Subject spotlight: Foreign Language Study

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 / Cooking books. In this instalment, we shine the spotlight on Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study titles. How did these titles perform during the first quarter of 2024? We find out with the help of our SalesData and LibraryData services.

Buying Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study

Compared to 2023, the overall sales of Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study titles were up 10% over the entire first quarter. Looking at the graph below, from January to March 2024 sales of Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study decreased by 9%. Sales of Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study titles increased by 9% in the first quarter of 2023.

These are the BISAC subcategories with the highest year-over-year increase in sales:

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / Romance Languages (Other) — up 256%

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / Czech — up 250%

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / Swahili — up 157%

From January to March 2024, the most purchased Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study subcategories were:

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / French — 27% of all Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study sales

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / Spanish — 23% of all Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study sales

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language — 15% of all Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study sales

Borrowing Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study

From January to March 2024, library loans and renewals of Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study titles were down 24% and 26% respectively from 2023.

In the entire first quarter of 2024 loans increased by 64%.

Renewals for Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study titles from January to March 2024 were up 49%.

In the first quarter of 2023, loans increased by 30% from January to March and renewals were up by 51%.

Which Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study BISAC subcategories were the most popular in Canadian public libraries? From January to March 2024, these subcategories saw the greatest increases in library circulation compared to 2023:

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / Multi-Language Dictionaries — loans up 29% and renewals up 43%

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / Slavic Languages (Other) — loans down 18% and renewals up 36%

During the first quarter of 2024, the most circulated Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study subcategories were:

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language — 48% of all Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study loans and 50% of all Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study renewals

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / French — 20% of all Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study loans and 19% of all Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study renewals

• Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study / Spanish — 7% of all Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study loans and 6% of all Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study renewals

Reading Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study

Here are the top selling and top borrowed Non-Fiction / Foreign Language Study titles from the first quarter of 2024.

Top borrowed

1. IELTS General Training 17 by Cambridge University Press

2. English for Everyone: Beginner Box Set by DK

3. Practice Makes Perfect: Basic French, Premium Third Edition by Eliane Kurbegov

4. IELTS Writing by Lin Lougheed

5. Short Stories in French for Beginners by Olly Richards

Top selling

1. Easy Spanish Phrase Book by Pablo Garcia Loaeza

2. Beginner French Workbook by Bilingoal and Imane Diouri

3. Short Stories in French for Beginners by Olly Richards

4. Spanish Grammar by Dora Romero

5. Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners by Olly Richards

Until next time!

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