The Hobbit to Redwall and The Princess Bride, readers’ favorite Fantasy books have often included scenes that leave them feeling warm, fuzzy, and longing for more time with their characters and their world. The unsettled nature of the last few years has left some readers searching for books with less darkness and less danger around every corner, and Cozy Fantasy sales have skyrocketed as a result.
So what exactly is Cozy Fantasy? This subgenre of Fantasy marries fan-favorite tropes like epic quests, action-packed fight scenes, and mythical creatures with the common emotional elements and settings found in traditional Cozy tales. The key to this genre’s success is creating characters and fully immersive worlds that evoke a feeling of comfort, family, and overall lightheartedness.
Unlike traditional Fantasy, where the fate of the world hangs in the balance, the stakes in Cozy Fantasy don’t have to be quite so high. Readers are just as drawn to stories with lower stakes and high emotional value. Good still triumphs over evil, and ordinary everyday characters still become heroes, but it all happens on a smaller scale. It’s been said of the genre that it’s less about saving the world and more about saving the neighborhood. Like many Cozy genre fans, readers also seem to prefer less violence, gore, and despicable bad guys than those typically found in Epic Fantasy.
Alongside the recent explosive popularity of the genre, several resources for authors wanting to try their hand at writing a Cozy Fantasy have emerged. While the following list is far from all-inclusive, it serves as a great starting point for dipping your quill in the inkwell of this lucrative genre.
Resources
Wyngraf Magazine
Website: https://wyngraf.com
According to the magazine’s website, “Wyngraf was founded to promote and encourage fantasy stories that focus on the little things: friends, family, home, travel. Our authors create worlds that readers get lost in… and dream of someday visiting.” The site contains articles, flash fiction, and submission guidelines for authors wanting to pitch stories for the publication’s open submission calls.
r/CozyFantasy
Website: https://reddit.com/r/CozyFantasy
The subreddit with 3,500 members discusses all things Cozy Fantasy and can offer a diverse and comprehensive overview of what readers like. It’s also a great place to meet potential readers.
Goodreads—Cozy Fantasy Books list
Website: https://goodreads.com/shelf/show/cozy-fantasy
This list of over two thousand titles that readers have shelved as Cozy Fantasy is an excellent resource for authors looking to read and research popular titles within the genre. Reader ratings and comments provide insight into reader expectations of the genre.
Cozy Vales
Website: https://cozyvales.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/cozyvales
This is a new Cozy Fantasy shared world featuring work by multiple indie authors from a variety of genres. Their Facebook reader group details how the authors created and structured the world and offers a place to connect with other Cozy Fantasy authors and readers. The group’s website is still a work-in-progress, but it contains a sign-up link to their Golden Acorn newsletter, which adds a fun and creative element to the world-building aspect of Cozy Vales.
As a genre, Cozy Fantasy seems to have found a niche filled with readers hungry for more. Audiences don’t seem to be concerned whether an author is traditionally or self-published; as long as you can craft a story and characters that leave them feeling content that all's right with the world, you’ll have faithful fans who will be eager to revisit your world as soon as the next title drops.
