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 Fiction / Feminist books. In this instalment, we shine the spotlight on Non-Fiction / Nature titles. How did these titles perform during the fourth quarter of 2023? We find out with the help of our SalesData and LibraryData services.
Buying Non-Fiction / Nature
Compared to 2022, the overall sales of Non-Fiction / Nature titles were down 8% over the entire fourth quarter. Looking at the graph below, from October to December 2023 sales of Non-Fiction / Nature increased by 147%. Sales of Non-Fiction / Nature titles increased by 206% in the fourth quarter of 2022.
These are the BISAC subcategories with the highest year-over-year increase in sales:
Non-Fiction / Nature / Natural Disasters — up 2,202%
Non-Fiction / Nature / Natural Resources — up 145%
Non-Fiction / Nature / Animal Rights — up 68%
From October to December 2023, the most purchased Non-Fiction / Nature subcategories were:
Non-Fiction / Nature / Animals — 25% of all Non-Fiction / Nature sales
Non-Fiction / Nature / Plants — 14% of all Non-Fiction / Nature sales
Non-Fiction / Nature / Essays — 14% of all Non-Fiction / Nature sales
Borrowing Non-Fiction / Nature
From October to December 2023, library loans and renewals of Non-Fiction / Nature titles were up 6% and 3% respectively from 2022.
In the entire fourth quarter of 2023 loans decreased by 31%. Renewals for Non-Fiction / Nature titles from October to December 2023 were down by 31%. In the fourth quarter of 2022, loans increased by 41% from October to December and renewals were up by 57%.
Which Non-Fiction / Nature BISAC subcategories were the most popular in Canadian public libraries? From October to December 2023, these subcategories saw the greatest increases in library circulation compared to 2022:
Non-Fiction / Nature / Natural Resources — loans up 1,091% and renewals up 140%
Non-Fiction / Nature / Seasons — loans up 46% and renewals up 125%
Non-Fiction / Nature / Endangered Species — loans up 97% and renewals up 45%
During the fourth quarter of 2023, the most circulated Non-Fiction / Nature subcategories were:
Non-Fiction / Nature / Animals — 30% of all Non-Fiction / Nature loans and 28% of all Non-Fiction / Nature renewals;
Non-Fiction / Nature / Plants — 14% of all Non-Fiction / Nature loans and 20% of all Non-Fiction / Nature renewals
Non-Fiction / Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection — 8% of all Non-Fiction / Nature loans and 9% of all Non-Fiction / Nature renewals
Reading Non-Fiction / Nature
Here are the top selling and top borrowed Non-Fiction / Nature titles from the fourth quarter of 2023.
Top borrowed
Fire Weather by John Vaillant 🍁
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard 🍁
An Immense World by Ed Yong
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, translated by Jane Billinghurst 🍁
Top selling
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Fire Weather by John Vaillant 🍁
An Immense World by Ed Yong
Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada by Andy MacKinnon 🍁, Linda Kershaw 🍁, and John Arnason 🍁 (Out of stock)
The Summer Canada Burned by Monica Zurowski 🍁 & Postmedia 🍁
Until next time!
Stay tuned for future instalments of this series or sign up to our eNews for more digestible data on the Canadian book market.
Find out what titles made it to the November 2024 Loan Stars Adult Canadian list.