Bookselling

Coast to Coast: How Book-Buying Habits Differ by Region

Canadian book buyers across the country have a lot in common. We buy more print books than ebooks, we almost always pay full price, and we’re most likely to discover our books online, though we prefer to buy them in-store.

But some interesting discrepancies do arise in our latest consumer study, Coast to Coast: Book-Buyers Across Canada, among book buyers from Western Canada, the Prairies, Central Canada, and the Maritimes.

Infographic: Why Canadians Choose Independent Bookstores

There’s something about indies! Learn about book-buying habits at indie bookstores, including how books are discovered, what formats are most popular, and why buyers choose indies.

Did you know about the Indie Bestsellers List provided by BookNet and the Retail Council of Canada? Learn more here.

New Bestsellers List for Indies

There’s a new bestsellers list in town.

In a joint initiative with the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), we’re excited to announce the launch of the Indie Bestsellers List, which will track the best-selling books sold at independent retailers across Canada. The list will hopefully shine a light on the important role indie booksellers play in the Canadian market.

Perennial Bestsellers: Books That Just Keep on Selling

Backlist is one of the foundations of the publishing industry. Books that sell reliably year after year might not be new and exciting, but they are a sure bet for booksellers’ shelves.

So what are these faithful favourites that show strong and steady sales long after their publication date? Which titles are the most reliable for retailers to keep in stock? That’s the subject of BookNet’s latest study, Perennial Bestsellers: The Most Reliable Books to Stock by Category, 2010–2013

Infographic: Path to Purchasing Books in Canada

In our second Canadian Book Consumer report, Book Purchases by Channel, we trace how the average consumer discovers and buys a book, from first hearing about the book to making the purchase. What types of information can you expect to see in the report? This infographic gives you a sampling.

Looking Back at Book Pricing Trends

In October 2005, BookNet Canada began tracking sales data on print books in the Canadian market, including average list and selling prices. Consumer prices on other goods had long been tracked, but this was the beginning of comprehensive, national, data gathering on books.

At the time, a bag of roasted coffee beans cost $11.25/kg, a domestic stamp was $.50 and a ticket to the movies cost just over $6.00. Today, coffee is close to $20/kg, mailing a letter will set you back $.62, and a 3D movie ticket can cost as much as $18.00. It seems that everything we consume is getting more expensive.

But a new BookNet Canada research study, available to SalesData subscribers only, has revealed that books are bucking the trend…