UK book sales by value set new record: Nielsen
In the UK, Nielsen BookScan has recorded 2021 as the biggest ever year for print book sales by value, reports the Bookseller.
In 2021, there was a total of £1.82 billion (A$3.4b) of sales, up 3% on 2020 and higher than the previous record of £1.79 billion (A$3.4b) in 2008. Nielsen used a formula based on a combination of the final 42 weeks of sales and estimates of sales for the first 10 lockdown weeks of 2021, when UK booksellers were closed for in-store sales.
The boost to sales was led by strong performances from fiction and children’s titles. Fiction sales in the final 42 weeks of 2021 were up 21% on the same period in 2019, and accounted for 23.8% of the overall market—the largest share for fiction since 2012. Children’s sales in the final 42 weeks of the year were up 15% on the same period in 2019, while nonfiction was up 3%.
UK top 10 bestselling books in 2021
- The Thursday Murder Club (Richard Osman, Penguin)
- The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse (Charlie Mackesy, Ebury)
- The Midnight Library (Matt Haig, Canongate)
- The Man Who Died Twice (Richard Osman, Penguin)
- Pinch of Nom: Quick and easy (Kay Featherstone & Kate Allinson, Bluebird)
- Guinness World Records 2022 (Guinness World Records)
- And Away … (Bob Mortimer, Gallery)
- Megamonster (David Walliams, HarperCollins)
- Windswept and Interesting (Billy Connolly, John Murray)
- Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens, Corsair)
Category: International news
