Toronto, ON – March 31, 2025 – New insights into the Canadian print book market released by BookNet Canada
The top-selling English language print book in Canada last year was Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey, according to new research released by BookNet Canada.
Books by Canadians made up 12% of print book sales in Canada in 2024 — the same as in 2023. The top-selling book by a Canadian author was The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny. Canadian-owned publishers made up 5.6% of the total market share in Canada, up 0.4% from 2023. The top-selling book from a Canadian-owned publisher was the Juvenile Non-Fiction title from Second Story Press To Hope and Back: The Journey of the St. Louis by Kathy Kacer.
Colouring books were big sellers in Canada in 2024 and drove increases in the Crafts & Hobbies, Games, and Young Adult Non-Fiction categories. Fantasy continued to hold the attention of Canadian print readers — its market share increased 32% in 2024 compared with 2023. Sarah J. Maas secured the top Fantasy title, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and her books made up half of the top 10 hardcover and top 10 paperback lists.
For the seventh year running, two out of every five print books sold in 2024 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).)
For the second time in the publication’s history, data on the circulation of library books in Canada was included in The Canadian Book Market 2024. Juvenile books made up 50% of library circulations in 2024. The most popular subject category in Canadian libraries was Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories. The Maid by Nita Prose was the top loaned book by a Canadian in Canada last year.
The Canadian Book Market 2024 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 2024, 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 2025, 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.
- # # # -
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
