Toronto, ON – April 2, 2024 – New insights into the Canadian print book market released by BookNet Canada
The top-selling English language print book in Canada last year was Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, according to new research released by BookNet Canada. Sales of this title drove a 16% increase in the Biography & Autobiography category when compared with 2022.
For the first time this year, data on the circulation of library books in Canada was included in The Canadian Book Market 2023. Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex was also the top loaned book in Canada in 2023.
Other categories with increases in sales last year were mostly Fiction: Fantasy and Romance gained market share in 2023 when compared to 2022. The top two titles in the Fantasy category were by Rebecca Yarros (Fourth Wing and Iron Flame). However, Sarah J. Maas titles appeared nine times across the top 10 hardcover and top 10 paperback lists.
Romance novelist Colleen Hoover continues to be a big seller in 2023, her book It Starts with Us was the top-selling Fiction title in 2023 and seven of her titles made it on the Romance top 10 hardcover and top 10 paperback lists.
Books by Canadians made up 12% of print book sales in Canada in 2023, and the top-selling book by a Canadian contributor was Carley Fortune’s romance novel, Meet Me at the Lake. The top-selling title from a Canadian-owned publisher was the winner of Canada Reads 2023, Kate Beaton’s graphic memoir, Ducks published by Drawn & Quarterly.
For the sixth year running, two out of every five print books sold in 2023 in both the English- and French-language markets in Canada were categorized as either Juvenile or Young Adult (YA). (Top-level highlight data for the French-language market are provided by the Société de gestion de la Banque de titres de langue française (BTLF).) Juvenile Non-Fiction titles sold 25% better in 2023 than they did in 2022. The top title in that category was Guinness World Records 2024.
Other top-sellers in the Juvenile and YA category were A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, which was the top-selling Young Adult book for the second year in a row. And a Dav Pilkey book took the top spot in the Juvenile category for the fourth year in a row, this year it was Dog Man 11: Twenty Thousand Fleas under the Sea.
The Canadian Book Market 2023 is your definitive guide to sales of English-language print books in Canada last year. BookNet Canada's tentpole publication reports on sales value, sales volume, and number of ISBNs with sales in 2023, 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, top-level data on consumer buying habits, including format distribution, and, new this year, public library lending.
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 2024, BookNet Canada will be releasing reports on how Canadians spend their leisure and reading time, a survey of Canadian book buyers, 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
