Sales Increase for All Titles in First Week After Announcement Shows Positive Impact of The Giller Effect
TORONTO – October 22, 2008 According to BookNet Canada’s BNC SalesData, the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists saw an average volume increase of nearly 195% in the first week after the shortlist was announced.
Leading the pack in percent increase is Barnacle Love, the debut short story collection by Anthony De Sa. Published by Doubleday, Barnacle Love saw a sales bump of 350% in just five days after the shortlist was made public.
Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott and The Boys in the Trees by Mary Swan got lifts of 280% and 252%, respectively. The follow-up novels by Rawi Hage and Joseph Boyden, were already selling at a brisk pace before the Giller list was announced, Cockroach increased in volume by 76% while Through Black Spruce saw a bump of 16%.
“This year’s Giller Prize has everything: short stories and novels, first-timers and veterans, big houses and small presses,” says Michael Tamblyn, CEO of BookNet Canada. “Every nominated publisher has to perform a balancing act between wild hope and careful planning while they prepare for the big night.”
Relative rankings in the week of the announcement, ending October 12, 2008, were:
- Through Black Spruce, Joseph Boyden (Penguin Group, Canada)
- Good to a Fault, Marina Endicott (Broadway Press)
- Cockroach, Rawi Hage (House of Anansi)
- The Boys in the Trees, Mary Swan (Henry Holt & Company)
- Barnacle Love, Anthony De Sa (Doubleday, Canada)
All statistics are drawn from sales tracked by BNC SalesData, Canadas national book sales tracking service. The shortlist was announced on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 and were selected by award-winning author and previous Giller Prize winner Margaret Atwood; Liberal MP, Foreign Affairs critic and author Bob Rae; and renowned international journalist, professor and author Colm Toibin.
For more Scotiabank Giller Prize analysis and more information on BookNet Canada and BNC SalesData, visit BookNet Canada’s website at www.booknetcanada.ca.
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About BookNet Canada
Created and supported by the Canadian book industry, BookNet Canada is the not-for-profit agency dedicated to technology innovation in the Canadian book industry. It is responsible for tracking national book sales, managing industry-wide business-to-business electronic commerce, bibliographic data, and other critical components of technology infrastructure.
