Book sales up 20% in Ireland

Books sales in Ireland are up approximately 20% this year compared to the previous year, with the largest growths coming from nonfiction and children’s books, reports the Irish Times. According to Nielsen BookScan, book sales in Ireland up to 10 September were €76.4m (A$112.6m), up 20.3% on 2015. Nonfiction sales are up 24.5% to €31.4m (A$46.3m), children’s book sales are up 24.4% to €26.7m (A$39.3m) and fiction sales are up 8.4% to €18.1m ($26.7m). The bestselling title has been Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (J K Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany, Hachette), which has sold 56,300 copies in Ireland this year, followed by Lean in 15 (Joe Wicks, Bluebird) with 40,300 copies and The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins, Black Swan) with 29,000 copies. The bestselling selling Irish title—and the fourth bestselling title overall—is The Pocket Book of the Easter Rising. The increase in sales has been attributed to the return of the ‘feel-good factor’ in Irish publishing, the publication of a number of big titles, the improving economy and the decline in the value of sterling, which has made books cheaper in Ireland.

Category: International news