This isn’t our first look at how backlist books have been performing lately. Back in May, we took a look at the resurgence of backlist sales in 2020, and in August, we looked at the ideal age of backlist titles. But the backlist questions kept coming!
So today, we’re zooming in on the independent bookstore market. Do our neighbourhood indies sell more backlist titles than other stores? We’re using data pulled from SalesData, BookNet’s national sales tracking service for the Canadian English-language trade book market, to find out.
For this analysis, we pulled data for 2019 and 2020 (full years) along with 2021 year-to-date, and compared the sales of print books in each of the “age categories” below:
Frontlist: books published in the same year as the sales period we’re comparing. For example, in the 2019 data shown here, frontlist titles are books with pub dates in 2019.
1 year old: books published the year before the sales period we’re comparing. For example, in the 2019 data shown here, these would be books with pub dates in 2018.
2–5 years old: books published 2–5 years before the sales period we’re comparing. For example, in the 2019 data shown here, these would be books with pub dates from 2014–2017.
6–10 years old: books published 6–10 years before the sales period we’re comparing. For example, in the 2019 data shown here, these would be books with pub dates from 2009–2013.
11+ years old: books published 11 years or more before the sales period we’re comparing. For example, in the 2019 data shown here, these would be books with pub dates in 2008 and earlier.
For context, when we refer to the All Markets data (which we used in our previous instalments, and will be mentioned below for comparison purposes) we’re referring to sales reported to BookNet Canada’s SalesData from all retailers — general retailers as well as independent bookstores.
Total unit sales at independent bookstores by pub date age, 2019–2020
Similar to what we saw in the All Markets, in 2019 and 2020, across all subjects, frontlist books sold best at independent bookstores, making up 34% of sales in 2019 and 33% in 2020. This is just slightly lower than the frontlist sales in the All Markets in the same years, at 37% in 2019 and 35% in 2020.
Sales of books in the 2-5 years old age category were the second bestselling age range after frontlist titles, making up 24% of all independent bookstore sales in 2019 and 25% in 2020.
Titles one year old sold slightly better in independent stores compared to the All Markets. In the All Markets, these titles made up 17-18% of sales, but in independent stores, these titles made up 20% of sales.
Titles 6-10 years old contributed 10-11% of sales in both the All Markets and independent stores. Books 11+ years old contributed 10% of all sales in the All Markets, but contributed slightly more in independent bookstores (12%).
But are there any significant differences between the All Markets and independent stores backlist performance when we dive in on specific subjects? Let’s find out!
Something to keep in mind while looking at this subject-level data over 2019, 2020, and 2021 — our 2021 data is only for year-to-date, against full years for 2019 and 2020. We know that book buying trends up in the second half of the year, not only for back-to-school shopping and holiday, but also to pick up hot new fall reads! As we covered in our half-year review, looking at the number of titles by publication date, September and October are typically the most popular publication months of the year.
Fiction unit sales in independent bookstores by pub date age, 2019–2021
Fiction sales are more heavily weighted toward backlist at independent bookstores, especially in 2021. Frontlist titles have made up 31% of Fiction sales in 2021 so far, down from 42% in 2020. But titles in the 1 year old and 2-5 years old publication date bands saw gains, with 1 year old titles making up 26% of sales (up from 19%) and 2-5 years old titles making up 21% (up from 18% in 2020).
Titles that are 6-10 years old have made up 10% of Fiction sales in 2021 so far and titles 11+ years old, 12%. Across all pub date bands, Fiction backlist is up nearly 10% in 2021 so far at independent stores over last year.
Non-Fiction unit sales in independent bookstores by pub date age, 2019–2021
Non-Fiction in the 2-5 years old backlist titles accounted on average for 25% of all Non-Fiction sales at independent bookstores, just behind frontlist sales, which averaged 30%. A similar bump to what we saw in the All Markets.
One year old titles made up 21% of sales in 2019, 20% in 2020, and 24% of sales so far in 2021. 6-10 years old titles made up 9% of sales in 2019 and 2020 and 12% in 2021, and 11+ years old titles made up 11% in 2019, 12% in 2020 and 13% in 2021.
Juvenile unit sales in independent bookstores by pub date age, 2019–2021
Similar to what we saw in the All Markets, at independent stores Juvenile subjects see the highest percentage of backlist sales of any subject analyzed here, with frontlist accounting for 24% of sales on average over these three years. Titles in that 2-5 years old category outpace all others, making up 27% of sales in 2019, 28% in 2020, and 32% in 2021.
One year old titles made up 20% of sales in 2019, 21% in 2020, and 25% of sales so far in 2021. 6-10 years old titles made up 11% of sales in 2019, 12% in 2020, and 13% in 2021, and 11+ years old titles made up 13% in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Young Adult unit sales at independent bookstores by pub date age, 2019–2021
Frontlist reigns supreme in Young Adult subjects as well, making up an average of 29% of all Young Adult sales, but titles in the 1 year old and 2-5 years old pub date bands sell well at indies as well, with one year old titles averaging 23% of sales and 2-5 years old titles averaging 27%.
But how is 2021 stacking up so far overall, across subjects?
Percentage of all book sales by pub date age, 2021 (year-to-date)
As we saw in the All Markets, sales in Independent bookstores in that 2-5 year pub date band outpace frontlist title sales coming in at 28% compared to 22% for frontlist titles. Unlike the All Markets, however, the 1 year old pub date band outperforms frontlist titles as well, coming in at 25% of sales so far in 2021.
Independent bookstore bestselling titles 2–5 years old in 2021
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (9780062976581)
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead 🍁 (9781551527253)
21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph 🍁 (9780995266520)
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline 🍁 (9781770864863)
From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle 🍁 (9781982101213)
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (9780062457806)
Embers by Richard Wagamese 🍁 (9781771621335)
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson 🍁 (9780345810793)
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (9781250076960)
Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga 🍁 (9781487002268)
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