Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 5, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
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Bloomsbury shares surged ~20% on March 5, 2026 following a trading update forecasting FY 2026/27 profit materially above consensus, buoyed by two upcoming Sarah J. Maas ACOTAR novels set for October 27, 2026 and January 12, 2027.
March 5 (Reuters) - Shares in Bloomsbury Publishing soared as much as 20% on Thursday after it forecast profit for the year to February 2027 to surpass expectations, helped by the upcoming release of two new books in author Sarah J. Maas' most popular franchise.
The publisher, which has broadened its portfolio with moves into academic publishing and digital content, expects profit to be boosted by strong demand for Maas' "romantasy" series like 'A Court of Thorns and Roses'.
Shares in the company were last 14% higher at 543 pence as of 0923 GMT, the highest level since May 2025.
Sarah J. Maas was the highest-selling author in the United States in 2024, according to data from research firm Circana, and the number one best-selling author in the UK in 2025.
"This is positive news given that we were only expecting one title from the author," Berenberg analyst William Larwood said in a note.
Bloomsbury also said it expects 2025-26 profit to be in line with the market consensus of 44.3 million pounds ($59.03 million). Market expectations for 2026-27 profit stood at 44.5 million pounds.
($1 = 0.7505 pounds)
(Reporting by Ankita Bora in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Sonia Cheema)
Shares rose nearly 20% after the company forecast its annual profit to be materially ahead of expectations.
Sarah J. Maas is driving the outlook with two new books in her most popular franchise.
The news was reported by Ankita Bora and edited by Mrigank Dhaniwala.
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