Faber sales down ‘about a third’ as sales of ‘Normal People’ top 100k in Aus

In the UK, Faber chief executive Stephen Page has told the Bookseller the publisher’s sales are down by ‘about a third year on year for print’ during the country’s lockdown period, while digital sales are rising.

‘Page’s comment confirms the view that publishers who have broad publishing programmes and sell across a range of retailers, including digital, are faring better than those reliant on high street visibility or sales,’ said the Bookseller.

A BBC adaptation of Faber’s bestselling novel Normal People (Sally Rooney) has contributed to the company’s relative stability and to online engagement with the Faber brand, Page said.

‘The marketing around Normal People has created a lot of engagement with Faber as well as the [Faber Members] programme,’ said Page. Faber Members is a free-to-join literary program that offers newsletters, priority booking information for events and entry to exclusive competitions.

Page added that Faber would continue to focus on ‘online content marketing and a full on engagement with consumers—both through general channels and the Faber Members programme’.

In Australia, Allen & Unwin (A&U) reports sales of Normal People have surpassed 100,000 copies across all formats since its publication in 2018. A&U said the BBC adaption streaming on Stan in Australia has ‘catapulted the book back to the top of reading lists everywhere’.

Category: International news