Toronto, ON – March 24, 2022 – New insights into the Canadian print book market released by BookNet Canada
Sales of English-language print books in the Comics & Graphic Novels and Psychology categories had large increases in sales in 2021 as compared with 2020, according to new research released by BookNet Canada. Sales of books in the Political Science, Sports & Recreation, Education, and Crafts & Hobbies categories dropped in 2021 when compared with their 2020 sales.
For the fourth year running, two out of every five print books sold in 2021 in both the English- and French-language markets in Canada were categorized as either Juvenile or Young Adult (YA). (Top-level data highlights for the French-language market are provided by the Société de gestion de la Banque de titres de langue française (BTLF).) Though the Juvenile category market share dropped slightly in the English market, the Young Adult share had a significant increase: from 3.5% in 2020 to 4.8% in 2021.
For the first time this year, we’ve compiled data for Canadian-authored books and found that the novel State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton was the top-selling book from a Canadian contributor.
A Dav Pilkey book took the top spot in the Juvenile category for the second year in a row, but this year Dog Man Mothering Heights was also the overall top-selling English language print book in 2021.
The top-selling Fiction title was The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and the best selling Non-Fiction book was Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear. The Young Adult book that sold the most in 2021 was Adam Silvera’s They Both Die at the End. The top-selling title from a Canadian-owned publisher was Page Two Books, Inc.’s 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph.
Other insights of note from the report show that The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck which was previously the top-seller in the Self-Help books category for four years in a row, was bumped down to second place by Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. In the Poetry category, Canadian poet Rupi Kaur continues to top the charts, all three of her titles appeared on both the top 10 hardcover and top 10 paperback lists.
If you’re looking to get a picture of the changes in the sales of English-language print books in Canada last year, The Canadian Book Market 2021 is your definitive guide. BookNet Canada's tentpole publication reports on sales value, sales volume, and number of ISBNs with sales in 2021, as tracked by BNC SalesData, the national sales tracking service for the print English-language trade market in Canada. The report is a comprehensive guide to more than 50 subject categories, complete with year-over-year comparative data, market share for Canadian-owned publishers, the top selling titles, price-point analysis, performance by publication date, and top-level data on consumer buying habits, including format distribution.
A sample of the report is available at booknetcanada.ca/canadian-book-market, along with links to purchase. You can also take a look at some highlights on the BookNet Canada Blog including total volume and value sold for the year. Coming up in 2022, BookNet Canada will be releasing reports on how Canadians spend their leisure and reading time, a survey of Canadian publishers, as well as other research projects.
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BookNet Canada is a non-profit organization that develops technology, standards, and education to serve the Canadian book industry. Founded in 2002 to address systemic challenges in the industry, BookNet Canada supports publishing companies, booksellers, wholesalers, distributors, sales agents, and libraries across the country.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for this project. / Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada par l’entremise du Fonds du livre du Canada (FLC) pour ce projet.
Media Contact:
Ainsley Sparkes
Marketing & Communications Manager
BookNet Canada
asparkes@booknetcanada.ca
(416) 362-5057 x 2310
