The batch of new and upcoming releases a publisher is actively promoting in the current season, where most of their marketing energy and attention goes.
A publisher's frontlist is their lineup of new releases for the current season (publishers typically operate in two or three seasons per year). These are the books getting the marketing budgets, the review copies, the bookstore placement, and the publicist's attention. Being on the frontlist means your book is the priority right now, but that window is short. Within a few months, your book rotates off the frontlist and joins the backlist. How well you perform during your frontlist window often shapes the rest of your book's life.
Your frontlist window is the best shot your book will ever get at visibility from your publisher. This is when the marketing push happens, when reviewers are paying attention, and when bookstores give you face-out shelf space. Understanding the frontlist cycle helps you plan your launch, time your own promotional efforts, and set expectations for what happens when the spotlight moves on to the next season's books.
Zevin's novel dominated the frontlist in summer 2022 with aggressive publisher support, prime bookstore placement, and a publicity blitz that turned it into a book club staple.
A frontlist launch backed by strong pre-orders and social media buzz that made it one of the most talked-about books of its season.
Kingsolver's return to the frontlist after years between novels generated massive publisher investment that paid off with the Pulitzer Prize.
Visit a major publisher's website and look at their current season's catalog. Identify which books are getting the most prominent placement. Then visit a local bookstore and note which new releases are displayed face-out or on feature tables. Compare the two lists. This shows you what frontlist promotion actually looks like in practice, from publisher marketing to shelf space.