Subject spotlight: Literary

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 / Travel books. In this instalment, we shine the spotlight on Fiction / Literary titles. How did these titles perform during the second quarter of 2023? We find out with the help of our SalesData and LibraryData services.

Buying Fiction / Literary

As shown in the graph below, the sales of Fiction / Literary titles were higher during the second quarter of 2023 compared to 2022, with year-over-year sales increasing by 59% in April, 27% in May, and 16% in June.

In 2022, sales increased by 40% from April to June. In 2023, sales from April to June increased by 3%.

In 2023, sales decreased by 18% from April to May and went back up from May to June with an increase of 26%.

In 2022, sales increased by 2% from April to May and continued to increase from May to June (37%).

Borrowing Fiction / Literary

In terms of library circulation, as shown in the graph below, the second quarter of 2023 outperformed 2022.

Year-over-year loans increased by 68% in April, 69% in May, and 64% in June. Overall, during the second quarter of 2023, the loans of Fiction / Literary title saw an increase of 24%. From April to June 2022, library loans increased by 27%.

Year-over-year renewals saw an increase of 76% in April, 89% in May, and 76% in June. In the second quarter of 2023, the renewals of Fiction / Literary increased by 24%. In 2022, the increase in renewals for this quarter was 23%.

Reading Fiction / Literary

Here are the top selling and top borrowed Fiction / Literary titles from the second quarter of 2023.

Top borrowed

1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

2. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

3. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

4. Women Talking by Miriam Toews 🍁

5. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

Top selling

1. Homecoming by Kate Morton

2. Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls

3. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

4. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

5. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara