Bestselling books of 2023

It’s time for our annual bestselling books list. This year, we’ve identified the top-selling titles in the Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Juvenile & Young Adult categories.

The following lists are based on print sales volume in Canada from January 1, 2023, to December 3, 2023, according to SalesData, BookNet’s national sales tracking service for the Canadian English-language trade book market.

Top 10 bestselling Fiction books of 2023

1. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover (9781668001226)

2. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (9781501110368)

3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (9781649374042)

4. Homecoming by Kate Morton (9781982149352)

5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (9781501161933)

6. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (9781668026038)

7. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (9780385697378)

8. Verity by Colleen Hoover (9781538724736)

9. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (9781649374172)

10. Meet me at the Lake by Carley Fortune 🍁 (9780735243781)

You can see all of these titles in this CataList catalogue: Bestselling Titles in Canada in 2023 – Fiction.

There are four repeat titles from last year's bestselling Fiction list: Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us, It Starts with Us, and Verity along with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo were featured. It Ends with Us and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo have been featured on the bestselling Fiction list since 2021!

Last year saw a majority of backlist titles — 70%, while 2021 and 2020 saw a majority of frontlist titles. However, this year, the list is 50% backlist and 50% frontlist and over half of the list is made up of romance titles.

Top 10 bestselling Non-Fiction books of 2023

1. Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex (9781039003750)

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear (9780735211292)

3. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears (9781668009048)

4. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers (9780140280197)

5. Fraiche Food, Fuller Hearts by Jillian Harris 🍁 and Tori Wesszer 🍁 (9780735240780)

6. The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté 🍁 and Daniel Maté 🍁 (9780735278363)

7. Outlive by Peter Attia 🍁 and Bill Gifford (9780593236598)

8. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel (9780857197689)

9. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk (9780143127741)

10. 8 Rules of Love by Jay Shetty (9781982183066)

You can see all of these titles in this CataList catalogue: Bestselling Titles in Canada in 2023 – Non-Fiction.

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk and Atomic Habits by James Clear have been featured on the bestselling Non-Fiction list since 2021. Atomic Habits has been number one the last two years but this year was dethroned by Spare and is now seated at number two. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene & Joost Elffers and The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté 🍁 & Daniel Maté 🍁 are repeat titles from last year.

Like the bestselling Fiction category, the the list is 50% backlist and 50% frontlist unlike last year where the majority of the list was backlist titles.

Top 10 bestselling Juvenile and Young Adult books of 2023

1. Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas under the Sea by Dav Pilkey (9781338801910)

2. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (9781984896391)

3. No Brainer (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 18) by Jeff Kinney (9781419766947)

4. Guinness World Records 2024 by Guinness World Records (9781913484422)

5. Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations by Dav Pilkey (9781338846621)

6. Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland, Illus. by Mike Holmes (9781338730890)

7. Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery by Ann M. Martin, Illus. by Cynthia Yuan Cheng (9781338616101)

8. Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow (9781101934746)

9. If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin (9781728205489)

10. Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson (9781984896438)

You can see all of these titles in this CataList catalogue: Bestselling Titles in Canada in 2023 – Juvenile & YA.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson was also featured in last year’s bestselling Juvenile & YA list. In this list, 70% are backlist titles. Juvenile books are in the majority with Young Adult books only making up 40% of the list.

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!