We’ve covered Taylor Swift’s impact on books before, from our podcast on Taylor Swift’s impact on the book industry to our blog on Taylor Swift’s impact on poetry. This time, because of the popularity of the Eras Tour (which started March 17, 2023 and concluded as the highest-grossing tour of all time on December 8, 2024) we decided to look at the impact of Taylor Swift’s longest tour on book sales in Canada using SalesData, the national sales tracking service for the Canadian English-language trade book market.
To do this we looked at book sales for titles with the words “Taylor Swift” in the title or subtitle as well as trends in BISAC subjects in concert with a timeline of key dates during the Eras Tour and Swift’s musical milestones.
Sales of Taylor Swift titles
To capture a broader picture, we first compared sales of Taylor Swift titles in the two years before the Eras Tour (2021 and 2022) and then the two years of the tour (2023 and 2024). From this, it's evident that sales increased significantly (by more than 7,000%) during the years of the Eras Tour.
To get a closer look at this upward trend in book sales, we looked at Taylor Swift titles sold year over year from 2015 to 2024, and we compared this to the number of Taylor Swift titles published in the same period. Noticeably there is a distinct correlation between Taylor Swift titles sold and published, with a clear uptick starting in 2023 (the year the Eras Tour began). Logically, with more books in circulation, there would also be more sales.
To compare the events of the Eras Tour with sales of books, we got even more specific and looked at sales of Taylor Swift titles month over month from January 2022 to December 2024.
Looking at the graph, we see significant increases in sales in May, November, and December 2023. In 2024 we see a steady climb from January to June, and then a sharp incline from September to December.
A timeline of key dates, October 2022 to December 2024
October 2022 — Swift’s 10th album, Midnights, is released.
November 2022 — The Eras Tour is announced.
March 2023 — The Eras Tour starts in Glendale, Arizona.
May 2023 — The first noticeable peak in sales of Taylor Swift titles.
July 2023 — Swift’s re-recorded third album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), is released.
August 2023 — Canadian dates are announced for the Eras Tour.
October 2023 — Swift’s re-recorded fifth album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), is released.
November & December 2023 — Significant increase in sales of Taylor Swift titles.
April 2024 — Swift’s 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, is released.
June 2024 — Significant spike in sales of Taylor Swift titles.
October 2024 — Start of a three-month major climb in Taylor Swift titles, peaking in December 2024.
November 2024 — Swift plays the first Canadian show of the Eras Tour in Toronto, ON.
December 2024 — Swift plays the final show of the Eras Tour in Vancouver, BC.
Examining Taylor Swift’s career milestones reveals a noticeable rise in book sales following key events. The first sales peak for Taylor Swift titles occurred a couple of months after the Eras Tour began. Another spike followed the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) — one of her most popular albums, with the original earning 10 Grammy nominations and three wins. However, this rise may also align with typical industry trends as November and December often see increased sales across all subjects around the holiday season.
It's challenging to distinguish the impact of Taylor Swift's actions — like her tour and album releases — from broader industry trends in book sales and publishing. While the surge in sales and increased amount of Taylor Swift published titles is clearly tied to the success of The Eras Tour, it's hard to determine whether the timing of those sales is influenced by Swift's activities or simply reflects overall industry trends.
Publishing years of bestsellers
We’ll now take a look at the publishing year of bestselling titles. These are the bestselling Taylor Swift titles of all time and the bestselling Taylor Swift titles of 2024. Overwhelmingly, Taylor Swift titles published in 2024 dominate both lifetime bestsellers and the bestsellers of 2024. Titles published in 2023 ranked second but by less than half. This likely correlates with the Eras Tour running in 2023 and 2024.
While most bestselling Taylor Swift titles were published in 2024, only two of the year’s overall bestsellers across all subjects were Swift-related.
Bestselling subjects
When examining the bestselling subjects under the umbrella of Taylor Swift titles, Juvenile Nonfiction topped the list for both lifetime and 2024 bestsellers, followed closely by Music. While Music’s strong performance is expected, given Swift’s primary industry, the dominance of Juvenile Nonfiction may reflect her multigenerational fan base, appealing to both children and their caregivers.
In summary, Taylor Swift's influence on book sales highlights the interplay between cultural phenomena and industry trends. While her milestones in the Eras Tour have driven notable peaks in Swift-related book sales, their overall impact on the publishing industry likely remains modest.
What was the impact of Taylor Swift’s longest tour on book sales in Canada?