A new year is around the corner which means that it’s time for our annual bestselling books list. Similar to what we’ve done in previous years, we’ve identified the top-selling titles in the Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Juvenile & Young Adult categories, both overall and from Canadian contributors.
The following lists are based on print sales volume in Canada from January 3, 2022, to December 4, 2022, according to SalesData, BookNet’s national sales tracking service for the Canadian English-language trade book market.
Top 10 bestselling Fiction books of 2022
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (9781501110368)
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover (9781668001226)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (9781501161933)
Verity by Colleen Hoover (9781538724736)
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover (9781476753188)
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (9780735219106)
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover (9781542025607)
November 9 by Colleen Hoover (9781501110344)
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (9780593336823)
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (9780063227927)
You can see all of these titles in this CataList catalogue: Bestselling Titles in Canada in 2022 – Fiction.
This was a great year for Colleen Hoover as she occupies half of the list!
There are three repeat titles from last year: Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Delia Owen’s Where the Crawdads Sing were featured on the 2021 overall bestselling Fiction list. Where the Crawdads Sing has been featured on every overall bestselling list since 2019!
Unlike 2021 and 2020 which saw a majority of frontlist titles, this year 70% of the list is made up of backlist titles.
Top 10 bestselling Canadian Fiction books of 2022
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good 🍁 (9781443459181)
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune 🍁 (9780735243750)
Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall 🍁 (9781982170233)
The Maid by Nita Prose 🍁 (9780735241336)
Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez 🍁 (9781551526775)
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny 🍁 (9781250145291)
State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny 🍁 (9781982187590)
Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey 🍁 (9781982155193)
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel 🍁 (9781443466097)
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 🍁 (9780771008795)
You can see all of these titles in this CataList catalogue: Bestselling Titles in Canada in 2022 – Canadian Fiction.
While Louise Penny is still a dominant force in Canadian Fiction books with two books on the list, Michelle Good takes the number one position with Five Little Indians.
Following a similar trend to what we saw last year, the majority of these titles are frontlist — 70% were published in 2022.
Top 10 bestselling Non-Fiction books of 2022
Atomic Habits by James Clear (9780735211292)
Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown (9780399592553)
101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest (9781945796067)
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk (9780143127741)
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté 🍁 (9780735278363)
The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama (9780593237465)
Half Baked Harvest Every Day by Tieghan Gerard (9780593232552)
The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest (9781949759228)
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry 🍁 (9781250866448)
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers (9780140280197)
You can see all of these titles in this CataList catalogue: Bestselling Titles in Canada in 2022 – Non-Fiction.
In the Non-Fiction category, the majority are backlist titles — only 40% were published in 2022. The list consists mainly of psychology and self-help titles with a few celebrity biographies thrown in the mix.
Atomic Habits by James Clear takes the number one spot on the overall Non-Fiction bestselling list for the second year in a row.
Top 10 bestselling Canadian Non-Fiction books of 2022
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté 🍁 (9780735278363)
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry 🍁 (9781250866448)
12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson 🍁 (9780345816023)
The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan 🍁 (9781443463041)
21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph 🍁 (9780995266520)
PlantYou by Carleigh Bodrug and Will Bulsiewicz 🍁 (9780306923043)
More Mandy's by Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe, and Meredith Erickson 🍁 (9780525610496)
When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté 🍁 (9780676973129)
The Boy in the Woods by Maxwell Smart 🍁 (9781443466424)
22 Murders by Paul Palango 🍁 (9781039001275)
You can see all of these titles in this CataList catalogue: Bestselling Titles in Canada in 2022 – Canadian Non-Fiction.
21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph is the only book that stayed on the list compared to last year. Although we don’t have a lot of repeat titles this year, we do have some repeat authors. Jordan B. Peterson, Bob Joseph, and Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe, and Meredith Erickson (in collaboration) made a reappearance on the Canadian Non-Fiction list.
Top 10 bestselling Juvenile and Young Adult books of 2022
Cat Kid Comic Club On Purpose by Dav Pilkey (9781338801941)
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (9781984896391)
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (9781416968290)
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (9781338617436)
Guinness World Records 2023 by Guinness World Records (9781913484200)
Diper Överlöde (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 17) by Jeff Kinney (9781419762949)
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han (9781416995562)
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (9780759555402)
We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han (9781416995593)
Good-Bye Stacey, Good-Bye by Ann M. Martin and Gabriela Epstein (9781338616040)
You can see all of these titles in this CataList catalogue: Bestselling Titles in Canada in 2022 – Juvenile & YA.
In this list, 60% are backlist titles. Only four out of the ten titles were published in 2022. Young Adult books are in the majority with Juvenile titles making up 40% of the list.
Top 10 bestselling Canadian Juvenile and Young Adult books of 2022
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw 🍁 (Paperback) (9780920668375)
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw 🍁 (Board book) (9780228101048)
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline 🍁 (9781770864863)
The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson 🍁 (9780735266124)
Leaves! by Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko 🍁 (9781443196642)
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko 🍁 (9781773210292)
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao 🍁 (9780735269934)
Sharon, Lois and Bram's Skinnamarink by Sharon Hampson, Lois Lillienstein, Bram Morrison, and Qin Leng 🍁 (9780735270527)
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw 🍁 (Hardcover) (9780920668368)
Be You! by Peter H. Reynolds 🍁 (9781338572315)
You can see all of these titles in this CataList catalogue: Bestselling Titles in Canada in 2022 – Canadian Juvenile & YA
Unlike last year, two frontlist books made the list: Leaves! by Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko and Sharon, Lois and Bram's Skinnamarink by Sharon Hampson, Lois Lillienstein, Bram Morrison, and Qin Leng were the only books published in 2022 to make the list.
Like previous years, it's no surprise that Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever (paperback edition) maintains its number one spot on the Canadian Juvenile and Young Adult list. It has been number one on this list since 2019. In fact, all three editions — the paperback, board book, and hardcover — of Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever made it on the list!
Unlike the overall Juvenile and Young Adult list, Young Adult books are in the minority with only two YA titles occupying the list. However, this is up from last year's list which didn’t include any Young Adult books.
Are you a publisher, retailer, or librarian who wants to see more data like this? Check out SalesData, the sales tracking service for the Canadian English-language trade book market. Do you have questions about any of our products, services or this list? Contact us!
What did BookNet read in 2024? We’re sharing some tidbits of data about our team’s reading habits this year.