Subject spotlight: Thrillers

Welcome back to Subject Spotlight, your go-to source for quarterly data-driven insights into the performance of particular subjects in the Canadian book market.

Previously, we looked at the sales and library circulation of Non-Fiction / Indigenous books. In this instalment, we shine the spotlight on Fiction / Thrillers titles. How did these titles perform during the second quarter of 2024? We find out with the help of our SalesData and LibraryData services.

Buying Fiction / Thrillers

Compared to 2023, the overall sales of Fiction / Thrillers titles were up 13% over the entire second quarter. Looking at the graph below, from April to June 2024 sales of Fiction / Thrillers increased by 45%. Sales of Fiction / Thrillers titles increased by 64% in the second quarter of 2023.

These are the BISAC subcategories with the highest year-over-year increase in sales:

• Fiction / Thrillers / Technological — up 200%

• Fiction / Thrillers / Terrorism — up 189%

• Fiction / Thrillers / Legal — up 138%

From April to June 2024, the most purchased Fiction / Thrillers subcategories were:

• Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense — 46% of all Fiction / Thrillers sales

• Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological — 18% of all Fiction / Thrillers sales

• Fiction / Thrillers / Crime — 13% of all Fiction / Thrillers sales

Borrowing Fiction / Thrillers

From April to June 2024, library loans and renewals of Fiction / Thrillers titles were up 16% and 26% respectively from 2023.

In the entire second quarter of 2024 loans increased by 6%.

Renewals for Fiction / Thrillers titles from April to June 2024 were up 4%.

In the second quarter of 2023, loans increased by 25% from April to June and renewals were up by 26%.

Which Fiction / Thrillers BISAC subcategories were the most popular in Canadian public libraries? From April to June 2024, these subcategories saw the greatest increases in library circulation compared to 2023:

• Fiction / Thrillers / Legal — loans up 42% and renewals up 52%

• Fiction / Thrillers / Domestic — loans up 24% and renewals up 52%

• Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological — loans up 24% and renewals up 40%

During the second quarter of 2024, the most circulated Fiction / Thrillers subcategories were:

• Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense — 46% of all Fiction / Thrillers loans and 45% of all Fiction / Thrillers renewals

• Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological — 14% of all Fiction / Thrillers loans and 14% of all Fiction / Thrillers renewals

• Fiction / Thrillers / Crime — 14% of all Fiction / Thrillers loans and 13% of all Fiction / Thrillers renewals

Reading Fiction / Thrillers

Here are the top selling and top borrowed Fiction / Thrillers titles from the second quarter of 2024.

Top borrowed

1. Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly

2. The Exchange by John Grisham

3. None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

4. The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child

5. The Edge by David Baldacci

Top selling

1. You Like It Darker by Stephen King

2. The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden

3. Camino Ghosts by John Grisham

4. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

5. Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson

Until next time!

Stay tuned for future instalments of this series or sign up to our eNews for more digestible data on the Canadian book market.