Welcome back to Subject Spotlight, your go-to source for quarterly data-driven insights into the performance of particular subjects in the Canadian book market.
Previously, we looked at the sales and library circulation of Non-Fiction / Travel books. In this instalment, we shine the spotlight on Fiction / Literary titles. How did these titles perform during the second quarter of 2023? We find out with the help of our SalesData and LibraryData services.
Buying Fiction / Literary
As shown in the graph below, the sales of Fiction / Literary titles were higher during the second quarter of 2023 compared to 2022, with year-over-year sales increasing by 59% in April, 27% in May, and 16% in June.
In 2022, sales increased by 40% from April to June. In 2023, sales from April to June increased by 3%.
In 2023, sales decreased by 18% from April to May and went back up from May to June with an increase of 26%.
In 2022, sales increased by 2% from April to May and continued to increase from May to June (37%).
Borrowing Fiction / Literary
In terms of library circulation, as shown in the graph below, the second quarter of 2023 outperformed 2022.
Year-over-year loans increased by 68% in April, 69% in May, and 64% in June. Overall, during the second quarter of 2023, the loans of Fiction / Literary title saw an increase of 24%. From April to June 2022, library loans increased by 27%.
Year-over-year renewals saw an increase of 76% in April, 89% in May, and 76% in June. In the second quarter of 2023, the renewals of Fiction / Literary increased by 24%. In 2022, the increase in renewals for this quarter was 23%.
Reading Fiction / Literary
Here are the top selling and top borrowed Fiction / Literary titles from the second quarter of 2023.
Top borrowed
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
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Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
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Women Talking by Miriam Toews 🍁
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The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
Top selling
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Homecoming by Kate Morton
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Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls
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The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
